Black-winged Kite

My first raptor
A couple of weeks ago, I saw a Brahminy Kite in Kuala Selangor.
It was soaring high up above the sky and there was nothing I could do to score a decent shot of the bird of prey.
While driving around the Sekinchan rice fields, I saw the outline of a bird.
"Ah! That's nothing la!," said Michelle, my wife.
I got down of the car and trained my EF400mm F5.6L lens which was mounted with a 1.4x teleconverter on the object.
It turned out to be a bird of prey perched high on top of the treeline.
I began to focus and slowly, the shape took form of a Black-winged kite.

On final approach: the pair of kites on a tree top

Before I could fully depress my shutter button, another kite swooped down from the sky and started mounting the bird that was resting on the branch.
With a burst of shots and by lightly moving the focusing ring, I managed to get a few clean shots.
Even at 860mm (400mm x 1.4x + 1.6x crop body), I was barely managing it.
The kites were mating and it was the most satisfying 10-minutes of my outing in Sekinchan.
I captured the moment and was very happy with the results.
Lighting conditions at the time was really challenging.

Gallery

 

Sekinchan has plenty to offer for the first-time birder.
There are Kingfishers at the canals and the Kites had proven to be an attraction.
I might try 'Cyclobirding' with an overnight stay in Sekinchan town. There are species of birds to capture in the area.