Belted Kingfisher is released!

On June 25, 2010 we received an admission of an adult Belted Kingfisher that a local homeowner found on her driveway. Right above the bird were two big picture windows that were very reflective of the surrounding trees. It was clear that this little guy hit the window, not realizing it wasn't a throughway.

During the time he was with us, he was rather subdued. He perched well but showed no interest in eating, so he had to be handfed several times a day. (This is normal, as this type of bird dives into the water after fish). However, over the last few days he perked up and started showing more feistiness.
Wanting to wait until the 4th of July festivities were over, we came in today to find a very vocal and active bird.

We brought him back to the harbor where he lives and as you can see from the photos, he was ready to go and thrilled to be free!

Belted Kingfishers are common on Long Island (as well as across North America), often seen perching on electrical lines over water, checking out

what is going on underneath them. They hover above the water before plunging into the water after a fish.