A female Belted Kingfisher has been fishing alone in our corner of Great Cove and divebombs anyone who comes close. She also curses loudly. We had one last year with a similar temperament in the same area.

The sloped banks of the Cove contain some good nesting areas for Kingfishers, which lodge and give birth in earthen tunnels.

Pairs of these birds reportedly are monogamous in the summer, but we have not seen a male there this year or last. In Maine, Kingfishers reportedly breed only once a year in April or May, compared to twice in some lower latitudes. Their young (if any) should be independent now.

Females have relatively thin rusty belts across their breasts, with white feathers beneath; males have a large “vest” of rusty feathers on their breasts without any white feathers beneath. (Brooklin, Maine)

In the Right Place: Bombing