View allAll Photos Tagged kiting
Outfit : FenDuDu_Kite girl (incl dress, headdress, shoes, kite, earrings). At Access.
Hair : MINA Hair - Dorie Bun
Decor :
-ATTIC- Spring Torii Low Gate. At Access.
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 Kite ~ (Rostrhamus sociabilis)
Two snail kites take issue over a particular hunting area and decide to settle it the old fashioned way. They held on to each other as they fought and then spiraled down towards the water together before breaking the grip. One of the kites had enough and flew off.
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Photographed at C23 C24
From American Bird Conservancy:
The Swallow-tailed Kite is unmistakable in flight, with its long, pointed wings, deeply forked tail, and contrasting black-and-white plumage. This largest of American kites is a graceful, buoyant flier, so lightweight and maneuverable that it can capture a dragonfly mid-air or pluck a lizard from its treetop hideout — all without a single wing beat.
Swallow-tailed Kites primarily eat flying insects such as dragonflies and cicadas, which they capture and consume on the wing. But these predatory acrobats don't limit themselves to invertebrates: As they cruise the treetops, they also snag snakes, lizards, treefrogs, and even small bird nestlings and eggs. In South Florida, where Swallow-tailed Kites sometimes nest in suburbs, their diet includes hatchlings of the introduced and thriving Green Iguana. Unusual for raptors, Swallow-tailed Kites will eat fruit, especially on their wintering grounds. They even drink on the wing, skimming the water's surface to collect water, as do swallows.
Two Swallow-tailed Kite subspecies are recognized. The population that nests in the United States breeds from coastal South Carolina to Florida and west to Louisiana and eastern Texas. These U.S. birds winter in South America. The other subspecies, comprising the majority of the world's Swallow-tailed Kites, is resident in Central and South America.
From the Photographer - There are thought to be about 4,500 remaining in the US - most in Florida.
In flight, it frequently turns its tail, sometimes to nearly 90 degrees, using it as a rudder to maintain its flight path, veer sharply, or circle.
I'll post a photo in the comments showing a very different positioning of the tail.
Yes, they are mesmerizing to watch and yes they don't stay in one spot for long, although they may come back to it another time that day or each day.
This photo was explored.
These kites are medium-sized raptors which, when viewed from a distance against a bright sky, appear to be almost black. In reality their plumage is coloured in varying shades of brown.
Especially in the dry savannah regions of outback Australia, they are a mesmerising site, soaring effortlessly with only the occasional lazy wing flap as they search for prey on the ground below. Interestingly, they have an adaptive relationship to fire. When grass fires sweep across the savannah and the open woodlands, the kites not only congregate to search for prey escaping the flames, they are known to actually pick up burning twigs in their talons and drop them ahead of the fire front in order to create new fires and flush out additional prey.
© Irwin Reynolds, all rights reserved. If you are interested in using one of my images or would like a high-quality fine art print, please send an email to irwinreynolds@me.com.
This path that lead to the ocean was beautiful all on its own, but the two trees had captured this kite from floating out to sea.
The red kite (Milvus milvus) is a large bird of prey, easily identified by its reddish-brown body, angled wings, and deeply forked tail. It has a distinctive call described as a mew-like "weoo-weoo-weoo" sound. Red kites are known for their elegant flight and are often seen soaring with their wings spread and tails moving to steer
Kite Surfers minimalism Rhyl beach Denbighshire north Wales UK
adrian-evans.pixels.com/featured/kite-surfers-adrian-evan...
I remember 30+ years ago having to travel to Wales to see a red kite. These days I see them so regularly, they're a true conservation success story in the UK.
Even though I see these birds frequently I've never had the opportunity to get a decent close shot until last weekend when I spotted this bird drifting low overhead.
A Black Kite that parked itself in the backyard pretty close to where I stood in the balcony. Black Kites are scavengers and opportunistic hunters that spend much time soaring and gliding in thermals in search of food. The birds angled wing and distinctive forked tail make them easy to identify.
A Red Kite balences at the top of the tall conifer tree in the light breeze.
Images best viewed in "lights out" L key
Black Kite
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Mix a strong wind, with some frisky Black Kites and enjoy an airshow.
The high speed chases included slipping among the treetops.
Whistling Kite
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Sure of wing and speed, these Kites were playfully slipping through the tree line.
One of our most graceful fliers, this kite glides, circles, and swoops in pursuit of large flying insects. Despite the name, it is most common on the southern Great Plains. During recent decades, the planting of trees in shelterbelts and towns has made it possible for this bird to nest in many areas where it was formerly scarce; many towns on the southern plains now have their own nesting colonies of Mississippi Kites.
Feeding Behavior
Catches many large flying insects high in the air in graceful maneuvers, often then holding these in one foot and eating them while soaring. Also skims low to catch prey on or near the ground. Sometimes flies out from a perch to catch passing insects. Pursues bats and flying birds (such as swallows and swifts) in the air. Sometimes catches insects that have been flushed from the grass by herds of grazing animals or by fire. Also scavenges road-killed animals at times (this may account for occasional large rodents or turtles in diet).
Source: Audubon Guide to North American Birds