There was a pair of Belted Kingfishers at the Lakewood Marina (foot of
South Genesee St at Lake Washington Blvd) this afternoon about 4pm.
This is the first time I've ever seen a pair of Kingfishers, and I've
been visiting this location (and others along the lake) weekly for
about ten years.

They preened and vocalized at one another for about 15 minutes, staying
close together the whole time. The male was perched on a slightly
higher branch than the female, held himself very erect, and kept his
crest extended the whole time. The female perched on a slightly lower
branch and held herself in more of a horizontal position. Every few
minutes they would "bow" and fluff themselves to one another and
vocalize for perhaps 30 seconds or so. I'm not sure how to describe the
vocalizations, except that there were a number of variations on the
sound that usually alerts me to a Kingfisher's presence. The coolest
thing was that I noticed that the white patches in front of their eyes
were really visible throughout. Actually, I'm not sure if I've ever
noticed that white patch before.

Does anyone out there have details about Kingfisher courtship displays?
Could this pair be considering this location as a nesting area? I'm not
sure if there are any ideal banks around the marina for them to nest
in. Do they ever use nest boxes or other sites?

Also at the marina today, one Common Yellowthroat, a first for that
location.

Catherine Alexander
Lakewood Neighborhood
South Seattle