Backyard Zoology · 5 March 2019
2019-03-05T10:15:36+11:00
https://www.facebook.com/backyardzoology/posts/pfbid02qmkd8kPbMLq9qsiaENRotfJJYg3mtLTCcger5b15W6fxxR72Jvfx9HvvHEKE6TZml

Is there such a thing as too many photos of a Black-Shouldered Kite? Asking for a friend...

There is just something about a raptor in a dead tree - it's my absolute favourite setting to photograph them in. They just go together, like cheese and bikkies, wine and Friday nights, skinny jeans and tears 😂 As soon as we spotted the bird sitting at the top of this steel grey branch both husby and I broke into a sort of jog. Not a flat out run because, well, it's running, but also we didn't want to risk startling it. So we did that half run/walk they do in competitive walking, arms pumping crazily, feet clearly leaving the ground, our heads frantically flicking around, firstly to keep a determined eye on each other and secondly to keep checking that the BSK hadn't flown off.

I actually started taking photos halfway across the field, just in case it took off, the bird nothing more than a grey and white blob on screen but still, got him all the same, and more importantly got photos of it before Matt did! But this bird ended up seeming rather settled and we got quite a bit of time as it sat, occasionally preening, watching and waiting. Not gonna lie I was really hoping to see it catch some prey - these are the ones that especially love mice and rats and seeing them feed is really, um, eye opening.

We did eventually get to watch it hunt briefly. We had just gotten into the car, ready to head home, when we saw in the distance the distinctive hover of the BSK. Probably not the smartest thing in the world though, standing in the middle of the road trying to shoot directly into the sun but the focus and determination of a raptor on the hunt is always such a sight, it was worth risking both my optical nerve and my life for!

Black-Shouldered Kite
Bellambi