Bird of the week
Yellow-billed Kite

With spring officially sprung here in the southern hemisphere, many birders eagerly await the return of the migrants. Often one of the first of these to arrive back in South Africa is the well-known Yellow-billed Kite. These intra-African migrants are widespread and a very familiar sight in the sky as they twist and turn their wedge-shaped tails in mid-air manoeuvres. I recently watched a few of these birds of prey in the Democratic Republic of Congo and, perhaps more out of desperation than optimism, convinced myself that they were on their way down south to announce the official arrival of spring.
Merlin Wilsenach

www.merlinwilsenach.co.za
e-mail photos@merlinwilsenach.co.za