The final stage of the hunt: the kite descends rapidly on the vole. The vole detects no motion, just a growing spot in the sky... White-tailed kite (Elanus leucurus) in swift descent. The western hills are silhouetted in the distance. Grasslands, Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, Road F near Trail 15, 1/11/2012, before sunrise: 7:36 am.