Posts Tagged: black kite
The Black Kite—Once More
Kites are not picky eaters; when it comes to food, they consume everything from earthworms and live prey—such as small rodents—to carrion. As long as it’s meat, it’s fair game. This particular kite managed to fish a dead bird out of Osaka Bay, but when I spotted him a short while later on the roof of a nearby factory, he was empty-taloned. Perhaps that choice morsel turned out to be too heavy—or perhaps it had simply been pickled in too much salt?
Black kites as far as the eye can see.
I spent the second half of April with friends in Japan. We traveled from Fukuoka to Tokyo via Osaka. I hadn’t prepared much and just went with the flow, wanting to drift along and simply explore this unfamiliar world. I briefly considered leaving my full camera bag at home, but then the thought crossed my mind that I might never get back there, so I took my entire camera backpack with me. In the cities and parks, I found herons, turtles, various songbirds, and cheeky crows. The highlight, however, was a day at the end of the trip when I went to Enoshima alone and was greeted by flocks of birds of prey. Black kites, in large groups, snatching food from the hands of unsuspecting passersby—not gulls, but kites. Besides the city and the island, this was an absolute highlight, and I took far too many pictures, some of which I will present to you soon, but to start, here’s THE Air-Joradn shot…