Yellow-billed Kite kills and feeds on a Puff Adder

I had the most insane experience of my photographic life a few weekends back and cannot wait to share that experience with you.

The morning started like any other with the beautiful golden light of sunrise making the spider webs shine like diamonds as the light hit the dew on them. I was back in my happy place, West Coast National Park, hoping to photograph the various birds of prey hunting for breakfast - little did I know what was waiting for me just around the next corner!

Location

West Coast National Park is a short drive out of Cape Town and is often referred to as the Jewel of the West Coast. The birdlife in the park is amazing and I have spent countless hours photographing them, the most notable of late being the amazing Black Harrier - read the blog post here.

Sighting

I was driving along at my normal 30km/h pace when all of a sudden I caught a glimpse of a summer migratory predator to South Africa, the Yellow-billed Kite. It was flying very low over the coastal bushes and with the sun rising from the left side it would be perfect for photography. I quickly stopped and checked my camera settings as often these sightings are mere glimpses so you need to be on your game.

I slowly pulled off and just as I entered the corner the kite dived into the bushes and disappeared - my heart sank!

I pulled over on the side of the road where I estimated the kite had entered the bushes, wound down my window and switched off the car. For a minute or two there was no sign of the bird which was strange as I had not seen it take off.

All of a sudden I heard frantic flapping of wings and to my utter disbelief the kite cleared the bushes and took to the air with a PUFF ADDER in it’s talons - all this happening just 4 metres from my car!

The moment

I still had my 1.4x extender on my camera which meant that I would not be able to get the whole bird in the frame but as I did not know where it was going to land with it’s prized catch I did not try to frantically remove the extender and rather waited for the bird to land.

To my disbelief the kite landed on the edge of the road RIGHT opposite my car - it was incredible. The snake was huge and when you look at the images below please remember that the snake is bent in a U shape which means you actually need to double the length you see.

The bird sat quietly there for a few seconds not only to catch it’s breath but also to survey the area to make sure it was safe to shift focus to the snake. I sat there dead still with wide eyes not daring to even take a breath.

The kite decided that the coast was clear and started figuring out how to penetrate the skin of the snake, this was my opportunity to slowly (talk about at snails pace) remove my extender as the bird was so close that any sudden movement or sound would surely frighten it off.

I was SO scared that the bird would be scared off when I raised and pointed my lens out the window but after years of bird photography experience I timed it perfectly which was when the kite tried to roll the puff adder over to expose the belly of the snake.

Magic

I quickly fired off a few frames to ensure I captured something of this once in a lifetime experience. It did not take long for the bird to become totally relaxed which meant I had time to change my settings to increase the depth of field and thereby ensuring that both the bird and snake would be in focus.

The planets were surely aligned for me that morning as not a single car came by which meant I had a full 15 minutes with this bird as it fed in the beautiful morning light which was rising over my shoulder.

Images

I managed to capture the following images - please note some are graphic so sensitive viewers please be warned.

Till next time…