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Last January and February we had the unexpected joy of having a pair of white-tailed kites nesting in our big eucalyptus trees. I posted about it in another forum before the Nature forum was introduced, but this forum is now the perfect place to share the news that they're back! I was outside on the deck yesterday afternoon and heard that very distinctive sweet call of theirs, and there they were, right above my head in our big Aleppo pine tree! I know from last year's thread, and my online researech, that they're not all that rare in SoCal, but we've lived on the edge of this canyon for over a decade and we'd never seen them before last year. We've got several big trees, so every spring we're a magnet for nesting hawks, crows, owls and other interesting birds. Last year around the same time this pair of WTKs showed up, and started building a nest atop one of the tallest trees. It was such fun, seeing them building the nest, and the male sitting on a branch, standing watch, while the female was nesting. Sadly, we were hit by a fierce spring storm, and the birds just disappeared. We think the nest was probably blown out of the tree. So we never saw any chicks (contrary to our usual nesting Coopers' Hawks who always produce huge fuzzy gawky chicks).
So I was of course wondering if we'd seen the last of the WTKs, and that's why I was so thrilled yesterday to see them back! They are absolutely beautiful, and they're (of course) capable of standing perfectly still in the air, looking for prey far below. Now I'm just hoping that they'll decide to stay. It may actually not have been a breeding pair, but two males scouting for nesting areas, since their dance in the air really didn't look like a mating dance, but more like a fight, one diving on the other. Do you think it may have been a mating ritual after all, or two males duking it out? I'm not all that knowledgeable about birds...
Anyway, if there's a follow-up to the story, I'll post it.
I have seen this raptor only once, in SE Florida....so beautiful!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clark Fork Fantast
Last January and February we had the unexpected joy of having a pair of white-tailed kites nesting in our big eucalyptus trees. I posted about it in another forum before the Nature forum was introduced, but this forum is now the perfect place to share the news that they're back! I was outside on the deck yesterday afternoon and heard that very distinctive sweet call of theirs, and there they were, right above my head in our big Aleppo pine tree! I know from last year's thread, and my online researech, that they're not all that rare in SoCal, but we've lived on the edge of this canyon for over a decade and we'd never seen them before last year. We've got several big trees, so every spring we're a magnet for nesting hawks, crows, owls and other interesting birds. Last year around the same time this pair of WTKs showed up, and started building a nest atop one of the tallest trees. It was such fun, seeing them building the nest, and the male sitting on a branch, standing watch, while the female was nesting. Sadly, we were hit by a fierce spring storm, and the birds just disappeared. We think the nest was probably blown out of the tree. So we never saw any chicks (contrary to our usual nesting Coopers' Hawks who always produce huge fuzzy gawky chicks).
So I was of course wondering if we'd seen the last of the WTKs, and that's why I was so thrilled yesterday to see them back! They are absolutely beautiful, and they're (of course) capable of standing perfectly still in the air, looking for prey far below. Now I'm just hoping that they'll decide to stay. It may actually not have been a breeding pair, but two males scouting for nesting areas, since their dance in the air really didn't look like a mating dance, but more like a fight, one diving on the other. Do you think it may have been a mating ritual after all, or two males duking it out? I'm not all that knowledgeable about birds...
Anyway, if there's a follow-up to the story, I'll post it.
They're definitely building a nest! If only the crow colony will leave them alone. There's a lot of screeching going on up in the big pine tree right now, with dive-bombing crows...
I'm posting a picture from last year, hoping that I can get some better, sharper pics this time. They're shy and don't want their picture taken! They're very pretty birds, a little smaller than a crow. And the eye shadow is really prominent.
Nice pic! I hope the crows get interested in something else.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clark Fork Fantast
They're definitely building a nest! If only the crow colony will leave them alone. There's a lot of screeching going on up in the big pine tree right now, with dive-bombing crows...
I'm posting a picture from last year, hoping that I can get some better, sharper pics this time. They're shy and don't want their picture taken! They're very pretty birds, a little smaller than a crow. And the eye shadow is really prominent.
Sadly, the crows chased the kites away . Now we've got the usual Cooper's hawks nesting, and that's always entertaining, but I wanted to see White-tailed kite babies learn to fly!
On the upside, we have two hummingbird nests now. One is positioned so we can keep an eye (and camera) on it. The two tiny eggs still haven't hatched--once they do, the little hummer mom is going to be very busy!
So, two years later, they're back! I just love to see those pretty white birds hovering in the air, looking for mice/whatever. This time around they're not nesting in our trees; I guess they remember being chased away by the crows. It looks like they may be nesting in another part of our canyon. I do hope they stick around this time.
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I was outside on the deck yesterday afternoon and heard that very distinctive sweet call of theirs, and there they were, right above my head in our big Aleppo pine tree! I know from last year's thread, and my online researech, that they're not all that rare in SoCal, but we've lived on the edge of this canyon for over a decade and we'd never seen them before last year. We've got several big trees, so every spring we're a magnet for nesting hawks, crows, owls and other interesting birds. Last year around the same time this pair of WTKs showed up, and started building a nest atop one of the tallest trees. It was such fun, seeing them building the nest, and the male sitting on a branch, standing watch, while the female was nesting. Sadly, we were hit by a fierce spring storm, and the birds just disappeared. We think the nest was probably blown out of the tree. So we never saw any chicks 
(contrary to our usual nesting Coopers' Hawks who always produce huge fuzzy gawky chicks).
. Now we've got the usual Cooper's hawks nesting, and that's always entertaining, but I wanted to see White-tailed kite babies learn to fly! 
