Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Whistling Kite (Haliastur Sphenurus)







It's a wonderful thing to watch a model glider plane soaring silently and effortlessly through the sky. To see large birds flying with the glider is just awesome.




Sunday evening master J was enjoying flying one of his gliders again, high off the top of the headland - can you see the tiny rock fishermen just to his right below on the shoreline? Soon we noticed a Whistling Kite keeping the glider company.







Another of those wonderful experiences to remember.




I was delighted to find the same bird (presumably) circling around the headland early the next morning (yesterday).




The Whistling Kite is a medium-sized raptor with a wingspan of 120cm to 145cm, the male and female have a similar appearance, with the female being slightly larger. They are quite widespread throughout Australia. I think it's magnificent to see such large birds up close in the wild.




I was a little disappointed when it was no longer visible so started searching for other points of interest to photograph. My attention was taken by the little pointy tip of the rocky cliff corner.




Beginning to zoom in I could notice the old rusty discarded wheels on the ground from when the rock face was quarried many years ago.




Then as I continued to zoom in I realised the rocky corner was in fact the Whistling Kite!!!







With Miss E clinging to my hand, we managed to walk a little closer before he flew away to another vantage point. I was thrilled to have captured some shots of this wonderful bird as well as the beautiful scenery that morning.

Sharing at World Bird Wednesday, Sneak Peek Friday.

40 comments:

HANS-PETER ZÜRCHER said...

Wow, grossartige Aufnahmen!!!

Liebe Grüsse aus der Schweiz

Hans-Peter

Reena said...

Great shots! It is always a treat to capture them in flight as well as being in such beauty. Have a great day.

penny said...

Beautiful captures of delightful moments in time, Miss Sunshine. Thank you for sharing.
Pam :)

Najeeba said...

Nice snaps...

penny said...

I'm buying a new camera and can't decide between the FZ35 or the newer FZ150. Your photos are so beautiful.. I have seen photos from the FZ150 and I don't think the image quality is any better than yours.
Any thoughts are appreciated, Thanks.
Pam

Ellie said...

Oh my goodness you have got some wonderful shots here. The bird is amazing and you have a beautiful beach. I envy your blue skys - we are having gale force winds and torrential rain here today. :(

Pat said...

I would have been thrilled, too! These are excellent shots! Thanks for sharing!

Hilda R.B said...

Wow, thats bird was so nice. Great photos.
Have a nice day.

Lisa Gordon said...

How wonderful this series is!
I especially love the last one here.

Filip said...

Very impressive shots of the eagle. A pity you don't have a close up shot of the glider.

Greetings,
Filip

Sylvia K said...

Such a delightful series of photos and such a beautiful place! I do love the birds and the last shot is awesome! Thanks for sharing the beauty!

Sylvia

Anonymous said...

What a great find!!! We (the office) have a hawk that sits on one of the security cameras high on the building. We haven't been able to settle on what his schedule is but, when he does show up, everyone is at the windows. Wonderful photos!

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

Thanks for the suggestion Filip, I have added the second shot to give a closer look. The "Fling" is a beautiful plane with translucent covering over the balsa-framed wings. My husband biult it from a kit a few years ago but was too frightener to fly it in case he crashed it. Master J now flies it brilliantly.

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

Pam I have answered your question on your blog. I do edit my photos on iPhoto but am mostly happy with my camera and it is very convenient to carry and use.

theconstantwalker said...

Wonderful images...

Rena said...

Your persistence certainly paid off, these are wonderful pics!

thefisherlady said...

your pictures have captured my heart!
Check out http://thefisherlady.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-favourite-things-blessed-by.html

for the "Kreativ Award"... I nominate you :)

eileeninmd said...

What a cool sighting, it must have been fun seeing this Kite keeping up with the glider. You got some awesome flight shots and I love the shots on the rock. Great photos.

Nadege, said...

Amazing captures of the bird on this wonderful clear morning.

Lanlizzy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
mick said...

Great photos. That rocky cliff makes a wonderful background for the bird.

Unknown said...

What fabulous photos.. How exciting to get to get those shots...

Hugs, Linda

Karen @ Pieces of Contentment said...

Lanlizzy has left a new comment on your post "Whistling Kite (Haliastur Sphenurus)":

Such a wonderful sight and beautifully captured.

Leanne

(Sorry Leanne, we must have both deleted your double post simultaneously, removing both).

Brian King said...

That's a beautiful bird! Love your shots!

Anonymous said...

What a happy accidental shot!

Seeing Each Day said...

So interesting that the whistle kite (hadn't ever heard of that name before this) came in when your son was flying his plane. Particularly enjoyed your 7th & 8th capture.

Gillian Olson said...

Beautiful pictures, the bird is beautiful in flight.

Ruth Bernssen Bø said...

Beautiful serie.

Enjoy your day

Liz said...

These are wonderful, Karen!
What great flight shots.
Isn't it wonderful when you come across opportunities like this? I get so excited :)

Stewart M said...

What a splendid post!

The glider and the kite - remarkable.

Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

Mary Howell Cromer said...

All so amazing the glider and the Kite, and that you were in the end able to get so close...woosh what a wonderful time you must have had. happy new year~

Debbie said...

what a thrill!!

holdingmoments said...

Excellent shots of a magnificent bird.

Pat Ulrich said...

Beautiful bird and what a lovely coastline too!

Marijke said...

Hey Karen,
Must have been wunderfull to see this bird. You captured it beautifuly.
gr. Marijke

Lisa said...

Outstanding photography. One of the finest series I have seen today.
I love your images

Arija said...

What a wonderful experience and gorgeous photographic record! Love the combination of kite and cliffs.

Springman said...

Each picture better than the last! What a place to enjoy photography!
Cheers!

Jennifer {Studio JRU} said...

Oh wow... it is magnificent! I absolutely love birds and photos of birds. We are big bird watchers in our house! Beautiful shots!

Larry said...

Beautiful shots of the birds and the scenery Karen! I imagine you might find that Whistling Kite often on that perch ;-)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...