Swallow-tailed kite

Orwell, Ontario, Sept 12, 2021.


We did a road trip, the first in over a year, to see the kite.
Directions were excellent, pulled in and the bird was immediately pointed out to us.
It flew around at a distance and finally perched in a tree reasonably close to the road.
Elanoides forficatus
Swallow-tailed Kites eat many stinging insects including wasps and fire ants. In Florida, the kites often return to their nests with whole wasp nests, eat the larvae, and add the insect’s nest into their own nest. Their stomachs are thicker and spongier than the average raptor stomach.
source- Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Golden-crowned kinglet.

Image
Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Oct 22, 2021. Flitting though the hedge, dashing to the water and gone again. Elapsed time 3 seconds or less. Regulus satrapa Though barely larger than a hummingbird, this frenetically active bird can survive –40 degree nights, sometimes huddling together for warmth. source- Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Read more

Folded rocks.

Image
One of the interesting yet unadvertised sites in Newfoundland is the folded rocks near Port aux Port. You have to ask locals exactly where they are and how to get to them but it is worth the effort. This formation is also called the Faults & Folds of West Bay Beach. "The folds of rock are related to the churning tectonic activity that gave rise to the earth's mantle hundreds of millions of year ago." For scale I am about 6 feet tall.
Read more

My Cat is Stranger Than Your Cat

Image
Okay this is weird; I’ll give you that right up front. We got Maggie from an animal shelter so we don’t know her background. We have found out that, if you don’t latch the bathroom door securely, Maggie will come crashing in to visit. She promptly climbs into your pants and makes herself comfortable. Now I don’t normally take a camera into the bathroom, however, this is regular thing with Maggie so, now you know the story. Sam, the black cat wants to know what Maggie is doing. Sam seemed quite upset over the blow to feline superiority.
Read more