Watch for the Belted Kingfisher

Never fast enough or close enough to grab a photo of this great bird, I futilely tried again today, when one of them spent some time at our end of the lake diving for fish, crayfish or whatever the lake had to offer. These guys are super QUICK! They perch high on branches near the water's edge surveying the buffet, then plunge headfirst into the water to catch their prey. This is one of the few species where the female is more colorful than the male, sporting an extra band of color (rust) across her breast. We saw only the male today. It seems that the lake has plenty to offer the diving birds and ducks this year.

a mouthful!

And...she's still building!

Obviously an overachiever, our expectant robin doesn't seem to realize that sometimes "good enough" really is. Though I'm well aware that it takes some of us decades to learn that. We're waaaay past the high end of the 2-6 day estimated nest-building time, yet it's still going on. So I'm thinking maybe she's building a second nest somewhere else--a more private place. A place where the blogging paparazzi don't roam. A place without doorbells and UPS delivery men and barking dogs and light-up-the-night porch lights. Who could blame her?