Kites & Kite Flying
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Red Kite - Milvus Milvus
Persecuted to near extinction in the UK, the Red Kite has made a tremendous comeback thanks to reintroduction programmes and legal protection. Seeing one of these magnificent birds soaring high in the sky is a true delight.
Once a very rare bird that could only be found in Central Wales, the Red Kite has been successfully reintroduced to several areas of the UK and can now be seen in Wales, Yorkshire, the East Midlands and the Chilterns. A large, graceful bird of prey, it soars over woods and open areas, its distinctive shape and 'mewing' calls making it easy to identify. Red Kites were routinely persecuted as hunters of game and domestic animals, but they are in fact scavengers, eating carrion and scraps, and taking only small prey like rabbits.
Red kites were common in Shakespearean London, where they fed on scraps in the streets and collected rags or stole hung-out washing for nest-building materials. Shakespeare even referred to this habit in 'The Winter's Tale' when he wrote: 'When the kite builds, look to lesser linen'. The nest of a red kite is an untidy affair, often built on top of an old Crow's nest. It is lined with sheep's wool and decorated with all kinds of objects like paper, plastic and cloth.
Thank to all who take the time to view, Comment or Fav, It is Always Appreciated.
During this lockdown I have been re-visiting and re-processing some of my older images.
This is from my first trip to Gigrin in Mid-Wales .
Red Kite - Milvus Milvus
Persecuted to near extinction in the UK, the Red Kite has made a tremendous comeback thanks to reintroduction programmes and legal protection. Seeing one of these magnificent birds soaring high in the sky is a true delight.
Once a very rare bird that could only be found in Central Wales, the Red Kite has been successfully reintroduced to several areas of the UK and can now be seen in Wales, Yorkshire, the East Midlands and the Chilterns. A large, graceful bird of prey, it soars over woods and open areas, its distinctive shape and 'mewing' calls making it easy to identify. Red Kites were routinely persecuted as hunters of game and domestic animals, but they are in fact scavengers, eating carrion and scraps, and taking only small prey like rabbits.
Red kites were common in Shakespearean London, where they fed on scraps in the streets and collected rags or stole hung-out washing for nest-building materials. Shakespeare even referred to this habit in 'The Winter's Tale' when he wrote: 'When the kite builds, look to lesser linen'. The nest of a red kite is an untidy affair, often built on top of an old Crow's nest. It is lined with sheep's wool and decorated with all kinds of objects like paper, plastic and cloth.
Thank to all who take the time to view, Comment or Fav, It is Always Appreciated.
Black Kite, Milvus migrans
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We call them "Black", but in the soft early monring light the colours are quite distinctive.
A small piece of a kite string formed to a knot which is approx. 2 ¼” x 1.5” in this macro.
[Dedicated to CRA (ILYWAMHASAM)]
😄 Happy Macro Monday 😄
Taken 16.10.2020 and uploaded for the group Macro Mondays #String
ƒ/2.8
4.5 mm
1/160 Sec
ISO 400
First summer day 2018, a lot of wind and very cold
But very good kite surf weather ...
Thanks for your visit and comments, I appreciate that very much!
Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit written permission.© all rights reserved.
Regards, Bram (BraCom)
Snail Kite ~ (Rostrhamus sociabilis)
A Snail Kite in flight with nesting material.
Thanks for visiting!
Black-shouldered Kite, Elanus axillaris
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I'm here, trying to catch my dinner, what's your excuse for being in the rain?
I'd had to walk a long way across the paddock to find this Kite.
I'd risked the impending squall, but it swept in quickly.
Snail Kites are one of my favorite hawks. I believe this is a young male who will turn more slate colored as he ages. Females and juvenile males have a beautiful brown pattern but the adult males, are striking with bright red eyes that pop against their dark feathers. In this image, I like seeing the curved wing tips and the beak, perfectly adapted to extract snail from their shell, emphasized against the blue. sky. As always, feel free to chime in if you have knowledge to share. (Rostrhamus sociabilis) (Sony a9iii, 200-600 lens @ 500mm, f/6.3, 1/3200 second, ISO 800).
Snail Kite ~ (Rostrhamus sociabilis)
A male Snail Kite comes in for a landing with a nice size Apple Snail. If you look below you can see the red snail eggs on the branch sticking up from the water.
Thanks for visiting!
Black-shouldered Kite, Elanus axillaris
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A few weeks back I put up some shots from a nesting pair. They had set up a nest in the top of a dead tree, in the open. Most unusual.
A week or so later after some large storms, rain and wind, we checked and the nest was no longer in use. The adults were still around, but not attending the nest.
Conclusion: They lost the clutch.
Wrong! This morning we found them working with three very active young.
Determanation is built into Black-shouldered Kite dna.
A brahminy kite (haliastur indus) flying across an angry sky. Photographed on Hat Yao Noi, Phang Nga, Thailand.
Red Kite, a grab shot, in the late afternoon sunshine, just as we were leaving. Taken in Norfolk. Tricky side lighting was not ideal.
When you need a break, you just park your kite and find a place to relax, grab something to drink and maybe a sandwich or two.
Waddell Beach, just south of Half Moon Bay, California.
A great place for kite-boarders, wind surfers and for capturing photons reflected off them.
Black-shouldered Kite, Elanus axillaris
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One of six young that were out in the paddocks together.
Three were from a clutch we'd been following for awhile, the other three had turned up with their Male overseer, but unsure where they might have nested.
The tail raising is an important visual cue of territory ownership
More pics and story on the blog.
Snail Kites are one of our most beautiful hawks in my opinion. They have long delicate talons that usually grasp snails with elegant grace. They often transfer the snail from talons to bill while in flight and use their bills to extract the snail from its shell with relative ease. The females, as shown in this image, are brown and lighter in color. Both have red eyes but the males are brighter, especially during breeding season. This young lady is shown as she has just plucked a snail from the surface of the water. (Rostrhamas sociabilis) (Sony a1, 200-600mm @430mm, f/6.3, 1/2500 second, ISO 640)
Sicily - Macari
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