Birdwatching - 2021 🐦

🦉 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

These beautiful, interesting birds live near bodies of water where the water is relatively clean and clear. This is important, because in the water they look out for their prey - fish.

They nest on steep banks, where they dig holes in the walls with their beaks and paws. They use... nothing as bedding. But since the birds are not very clean, a litter of fish scales and bones forms in the hole over time. And in the summer, when you find their hole and walk close, you can feel this stench.