Black Kite (juvenile)

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Morkel Erasmus

BPN Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2009
Messages
14,858
Location
South Africa
black_kite_landing_1_KTP_2012.jpg

Taken in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa. In the northern region around the Nossob rest camp we came across a strange natural phenomenon. Due to some kind of insect/termite spawning after good rains, the place was literally swarming with hundreds of yellow-billed and black kites! They would just sit everywhere - on the ground, in the trees, at the waterholes.

This image was captured late one afternoon at the Nossob hide where a bunch of them were coming in for a last drink before finding a tree to roost in for the night.

The name is misleading here as the raptor is mostly brown but is distinguished from its more common yellow-billed cousin by the black tip of the beak.

Techs:
Nikon D3s with Nikkor 500mm f4 VR-II
f5.6 @ 1/2500 SS @ ISO-800
about 65% of the original image
 
Hi Morkel,
Nice to see you on this side of BPN! Beautiful incoming shot. Love the light and extended talons. Nice layered BG. I know you are anti-cloning but if this was mine I would get rid of the OOF branch that is behind the in-focus branch.
Gail
 
Interesting that there would be hundreds of them around. Must have been lots of feed.
Yes, lovely incoming pose and light as well. Lots of detail in outstretched wing and fanned tail. Would have really loved to have also seen the far wing.
 
Thanks for the feedback, folks.
I also wish the rear wing was in a better position. As Gail pointed out, I will probably not remove the OOF twig :w3
 

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