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Rare Mississippi Kite in Los Angeles/K10D and "Bigma" 50-500mm
Posted By: trailhiker, 06-05-2007, 07:28 AM

I've had the good fortune to be the first person to sight this Mississippi Kite here in suburban Los Angeles' South Coast Botanic Gardens on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. I saw it back on May 26 and have been following its progress with my K10D and Sigma "Bigma" 50-500mm lens. The Kite has been ID'd as a First Summer Kite and could possibly have taken a wrong turn on coming back from its wintering grounds in South America. The closest Mississippi Kite concentration is a small pocket in southeast Arizona, and this makes only the 6th time in recorded history that it's been seen in Los Angeles County.





Here "Little Miss" is dining on-the-wing ---


UPDATE JUNE 8: Little Miss was apparently a "9-Day Wonder" as it was last seen at the Garden on Sunday June 3. I along with 2 photography friends spent nearly 9 hours watching the Kite that day, little realizing that it was our last chance. I'm gonna miss Little Miss...

Best Wishes,
Steve

Last edited by trailhiker; 06-08-2007 at 04:37 AM.
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06-05-2007, 07:35 AM   #2
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Hi Steve,
The images are great, and it seems as though your K10 is doing a fantastic job. Your second shot is fantastic. Great capture.
06-05-2007, 07:36 AM   #3
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Steve,

That is ridiculously cool! Your shots are outstanding, especially the first two.... WOW!

I've seen reports of the kites in SE Arizona, but there will be no Bigma on my upcoming trip
06-05-2007, 07:59 AM   #4
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Wow.... great shots of a beautiful bird.

06-05-2007, 11:19 AM   #5
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Great - can't say anything else about them - nr 2 is even greaterer
(sorry English is not my first language )

Ronny
06-05-2007, 11:31 AM   #6
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Very nice work! Mississippi Kites are very common here. They have been some nesting by my house every summer for the past 15 years or so. In fact, right now I can see four or five flying around. They seem almost like old friends.
06-05-2007, 12:48 PM   #7
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Steve,

Exc. series. Your second shot is - off the hook - oustanding! It has great intrigue, movement and flow. Fantastic!

Stephen

06-08-2007, 02:02 AM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by Photo Tramp Quote
Hi Steve,
The images are great, and it seems as though your K10 is doing a fantastic job. Your second shot is fantastic. Great capture.
Thanks, David! Yes, My K10D is doing a bang-up job, particularly in the area of birds-in-flight. I'm still playing with the settings to see if I can discover what the are the most effective ones in terms of the highest percentage of successful BIF captures, but I think I have a pretty good idea right now. I also just got a Bush Hawk, a rifle-type mount that will make it easier to track moving objects and increase stability, so I'm eager to try it out.

Best Wishes,
Steve
06-08-2007, 02:12 AM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by Bud Quote
Steve,

That is ridiculously cool! Your shots are outstanding, especially the first two.... WOW!

I've seen reports of the kites in SE Arizona, but there will be no Bigma on my upcoming trip

Hey Bud! "Good hunting" on your SE AZ sojurn, I'm sure you'll do just fine without the Bigma Monster. Yep, the Kites are supposed to be somewhere around Sierra Vista, in fact since this bird has disappeared from here you may even see it when you get there! The Kite while here was a most willing subject that just didn't seem to be bothered by all the attention, even when we were only 20 feet away and clicking away with our Big Lenses. Guess it liked Celebrity Status!

Best Wishes,
Steve
06-08-2007, 04:40 AM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by scott-devon Quote
Wow.... great shots of a beautiful bird.
Thanks, Scott. It WAS a beautiful bird, with that First Summer plumage, a combination of bott juvenile and adult feathers and colors. I sure am glad I had the K10D/Bigma for it!

Best Wishes,
Steve
06-08-2007, 04:42 AM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by rhermans Quote
Great - can't say anything else about them - nr 2 is even greaterer
(sorry English is not my first language )

Ronny
Thanks for the kind words, Ronny. There are those who say the K10D isn't a good "bird" camera, but I think my experience with the Kite proves otherwise

Best Wishes,
Steve
06-08-2007, 04:45 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by jmax Quote
Very nice work! Mississippi Kites are very common here. They have been some nesting by my house every summer for the past 15 years or so. In fact, right now I can see four or five flying around. They seem almost like old friends.
Joe, you're VERY lucky to have these near you, and to consider them as old friends. It would be fantastic to have the opportunity to watch their nests. And -- who knows? -- Little Miss could be from your area and be headed back there right now as it "flew the coop" here on Monday. I'm just glad I had the opportunity to watch it...

Best Wishes,
Steve
06-08-2007, 04:51 AM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by SCGushue Quote
Steve,

Exc. series. Your second shot is - off the hook - oustanding! It has great intrigue, movement and flow. Fantastic!

Stephen
When one of my friends who was with me on Sunday's Kite Watch saw that photo he said "Where was I when that happened?" I think the Kite had just finished eating a bug and then gave a fleeting glare at the observers. Its tree perch was in front on a wood-chip pile and I took that pic while on top of it, so I was able to get a better angle on Little Miss. I only used a shutter speed of 1/160 sec and could have used a higher one but the K10D's in-camera stabilization worked pretty well in helping to stabilize the shot so I used ISO 250, not bad considering it was a gloomy day with no sun.

Thanks for the look and comment, Stephen!
Best Wishes,
Steve
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