As we were walking through a path of heathland a Black-Shouldered Kite popped up onto the upper branches of a tree. A few minutes of slow movement brought it within range of my lens. There have been times when I have mentioned the rain in a negative sort of way - but on this occasion the heavy great sky was a real bonus. In the flat bright light of a full sun light this bird would have been a real pain to photograph - with its white feather blowing out into over-expossed highlights. But the grey scle sky was a perfect back drop.
So, for once I'm able to post a bird of prey. Now its your turn to link to Wild Bird Wednesday.
he's beautiful! like you said, the gray skies were perfect.
ReplyDeleteGreat shots of Black-Shouldered Kites
ReplyDeleteThis is a bird of prey I have never seen, except in pictures, so you are one up on me. I am pretty sure I would have to travel a distance to find one, but for now I am pleased to see that you have had the opportunity to capture this wonderful series. Great pictures, Stewart.
ReplyDeleteAndrea @ From The Sol
congrats to your bird of prey, and a beautiful one at that. And you are right, sometimes a grey day is good. :)
ReplyDeleteNice Pics.
ReplyDeleteOver here in North America we have the white-tailed kite which looks very similar. In fact at one time they were all one species called the black-shouldered kite. The black-shouldered kite was broken into 3 seperate species, the white-tailed in North and South America, the Black-winged in Europe and Africa and the black-shouldered in Australia.
Nice Pics.
ReplyDeleteOver here in North America we have the white-tailed kite which looks very similar. In fact at one time they were all one species called the black-shouldered kite. The black-shouldered kite was broken into 3 seperate species, the white-tailed in North and South America, the Black-winged in Europe and Africa and the black-shouldered in Australia.
Ah, someone who can be truly thankful for overcast skies. The kite photos turned out well!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! Really nice shots, Stewart! That's a handsome Kite!
ReplyDeleteA beautiful bird to see Stewart... thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYou definitely took great advantage of the gray sky and it paid off handsomely!
ReplyDeleteLovely shots of the Kite Stewart!
How awesome that you spotted this Black-Shouldered Kite. I've never heard of one, much less seen one. Amazing!! Hope I can participate in WBW with something other than my trio of hummers. :)
ReplyDeletewhat an exciting moment for you, he's gorgeous!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beauty!!
ReplyDeleteIt's quite an unusual looking bird of prey. From Findlay
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous bird! Great captures!
ReplyDeleteYes, dull dreary skies can be a good thing when you think otherwise. Good going on the kite.
ReplyDeleteSplendid images. It closely resembles our White-tailed Kite.
ReplyDeleteGreat photo of a magnificent bird.
ReplyDeleteone of my favourites now and I love your in-flight photograph especially too Stewart; great catch!
ReplyDeleteIt's beautiful!!!! I especially like the 2nd photo you shared. It's as if it's posing for you to get the most perfect side.
ReplyDeleteStewart, the Kites are cool birds. Congrats on your sighting and the photos.
ReplyDeleteStunning bird Stewart and you're right. That sky was perfect for such a bright bird.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful bird!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the great pictures you have taken.
ReplyDeleteI can connect to a loss to I also thought that it is difficult to photograph birds of prey, have a few good pictures of buzzard.
Hanne Bente
Excellant job Stewart. I too am learning about grey skies, over bright sunny days! In flight birds are always a challange too.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful rest of the week.
A LOVELY bird! I am a BIg FAN of in flight shots and LOVE the one you've captured :)
ReplyDeleteWell done, Stewart. Great shots of the Black-shouldered Kite!! I captured one over some cane fields a few weeks ago but it was way out of reach of my 250mm zoom and the images needed to be cropped excessively.
ReplyDeleteGreat shots Stewart, a beautiful bird.
ReplyDeleteThose shots really are superb Stewart.
ReplyDeleteThose are really nice! I know what you mean about the sky washing out photos. Pure sunlight can be pretty brutal.
ReplyDeleteWe saw these kites when we spent winters in Texas -- there are supposed to be some in the Everglades in Florida, but we haven't seen them yet. I love your pictures -- you definitely have some birds of prey now! And I do envy your wonderful flight shot.
ReplyDelete(I'm birdless today -- hope to be back to the meme soon.)
HAha! I find it hard to get good pix of ANY bird - so I tend to shout it from the rooftops when I do!! But congrats on finally cracking the bird of prey thing!!
ReplyDeleteSo very nice photos of this white kite! Yes, it's tricky to get good photos of white birds, but against a grey sky it's better.
ReplyDeleteAnd I have some photos of a red kite today! Among some others of course.
Have a nice weekend! /Pia
Beautiful bird and great shots, Stewart. Lucky the sky was dark to bring out the whiteness of the bird to great effect.
ReplyDeleteNice shots. The white plumage against the gray sky not only makes the kite more visible, but also lends it a particularly wild look.
ReplyDelete