Swallow-tailed Kites
Every year around this time the Swallow-tailed Kites gather from all over Florida in a few specific places. There are hundreds if not thousands of birds that group together to prepare for their annual migration to South America. Once coming upon them roosting in the trees along the water, we waited as they woke up, preened and took off for a day of hunting to prepare for their trip. There were even some that flew down and skimmed the water to grab a drink!
On the way to see the Kites, we came across a juvenile Osprey in its nest. It took off carrying the fish it was “protecting”. Not sure if it caught the fish itself or if mom/dad brought it in.
One of the hundreds of Swallow-tailed Kites. It seems to be posing for the camera
A very small section of the trees where the Swallow-tailed Kites were roosting for the night
Swallow-tailed Kite taking a moment to reflect while preening
The morning flights begin
Flying low towards the water
I wanted a shot like this with the Kite coming towards me, but I kind of like the different perspective and reflection
Coming up with a mouth full of water that it skimmed off the surface
Kite in flight
This one was a bit farther away but looked really cool lifting up from a skim
This was the closest skim to the boat. It’s amazing that they can so effortlessly skim the water while flying as quick as they do
Coming in hot across the water
Seems like the Kite is checking if I got the shot
Now that‘s a look of determination
Making a splash
Water drops off as the Kite lifts up off the water
Making a soft touch and go
A mouth full of water as the Kite prepares to lift off
Liftoff with some dribble
Another Kite checking if I got the shot
This was the last of the Kites that we saw touch the water. They were all off for a day of hunting to prep for their long trip
After the Kites left we searched nearby for owls. It didn’t take long to find a pair of Barred Owls flying along the shore line
Barred Owl flying past the boat
Barred Owl in flight with a nice background
At one point, the Barred Owl flew into trees about 300 feet away. Such a beautiful spot with the sun poking in
As the Barred Owl flew by again, it gave a good look at how wide its wings are. This helps it to fly nearly silent
A close flyby of the Barred Owl
While it was slower than usual for the Swallow-tailed Kites to skim the water, it was still an amazing time to see the ones that did as well as all of the hundreds of others as they took flight for the day. Finishing off the day with Barred Owls was just an awesome addition. Nature is so cool!