A Shared Obsession

Photography is great for generating self challenges and my friend Carolyn has become somewhat obsessed with tracking predatory birds and aiming for that perfect shot.  In an endeavour to assist her on her quest I admit to developing a more than passing interest in the subject. Somewhat serendipitously I was heading home to Laurieton the other day when the most magnificent cloud bank materialised so I pulled into Northaven to see what shots I could capture.

I was immediately distracted by observing a few small birds worrying what appeared to be a flying kite. 

 

 I was approached by a friendy local who asked if I'd like him to set up a shot. He admitted to spending over $40 a week on mince for the local birds and his aim was to have them eventually feed from his hand. The smaller birds he identified as speckled drongos and they were flying towards him to catch the remnants of mince he threw. 

Unfortunately I only had my Powershot with me which is not perfect for capturing action shots but I could hardly ignore the opportunity. I spent the next two hours observing the kite circling, with intermittent sweeps down towards the mince which my new friend had placed on top of a monument. 

 

As the kite approached the monument it lowered its legs akin to a plane landing and once the mince was secure in its talons it transferred the meat to its beak on the fly. 

 

Another bird appeared in the sky overhead and we initially thought they were mates, however on closer inspection it appears to be a different bird altogether. The photo is quite blurry as by now the setting sun was creating glare but there is enough detail to see the birds are not the same species. I have it on good authority that it is a Brahminy Kite.

 

All good things must come to an end and with the end of the mince supplies, both birds disappeared from view. The shots are grainy, but something to share with Carolyn, and a record of an enjoyable afternoon. 

 This feeding of the birds is a daily occurrence with my new acquaintance, so I'm looking forward to returning with my DSLR and hopefully capturing some interesting shots in the future. 
As for that cloud bank - I still had enough time to head towards Washouse beach at Dunbogan to grab a shot as the last rays of colour festooned the foreshore sand with a pearly pink glow.