Kingfishers are like tiny little raptors… that eat tiny little fish. I drive by a little pond that has an old snag in it twice per weekday on my way to work. And 8/10 times there is a little kingfisher sitting atop the snag patiently waiting for a fish to rise just close enough to the surface. I’ve been meaning to make a broom honoring this feathered familiar for months now!

This broom is inspired by the female belted kingfisher who wears a rusty necklace. The male wears a smoky blue necklace.

I was surprised to learn a while back that kingfishers hide their precious eggs in a deep burrow along a river bank, road bank, or any exposed earthen bank surface they can dig into. And these burrows can be up to 8 feet deep! It’s always been a goal of mine to find a kingfisher burrow!

The energy going into the two whisks I created:

🐟Patience- when hunting kingfishers wait in stillness, gazing into the murky depths, until what they are looking for comes to them. Then they dive without hesitation in pursuit. “Right-timing”.

🧿Protection- with their deep burrows they excavate with their feet and beaks, they are making space for, hiding, and protecting that which is most precious to them. They vigorously defend their burrows from threats such as snakes, weasels, and skunks.

💅🔊Authenticity and communication- kingfishers make their presence known with their rattling calls. Not hiding from anything or anyone.

🔎Discernment- did you know that, much like owls, kingfishers regurgitate a pellet with the bones and scales of their fishy food? They take in only what they need, what feeds and nourishes them, and they discard the rest. We could probably all do better with this, ay?