Quite a night

Well, I didn't expect to post about kites again so soon, but it was a fun night to watch them and I photographed some interesting behaviors.

The moon was in a nice location for some of these pictures:

 

Some of the kites perch on the tallest trees before flying down to the roost site.  This kite sat on top of very tall redwood tree, perhaps 70 feet high? 

This individual seemed a little protective of its perch.  It would watch other approaching kites very closely, sometimes posturing towards them.  The next photo show the kite turning to face the incoming individual and opening its bill (I'm not sure if it made a sound; I didn't hear anything.)

 

When another kite approached, the perched kite would often start flicking its tail dramatically.  Is tail-flicking a signal to stay away?  [ADDENDUM: I just read about this.  According to the Birds of North America, "tail bobs" are apparently threats to intrusions by other raptors.]

 

Several times the kite had other avian visitors.  Can you make out the identity of the other bird in the photo below?

 

Did you guess hummingbird?  It is probably an Anna's Hummingbird.  I don't know if the hummingbird was curious about the kite, or if it was interested in trying to make the kite move on. 

As in 2015, sometimes crows swing by to chase the kites:

 

 

Two more photos to wrap-up —  these kites were directly overhead as they flew west towards their roost site:

 

 

Quite a night!