Sacred Kingfisher

SACRED KINGFISHER (Halcyon Sancta)

The days are still very grey. We have patches of sunlight  and the air and ground is warming up, but the days have been grey. I have seen echidnas, brown snakes, blue tongued lizards and tortoises all on the move in the last week. I imagine a combination of wet ground and the warmth is pushing the wildlife above ground a little earlier than other years. 




Do we plant out tomatoes now? It is is still two weeks until Melbourne Cup Day. That is the proper time for tomatoes.

I have a brother in law who lives around Baddaginnie.  Benalla never had a holiday for Cup Day, so  the locals begin  tomatoe planting day according to the days when the brown snakes and the blue tongued lizards emerge from their winter sleep.

It must be the time.



I was walking last Sunday quite early when a flash of blue swooped past and a little kingfisher landed on a nearby tree. I can't remember seeing one of these before around Kilmore. It was a bright blue and sat on it's branch for quite a few minutes before flying off.  It was a small, blue kookaburra.

Today I had an hour or two to spare and went out looking to see if I could find him or her again. It began to rain heavily, again. I sat under a large pine tree to wait until the rain passed. The birds were not waiting. Swallows, ducks, swamp hens and cormorants were all enjoying the rain. And there was the little blue kingfisher, sitting quietly looking at me. Lovely!

So what kind of kingfisher is it?   I could not see this bird very clearly but I think this might be a Sacred Kingfisher. At first I thought it was an Azure Kingfisher which has a striking blue, ultra marine coloured back with buff underparts. This one has a pale chest and has a white collar which extends all around the neck.  So I think Sacred Kingfisher,  Halcyon Sancta. 

The name?  Halcyon  was a mythical bird said by ancient writers to breed in a nest floating at sea at the winter solstice, charming the wind and waves into calm And sancta, of course means saint. What a lovely name for a lovely bird