Winged killers

For this #featheredfriday, some of my favourite birds: raptors! Killers, yes, but not in a bad way... it's just nature! I doubt anyone can't admire their beauty; for me it's a thrill everytime I see one... even more when I am blessed to see them close! As it was the case here, while birdwatching in Alentejo.

^{Black kite / Milhafre-negro (PT) - Milvus migrans}

This was my favourite shot of the weekend, mainly because 99% of my photos of birds in quick flight tend to get completely out of focus!

Black kites are fairly common here, and along with the common buzzard they're probably the easiest birds of prey to spot. Sometimes they're hard to distinguish for the ones not used to birdwatch; they have similar size and colours, but there's a simple trick, even at a longer distance: just look at the tails! This is what a kite's tail looks like:

And this is how a buzzard's tail looks like:

^{Common buzzard / Águia de asa redonda (PT) - Buteo buteo}

See? Easy!

The kite stole the show this time. He was there with us as we went near the dam to watch the sunset, proud in the top of the leafless tree, scouting the horizon.

He didn't wait for the sunset to fly away, but still allowed a ton of decent photos.

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And in the following day, two more different species were seen. One of them is kind of special, because it's rare in Europe. Luckily for me, in a few places in Portugal he can be seen... and his colours make him unmistakable!

^{Black-winged Kite / Peneireiro cinzento (PT) - Elanus caeruleus}

I spotted him moments before he decided to go hunting again. It's hard to see on the photo, but he has beautiful grey-bluish wings.

And to top the observations of birds of prey, one species I hadn't seen in years! They are common near water, and it's a species where there is sexual dimorphism, meaning adult males and females can be easily distinguished.

^{Western marsh harrier / Águia sapeira (PT) -Circus aeruginosus}

I think this one is a young adult, and although not with a full adult plummage, given the grey on wings and tail, it's a male. And a beautiful one!

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Two weeks in a row @melinda010100! I'm getting the hang of #featheredfriday again! ;) Happy birding everyone!

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