I’m not an avid angler. It’s probably because I’m so easily
distracted. Dragonflies and damselflies patrol their territories
along cattail-lined shorelines. Bullfrogs bellow from the
shoreline, and there’s often at least one snapping turtle coming
up for air or a water snake swimming toward me. More often,
however, it’s the machine gun-like rattle of a belted kingfisher
that grabs my attention. When the bird flies by and lands on a
bare branch in a nearby tree, I’m hooked. Eventually something
in the water below catches the block-headed bird’s eye, and the
kingfisher flies off and then pulls up and hovers about 20 feet
above the water. For several seconds, the bird beats its wings
furiously and holds its position in the air. All the while, it
eyes the water intently. Suddenly, the kingfisher folds its
wings, plunges and disappears completely beneath the water.
Moments later, the successful angler emerges from the stream,
minnow in bill, and returns to its perch. The kingfisher whacks
the small fish senseless