Christ Church Meadow: Not Quite A Kite

See the whites of its eyes in large ("L").

Well, I went to take photographs in the garden with my 70-200mm, when I spotted a red kite soaring over Christ Church Meadow! Wow, super-excited: I dashed to my room, fitted my 1.4x teleconverter, and made straight for the meadow. On arriving there, I could still see it soaring, so I skirted around the edge, just in time to see it flap slowly off eastwards. Grrr. I caught it on camera, but only from the garden at Corpus when it was miles away...

Anyway, I turned and started to walk back ("I could go look for that leucistic Egyptian goose on the river...") when I noticed movement underneath one of the trees in the meadow. I crept along the fence but couldn't see anything: I knew something was there so I crouched down with my lens through the fence.
This beautiful pheasant appeared and started pecking at the undergrowth. *Click*
This was my second shot; it looked so surprised! It stopped mid-stride! Ha, silly pheasant; it definitely did not know that I was there. Its next move was inspired ----> "Hiding"

Brilliant: I'm positive that it thought that it was hiding.

I took myself to the river and photographed the gulls and mallards. I've put up a couple of mallard pics because the early evening light (well 4:30 seemed like early evening, light-wise) was lovely.
Mallard drake.
Mr. and Mrs. Mallard?

I'd forgotten how much difference the 1.4x teleconverter makes...

p.s. Wow, thank you for your positive feedback: yesterday's pokeweed just reached the spotlight.