WHILE WALKING ALONG Buffalo Creek near my home in southwestern Virginia, I flushed a bird from the trees along the bank. The startled bird took off so fast that all I caught was a glimpse of slate blue and white streaking through the treetops. My eyesaren't what they used to be, but I didn't have to see the scruffy crest and dagger-like bill to identify this bird. His hasty departure and raucous, mechanical rattle call echoing down the creek's corridor told me this was the only kingfisher that lives in our area — the Belted Kingfisher.
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