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Inspiring and Supporting Photographers of Australian Birds

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Black Kite

Black Kite (Image ID 62181)
Photographed byMichael Hamel-Green on Mon 25th Mar, 2024 and uploaded on Wed 27th Mar, 2024 .
Resolution1800x1059
Viewed73
ID62181
CommentA Black Kite had been hiding itself in Shrubby Glasswort on The Spit Nature Reserve adjoining the Western Lagoon, Werribee. I watched it for a while before driving on. Then, driving back, there it was in the air in front of me, clutching a kill in its yellow talons, and alighting on top of a fence post in front of me to have its breakfast. The problem was the fence post “table” was not big enough to get a good grip on the kill. So it took off again and landed on a grassy ridge some distance away where presumably it had more space to enjoy a leisurely picnic. Too far away to photograph. But then, via a circuitous route, I was able to approach closer, with the Kite so focused on enjoying its kill as not to notice me nearby. Here is my view. Brown-hued Black Kite against the browns and yellows of dried out shrubs and grasses. With such long legs, it seems the kill was some kind of wader. It is no wonder that the local waders and waterbirds take fright at soon as a Black Kite appears overhead. As HANZAB notes, they are extraordinary skilled and versatile hunters, with methods including: “hunting from unconcealed perches, soaring and prospecting, high-quartering and hovering often high against the sun, and low quartering like a harrier” (https://hanzab.birdlife.org.au/species/black-kite/).
EquipmentNikon Z8 Nikkor 500mm PF f/5.6 TC1.4
700mm
ISO 1250
1/1250th f/8
LocationWestern Lagoon, Western Treatment Plant , Werribee, Victoria
Keywordsfeeding/with prey, adult
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