Other than the few weeks each fall it's in use by the Kiwanas, the Chili Cookoff site here in Malibu is just a big open field. A heron likes to visit from time to time. Hundreds of gophers make their homes there. And recently, this lovely raptor, a white-tailed kite, has taken up residence. I see it every morning, perched in a tree on PCH, watching - and hunting - those gophers. It's a beautiful bird, curved head, fierce beak, white breast, white tail feathers, wide wing span. Shy, too. As it flew off, a group of nearby crows spread the news. A few minutes later, gophers galore crept out of their burrows, safe. For a moment, anyway. (Thank you, Bill Schmoker, for help with the ID.)