white-tailed kite

White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus majusculus)

White tailed kite Elanus leucurus Canon 40D 500mm

Once I was settled in at Sea Ranch, we went for an evening walk. We spotted this White-tailed Kite hovering against an increasingly foggy sky in fading light. High ISO and a long exposure gave me this ghostly image.

As JJBievre pointed out, the Kite did not look happy about me creeping so close. Zooming the lens out a bit, I could see why. There was a mate or a youngster in the tree as well, "hiding" around the far side of the trunk.

-tailed, perched in a rather scruffy oak tree in a dry field near the Snowy's drainage ditch. I actually went off trail, one slow step at a time among the starr thistles, to get this close to the tree

And then there are the kites ... Our local kites used to be called Black-shouldered Kites. I don't know when someone decided that Black-shouldered wasn't clear enough and that these should be differentiated from other kites (that perhaps have black shoulders?) by referring to their white tails...

This guy lost a fight sometime in his life -- missing his right eye. I see them getting in to it with the Northern Harriers and Red-tailed hawks now and then, trying to claim a field for hunting. The tree he was in was pretty far away. With crop, this is probably around 1500mm effective...

White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus subsp. majusculus) Sexes similar. Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Chambers County, Texas, USA. Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes Vegetational Area.

White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus subsp. majusculus) Sexes similar. Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Chambers County, Texas, USA. Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes Vegetational Area. My wife and I leave for Panama in the morning for a birding trip and will be gone for a couple of weeks...

Taken on Thanksgiving at McLaughlin East Shore State Park.

White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus subsp. majusculus) Sexes similar. Boca Chica Road east of Brownsville, Cameron County, Texas, USA. Roadside on a loma, Tamaulipan Scrub habitat within the Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes Vegetational Area at ca. 9 m (30 ft).

Ssp leucurus

White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus subsp. majusculus) Sexes similar. Anauhac National Wildlife Refuge, northwest of High Island abutting East Bay, Chambers County, Texas, USA. Coastal marshes and prairies at 2-3 m (6-10 ft) elevation.

White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus subsp. majusculus) Sexes similar. Photographed in Anauhac National Wildlife Refuge, northwest of High Island abutting East Bay, Chambers County, Texas, USA. Coastal marshes and prairies at 2-3 m (6-10 ft) elevation. I will be out Friday through Sunday. My wife...

White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus subsp. majusculus) Sexes similar. Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Shoveler Pond, Chambers County, Texas, USA. Gulf prairies and marshes at ca. 2 m (6.6 ft) elevation.

First chick to fledge was the smallest of three. This shot was first time in the air. Seems quite proud.

Swallowing the entire vole took some time & effort.

White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus subsp. majusculus) Sexes similar. Photographed in Anauhac National Wildlife Refuge, northwest of High Island abutting East Bay, Chambers County, Texas, USA. Coastal marshes and prairies at 2-3 m (6-10 ft) elevation.

Perched at the top of the mountain looking down the valley

White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus subsp. majusculus) Sexes similar. Photographed in Galveston Island State Park, northeast of Jamaica Beach, Galveston County, Texas, USA. Barrier Island, coastal prairie at ca. 3 m (10.7 ft) elevation.

There are two of these. This sibling was perhaps two weeks out of the nest when it was imaged.

Obviously a composite. It is at this phase that I like this bird most. There is much variation in the coloring, and markings, in the plumage. The dorsal surface of the wing (center and upper right images) is showing the distinctive dark shoulder pannel. The same two images also show the rufous...

There are two of these that fledged from a nidus tree in Tillie Creek Campgrounds. This is a migrant species of raptor, coming north from South and Central America to breed in this area. Notice the reddish coloration in the neck, side, breast and flanks, along with the faint dark spots on the...

There is a pair of these attempting to nest in one of the camp-grounds. This bird has either a species of California mouse (Peromyscus), or California Vole ( Microtus); hard to tell from this image. There seems to be a 'nidus' tree the pair has claimed. Should know in the next week or two if...

This bird is related to falcons. They occur in Kern Co. as part of their migration up from Central America and Mexico. They are partial to farm lands, riparian habitat and open, grassy fields. Their method of hunting is to hover, facing into the wind, in one place. When prey is spotted, they...