Besides photographing grey herons while I was in Kochi, I also spent time watching black-eared kites (Milvus migrans lineatus), magnificent birds of prey with a distinctive call that I absolutely love:
These birds, which are called tobi (トビ) in Japanese, are abundant in Kochi prefecture, patrolling the skies, preening on beaches, soaring high above the treetops.
From a bit of background reading on the internet, I gather that the birds in this area are a sub-species of black kites (Milvus migrans), which are found all over the world. One visual marker for the sub-species seems to be the distinctive white patch on the underside of the wings.
Like most large raptors, these birds usually fly high above, making it difficult to take photos other than from far below. I was lucky enough to find a spot that got me elevated enough to be at eye level for the occasional fly-by.
And with some persistence (i.e., sitting in one place for far too long, being antisocial, ignoring everyone and everything else), I was able to watch individuals argue a few times, like this...
...and even see one bird snag a fish from the water:
