The chicks practised flying between the nest oak tree and the tall gum tree, and then started spending more and more time perched in the gum tree.
August 31: Food snatching attempt. A sudden, unexpected sequence. A young kite flew from the gum tree toward More Mesa, and met a parent returning from More Mesa with a vole in its claws. The youngster tried to take the food from the parent, but was unsuccessful. The parent ate the vole while perched in the gum tree; the chick returned to the nest tree. The slideshow below shows the following activity.
- August 31: Juvenile perched on gum tree looking toward More Mesa.
- August 31: Juvenile flies to parent who is grasping a vole.
- August 31: Juvenile attempts to take vole from parent.
- September 2: Juvenile and crow interact. I hurriedly turned on the camera to capture a couple of shots of an interaction between one of the chicks and a crow.
- Septemter 2: Juvenile flees to gum tree.
September 3: The parents and the chicks moved to the trees at the edge of More Mesa, from where they flew over More Mesa to practice flying and hovering.
The slideshow includes the following activity.
- September 3: Juveniles still gaining confidence
- September 3: Flying practice at edge of More Mesa
- September 3: Landing practice at edge of More Mesa
- September 4: One of the juveniles safe and healthy near the marsh area of More Mesa.
- September 8: Adult and juvenile at More Mesa edge
- September 8: Juvenile
- September 8: Adult
Photos and text © Lynn Watson, March 1, 2011