Archive for the 'Binoculars' Category
Last weekend I had the privilege of watching three swallow-tailed kites flying right over my house. If you’ve been lucky enough to see these raptors in flight you already know how elegant and graceful they are. They seldom flap their 48″ to 50″ wings while flying, but will almost continuously rotate their tails to make sharp turns, keep their heading or just make large easy circles high above, as if out for a afternoon stroll. If you don’t happen to already have them in hand, these birds will usually stick around long enough for you go grab your binoculars for a closer look. Which is always well worth it!
Kites are unlike most other raptors in that their talons and bills are not as large or strong. For this reason their diet is made up of mostly smaller weaker prey such as insects, frogs, lizards, snakes and small birds. They circle the tree tops in search of prey and will swoop down take and it on the wing. These beautiful raptors are unlike any other species and to see them in flight with their forked tails soaring high above is shear pleasure and a bird watchers treat!