A couple of weeks ago on my long walk through my neighborhood, I saw a pair of White-tailed Kites on a perch. I see this pair almost every time I go there, and I believe that they are an adult pair that has raised a brood there before (this July, I saw a whole family of kites there.) The perch isn’t very close to the path, which is great for the birds, less great for the photographers. (I’m considering ponying up for a teleconverter so I can get my camera a bit closer without disturbing the birds by actually moving closer.) But it’s in the middle of a beautiful open hillside and seasonal wetland, with a great downed tree providing perches and cover for harriers and red-tailed hawks, and the height of the grasses combined with the acreage makes it a rich hunting ground for other aerial predators like the kites, and even a coyote or three.
All told, this little path is the southwestern border of about 40 acres between the community of Garden Farms and the development/neighborhood of Margarita Farms. It’s the northernmost extension of the western side of the Santa Margarita Ranch. Just that little chunk is about 1,300 acres. So plenty of grassland/ranchland/wetland habitat. (And that’s just for this teensy parcel of the actual Santa Margarita Ranch, which is vastly larger than that off to the east.)
This weekend, I went on the same walk, and saw what I believe to be the same birds. And once again, the discussion seemed to involve breakfast. Although this time, one of the kites was actually eating!
I first saw the birds on a distant snag, the remains of a very large tree. They were sharing the perch with a pair of Common Ravens, and an adult and juvenile Turkey Vulture (from this vantage, you can’t tell the difference very well, but a closer look from the other side of the tree shows it well; see second image).
As I continued on the path, one of the kites took off and, way, way off in the distance, floated down to the ground behind a stand of trees. And the next time I saw it, it was on the perch digging into some kind of varmint that it was having for breakfast. (See first gallery)
As I got to the closest approach for my camera, the bird heard the second kite, its mate(?) calling. I don’t know why, but it looked right at me and started calling back. Then, on the approach of Kite 2, it left the perch. Perhaps Kite 2 is a known clumsy lander, perhaps Kite 1 just didn’t want to share the meal, I don’t know.
But if only took a minute or so for Kite 1 to return to the perch, breakfast still gripped in its talons.
I suppose the pair bond is strong enough that even if the birds don’t want to share a meal, they’re fine with sharing a perch while one of them eats.