When you see most flocks of birds, you have no idea whether they are related to each other. That isn't true of Belted Kingfishers, though. They are pretty much loners except during breeding season and a short period of time afterwards when they are teaching their offspring how to survive.
That is why I am pretty sure these two are related as parent and offspring. They both appear to be females, so it would seem that momma is teaching her daughter to fish.
There have only been a couple of times over the years that I have seen more than one fishing together. They are very fast, exciteable birds and are fun to watch. It isn't often you get the chance to film two of them hitting the water at the same time, even if it was at a pretty good distance. (That is also why image quality isn't very good.)
I don't know who puts up the bamboo poles. There is one out there almost every year. There wasn't one this year, but a couple years there were two stuck in the mud along the shore across the river. The birds love them. Certain birds like to be at the highest point in the area and seek out places like that. Ospreys, hawks, Red-wing Blackbirds and Kingfishers are among them. You wouldn't think an osprey could perch atop a pole like this, but I have seen them stand there for a couple hours.
The Double-crested Cormorant seems to be watching the Kingfisher. They use different means to the same end.
The Kingfisher was successful in catching a minnow and happily flies off with it. They are a fun bird to watch and if you happen to see one fishing, take the time to watch. It is amazing to see them plunge dive.
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