Then for the teeming quietest, happiest days of all!
The brooding and blissful halcyon days!
Halcyon is the Greek name for the newest residents of our pond. The talented Cheryl Reynolds snapped these remarkable pictures. The ancient Greeks named them after Alcyon, the eldest sister in the pleiades. They believed their kingfishers nested on the ocean and made the waves calm during the two weeks before winter solstice when their eggs were hatching. It was a great gift to sailors. Hence the term “Halcyon Days” which was quoted by Whitman and others. The only Kingfisher we have in most of the US is this: the belted Kingfisher, named for the obvious band around his neck. Although the Kingfisher was a very occasional visitor to the pond last summer, they are firmly in residence now and spend their time going back and forth between two particular trees. A kingfisher sits very still on a overhanging branch, spies a fish in the water, and makes a sudden drop dive, spearing the animal and returning to the branch to eat it. They make a loud, rattling call, but only when they fly, and their beak size is enormous compared to their tiny bodies. This particular Kingfisher appears to be “tenderizing” his fish by whacking it on the branch before swallowing. Halcyon Home-Ec?
The series of photos from last nights dam visit are some of the most “beaver expressive” ever. Enjoy!
