Lake Fulmor, a small lake outside of Idyllwild, is a place that people like to fish and picnic. I don't visit here often but I made sure to come this week after I received another birding tip....
My friends, Dave and Barb, told me that a fishing bird was seen skimming and diving into the water. Could it be one of my very favorite birds? The Belted Kingfisher? I have never seen a kingfisher in our mountains so this would be a great sighting for me.
Luck was definitely on my side! I arrived 15 minutes after getting the tip about this fun bird and I found it. The challenge was trying to get a photograph! You can see from the photo that this is a very small lake. Most people would call it a pond. I followed this bird up and down the side of the lake for 1 1/2 hrs. Just as I approached for a photo, it flew to the far end of the lake. This comical activity occurred over and over. I would walk close to the king of the lake and she would fly to the other end.
This was my final photo of the day before the sun disappeared. I was thrilled to see this beauty.
Today, I returned for another look at this rare sighting in the mountains. It has been only a few days since I saw the kingfisher so I expected to see it again but no luck today. It must have been passing through the area and left for another fishing hole.
Instead of the kingfisher, I was dazzled by the colors of a resident pair of Mallards. It is easy to take these ducks for granted since they are quite common. Now is the time to enjoy their spectacular feather colorations. So the lesson in this blog is that if someone gives you a tip on a really cool bird that you want to see, go immediately! Don't wait several days for it may disappear before you arrive.
Click on photos to enlarge.
Photos and content by Robin Roberts.
