Vermont's kingfisher is one of 90 species mostly found in tropical regions around the world. Six species are found in the Western Hemisphere and only two breed in North America. These northern species breed from Alaska to the United States, wintering in Panama and the West Indies. Kingfishers throughout the world dive for their food, and lay 5 to 8 eggs in tunnels up to 8 feet deep along riverbanks. While Vermont's native Belted Kingfisher, Megarceryle alcyon, has a blue gray color, other species in tropical regions are very colorful. It is also interesting to note that within this family of birds, the female is more colorful than the male.

The Kingfisher Legend

The scientific name for this family of birds, Alcedinidae, comes from the story of Halcyone in Greek mythology. Halcyone and her husband Ceyex had only been married a short time when he had to go out to sea. Each day that Ceyex was gone, Halcyone went down to the shore to await his return. Many weeks passed and storms occurred but she continued her vigil, longing for his return.

After months his body was washed ashore and, in her grief, she threw herself into the sea. The gods were so moved by her love and devotion to be with her husband that they turned them both into kingfishers, and they rose out of the sea to fly off happily into blue skies.

The brighter coloring of the female kingfisher reflected the gods' recognition of the magnitude of Halcyone's love for Ceyex. The gods confirmed their conviction of the couple's love by declaring that the seas would be calm for seven days before and seven days after the winter solstice. This tranquil solstice weather provided a nesting time on the seas, and this time of year came to be known as our "halcyon days."

The kingfisher has come to be a symbol of peace and prosperity and is said to ward off bad weather and to keep things fresh. Ten years ago when our friend, Susan Dejohn, gave her kingfisher drawing to LCA, it soon became the logo and newsletter name. Recently, we discovered this wonderful legend and felt there was an uncanny connection to our identity, mission and our means of communication with all lovers of the watershed. This lore of the land provides sustenance to our conservation and community projects, and a fresh appreciation of this special place. While we may often dive into new projects, never exactly sure what we will bring up, we have come to trust that Lewis Creek will always have nourishment for the body, mind and soul.