Right Place, Right Time

Are you ready for your closeup, little guy? This belted kingfisher appeared to be.

On our excursion Saturday morning to check rain gauges and pasture ground, we went through part of Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. Initially, I didn't see the handsome fellow perching on the fence post, but my sharp-eyed husband did.

Randy backed up the pickup, and the bird miraculously stayed put. I rarely get a chance to photograph birds, so I couldn't believe my luck.

We wondered if he might have been hurt, since he didn't make an attempt to fly away. I sent a photo and asked for information from my friend and fellow photography enthusiast Pam Martin, who works as an educator at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center at Cheyenne Bottoms. She said: "He looks a little rumpled up. He might have gotten in a tussle with a larger bird or some predator. They are a really cool bird. They nest in earthen burrows made in steep sides along waterways."

So, he had good reason for hanging out near Quivira. 

He even showed us both profiles. Does he have a "better side?"