I saw what looked like two juvenile Belted Kingfishers this week, the
first tuesday on the public fishing pier next to the boat ramp at
Shilshole/Golden Gardens. The second this morning at the Ballard locks,
fishing around the spillway. Both had lots of rufous on their sides,
especially evedent when flying. The gray band was imperfectly developed
and they looked kind of "fuzzy". The one at the locks I nicknamed "Ol
Flattop" because its crest was either missing or well swept back. It was
pretty dramatic. It also seemed to be diving for fish at a very shallow
angle, flying a foot above the surface and swooping in at about 5 to 10
degrees. It didn't seem to have much success. There was an adult male
buzzing around to the west of the RR bridge at the same time.

Cliff Drake
Ballard-Seattle