A delightful yet sad journey

Not seeing the Brahminy Kite so often now, and also trying to track the development of the sub-adult Brahminy Kite makes me think that perhaps it is time that I should recall my ‘journey’ of sighting of the parents, and now its young.

    I first saw the Kites in 2013.

     Then I found the Kites' nest.  It was then that I started to track the pair in the taman.  

     The highlight came when I chanced upon one of the Kites with its chicken prey.

     Then only in late 2015 did I suspect that there was a chick in the nest.  This was when the parents returned regularly to the nest, and one would always be on the watch close by. 

     I could always hear one calling out to the other most of the time when I was in the taman, morning or evening.

     Till now, there had been no sighting of the chick, not easy at all when the nest was way up high.  Nevertheless, the thrill was in encountering the birds, whether as one or in pair.

     Throughout this time, it was truly entertaining to watch the Kite’s antics especially when it was preening.

     The Kite is truly a majestic looking bird at whatever time you see it.  The following images were taken in the early morning, and despite the lack of good light the Kite's stature was so discernible.

     Meanwhile the chick is still nowhere to be seen and the parents had frequent needs to fend off aggressors particularly from the jungle crows.

      The parents were often seen peering into the nest.

     And then came that fateful unforgettable day.   The event remains as fresh in my mind today as the day it happened.

     It was the morning of 4 April 2017 when I saw one of the Kites hanging upside down for about 15 minutes, and foaming, before it was swept off the branch by its mate straight down to the ground where it struggled to get up, watched by the mate who had flown down.  After more than 20 minutes it finally died.  I finally decided to just bury it.

The bird seen before it died

     It was strange that I first saw the sub-adult Brahminy Kite only after its parent died, i.e. the very next day.   Nevertheless, it brought on a feeling of hope.

     I had the opportunity to observe it for about a month only.  It was seen mainly playing by its nest, with its parent close by.

     Then I stopped seeing it and spotted it finally, flying over the park occasionally, but never did it return to its nest, probably because the nest was raided by the Crested Goshawk.

 

     The Crested Goshawk seemed to have taken over the nest.

      When I saw the juvenile again, I thought it had found a new home but it looked like it was not to be.

     Now, I am always happy to see it fly over the taman, knowing it's well and around.  I have seen it perch across the stream that runs by the taman but it has not returned since to its old nest.