Brahminy Kite

Brahminy Kite

The trip back to our base on New Britain was much worse than the outward journey. The wind was blowing and the sea was choppy so the obvious solution for the boatman was to increase the speed. I was sitting at the back of the boat on an open bench as he started to accelerate and I tried to fit my camera into my bag as the waves began to splash over me. Moving to the shelter of the open cabin was tricky while the boat continued to accelerate but I had to try or get soaked. In the event, I found a seat in the cabin but still got soaked. At one point, the boat became airborne and crashed back onto the sea with a considerable bang. Everyone else seemed to enjoy the experience. As I said earlier, boats are not made for people like me. The appearance of this attractive if common bird of prey helped to improve the mood however.

Country: Papua New Guinea
Location: Walindi Resort
Family: Kites, Hawks and Eagles (Accipitridae)
Species: Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus)
Date taken: 21/07/2012