Brahminy Kite

This post is for World Bird Wednesday.

I had just come in from a morning's kayak and was loading the kayak onto the car to go home. It was a beautiful morning but I had not been able to get close to any shorebirds for good photos. I glanced up into the very tall gum tree that stands beside the car parking area when I saw this Brahminy Kite (Milvus indus) sitting up in the tallest part of the tree and quietly watching me. A photo opportunity like this gave my rather dull morning a perfect finish.

Brahminy Kite

This handsome bird was sitting high in a tree close to the car park at Mullens Creek picnic area yesterday. A pair have nested in this area for many years now. Maybe they are planning to do so again this year. I shall have to go down and check the nest site more often.
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Brahminy Kites Nesting

Its been a busy week and all I've had time for is one quick visit down to the Mullen's Creek picnic area to check on a Brahminy Kite nest. This nest is immense and I am told it has been used for many years - certainly longer than the 5 years I have been here. Over the last few weeks I have been trying to see if the birds were nesting there again. The best I could do was this photo - taken nearly two weeks ago - with what looked like a white head just visible.
Yesterday I saw a bit of white above the side of the nest and when I went around to the other side I saw this bird.
The nest is so high in the trees that it is impossible to see anything inside it and the best one can hope for is to see a bird fly out. Last year I was lucky enough to see a young bird fly from the nest. It was fully fledged but did not yet have full adult coloring. I see Brahminy Kites quite frequently when I am walking or kayaking around the bay. I photographed this one in April sitting on a dead tree overlooking the water.