White-Tailed Kite and Red-Tailed Hawk

It was a dreary, gray, cloudy day and there was a distinct fall chill in the air when I decided to take a walk at the Ballona Freshwater Marsh this afternoon. I had barely noticed a White-Tailed Kite fluttering over an open field a hundred yards away looking for a meal, when a large, rufous colored Red-Tailed Hawk suddenly appeared out of nowhere and lazily flew right by me. The Kite, clearly upset at the proximity of the other raptor to it's hunting grounds immediately turned towards us, diving right at the Hawk and sending the bird who is twice it's size heading for the cover of a thicket of trees. It was really an impressive show; I love nature.