Ratel's photos #206 Forest Birds-156

So, the spring has come :)
I love spring! The time of year when the weather is pleasantly warm, there are no mosquitoes, midges and ticks. You can freely move through the forest, because there are no huge thickets. There are no foliage on the trees and it is possible to observe birds with pleasure.

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The black kite (Milvus migrans)

End of April, 20th day. I went to the forest. The snow has melted a bit. In the cemetery, I found three kites. It's strange! They flew over the cemetery near the forest, but in the city courtyards they were not yet. In the city they flew only after 2-3 weeks.
Here in the cemetery, they flew very low and frightened small birds.

So why are they "black"? No one has yet answered this question. However, I heard the theory that they were called so because from the bottom of the earth, they seem to us black. Although in fact they are dark brown.

Black kites are predators, however, they prefer to collect food, but not to catch. In a joke they are called "lazy predators".
If they have a choice between an old carrion and live fresh prey, they will prefer a carrion which does not need to be caught. But if there is no way out, or very hungry, then thay hunts.

Haha. I saw an amusing incident last year from the balcony of my house. A woman was walking with a little dog, a toy-terrier. The kite circled over the yard. And he saw this little dog, and began to pull down! The woman saw this and began to shout and wave her hands! The kite was frightened. If not for her, then I do not know what would have happened to the dog, probably the kite would have attacked her.

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• Nikon D5200
• Tamron SP AF 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD

#animalphotography #birding #whalepower #photocircle #photofeed #birds