July 2, 2010 - Hook-billed Kite - Chihuahua Woods Preserve TNC - Palmview, Texas

Today I had the rare treat of watching a female Hook-billed Kite catching snails in the cow pasture adjacent to the Chihuahua Woods Preserve of The Nature Conservancy. The kite flew into a low perch - a stump or fence post - and then flew off to land on the ground. From the ground she then jumped and grabbed the sapling with her feet and then snatched a snail with her bill. It was an amazing show for about 30 minutes! I didn't see her before or after this extraordinary show!