Thousands and thousands of Black Kites are coming back from their wintering grounds in Africa. While I was visiting the spectacular Cañada de los Pájaros in the province of Seville for an upcoming interview, I spotted tens of these agile raptors circling in the sky and occasionally performing breath-taking acrobatics.
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| Two Black Kites having a quarrel |
One Black Kite even landed shamelessly on the branch of a tree in the middle of the lagoon, owned by a colony of White Storks, engaged in the nest building process. But the Kite just sat down for a while without causing any harm. Also in the air the Kites didn't bother the Storks at all.
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| Black Kite flying underneath a group of White Storks |
The main reason of my visit to the park was to take photos of the inhabitants of the park and to have a chat with the owners, but I couldn't ignore the spectacle that was taking place above my head. The Black Kites didn't seem in a hurry to fly further up north. They soared around in circles, sometimes descending to rest in a nearby field or on a tree. Apparently, some of them had to settle scores with their companions.
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| Pure power! |
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| Black Kite displaying its distinctive tail |
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| Ready for some more pushing and shoving! |
As the air duels went on and on, I found it very challenging to take sharp photos of the action, as the birds performed their breakneck stunts at very high speed. I followed one of the birds and pressed the shutter button at the moment they coincided. Doing so, I usually lost sight of the other bird and therefor I had to react in a split second. |
| Ready to gain altitude … |
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| … and back for another high-speed stoop dive |
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| Another staggering karate kick |
I am not certain who was having the most fun: the birds or me. I do know that they left me speechless, wanting to run into them again soon.
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| Time to abort |
