On Seeing A Black Shouldered Kite Poem by Francis Duggan

Like kite he hang there in the sunlit sky
For a few minutes and then in circles fly
As he scans the ground below for smaller prey
A predator he hunts for his food this way.

The dark patch under his wings show when in flight
And hovering in the sunlight he looks almost white
Still in Wonthaggi an uncommon sight
Is this predator known as the black shouldered Kite.

Above the rank grass hovering as he fly
A bird that's not hard to identify
You see the bird the memory with you stay
Of dark patch on wings and mostly white and gray.

He hovers and see movement down below
A mouse between the grass tufts scurry to and fro
He drops down for the kill but the mouse gets away
Life's never easy for a bird of prey.

Up from the grass again the hunter fly
And hang there like a small kite in the sky
And the same stalking method he repeat
As he hovers with tail depressed and dangling feet.