Birdwatching - 1835 🐦

🦉 The common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)

• Alcedo alcedinis, alcyon, or halcedo, halcedinis (lat.) kingfisher; word "hals" in ancient Greek language meant "sea", along with the word thalassa. According to ancient Greek mythology Alcyone (Alcyone), the daughter of the wind god Eol, was the wife of Keix, who drowned due to the wrath of the gods. Alcyone, out of grief, threw herself into the sea, and also died. The gods had mercy and turned the spouses into kingfishers. Looking for her husband, Alcyone calls all the time “Keix! Keix!" and dives, trying to find him in the sea. Alcyone days - two weeks of calm weather around the day winter solstice. During these days, Eol pacified the winds so that Alcyone, in the form of a kingfisher, could hatch chicks in her nest floating on the waves.
• atthis (ancient Greek mythology) Attis, a divine youth of extraordinary beauty

As I have repeatedly said in my posts about kingfishers, this pair nests in a ravine in which a small spring flows, where they dig holes in the sandy “walls” and breed their offspring every year. And next to this place there is a large city river that flows along several cities. And in the spring, after the snow and ice melt, this river is quite wide, and at this time the banks are flooded.

These birds love to hunt on this river, or more precisely, fish. In July, when their children grow up and can already fly, this river dries up and the banks are exposed. And at this time small ponds form on the banks. On these ponds, kingfisher parents love to teach their children how to hunt. That's why I often see adult birds diving for fish, while their young ones sit in the bushes and watch.