The Kingfisher
Writer: Mads Wolter Nielsen
08.02.23
The Kingfisher
Dear reader, today we are starting a new series. This series will be on the wildlife at Yggdrasil Sancturary. The animals and nature we are guests in are stunning, captivating and inspirational. All animals, like people have different behavioral patterns, that can represent different emotions or personal traits in us humans. We are tied together with the animals around us, and therefore this series is called: Yggdrasil Sanctuary’s Spirit Animals
The first animal we will take a closer look at, is the elusive but marvelous bird: The Kingfisher known in danish as Isfugl.
This bird is an enigma to approach, it is small, fast and hard to catch even a glimpse of in the wild. However if you do manage to see it you will understand why so many people want to see this bird in real life. While there are many species of kingfishers in the world, of various shapes and sizes, in Scandinavia we only have one. Its colors are vivid with the back (dorsal) of the bird being a turquoise, Icy, metallic-blue and the underside (ventral) being a blazing orange.
The Kingfisher is, perhaps not surprisingly, a fish eating bird, it catches its prey by perching from a branch and spying down the water. The preferred habitat of the Kingfisher is therefore either creeks and rivers or coastal banks with overhanging trees. The bird nests in a ground dugout where it uses fishbones as its nest material, rather than straws, twigs and leaves like most other birds.
Because of its habitat demands, the Kingfisher is vulnerable to deforestation, straightening of creeks and the like. At Stevns klint there is a large forest with numerous springs and creeks and a large forest lake, as well as trees overhanging the coast, with many areas for nesting. These are prime conditions for the Kingfisher and if you are lucky and mindful when wandering around at Yggdrasils location, you might spot this amazing looking bird.
Kingfisher Totem
The kingfisher is known for its agility, speed and precision strikes when hunting for food. Its spirit is bold, fearless and powerful and peace or calm. In Greek mythology the Halcyon or kingfisher is symbolic with calm weather and the birds are set to have their blue color from Zeus’s blue lightning. But to us here in the north it is the mighty thunder of Thor!!!
If you have fear of anything, or need more calm in your life, perhaps you are stressing over work or have trouble finding your work-life balance. Keep the totem and the spirit of the kingfisher close and channel the energy of this mythical bird into your life.
Do you have a spirit animal? Is it the Kingfisher or another one? If you like this blog and have something you want to add or ask about the kingfisher, please contact us through our mail or DM us on social media.
