09-12 Aug 2018
Chagannao’er, Inner Mongolia, CN 内蒙古自治区锡林郭勒盟阿巴嘎旗查干镇
The Black Kite 12 Aug 2018
We were on our way home from Inner Mongolia when Dad spotted two large brown birds, which i guessed were kites, circling overhead. He immediately stopped the car so that we could take a look at the majestic birds. We took out our binoculars and saw that indeed, they were kites, Black Kites. They had long brown wings and a sleek feathery body, with battered tail feathers and they were absolutely beautiful. They’re eyes were ambers with black pupils in the middle, gazing fiercely down at their prey. I snapped a few photos but they flew far and I couldn’t see them, so we drove on. A few minutes later, we spotted one of the kites again, and snapped a few photos until, again, it flew away. We followed it to a bridge where it circled, tucked it’s wings in, and dove. This was the first time I’ve seen a raptor dive, and it was a fantastic sight. After this, the kite continues to circle above, and i took some more photos, which were some of the best photos I’ve ever taken. They were clear and my target, the kites, took up about 1/4 of the photo (partly thanks to my new camera). We waited until it circled higher and higher, until it was just a small speck in the sky, then continued on our way home.
