FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] Buckland Mississippi Kites - 8/8/2006

[craig tumer <ctumer@xxxxxxxxx>]

At lunchtime today Joe Carpenter, Eric Calladine, and I took a break to look 
for the Mississippi kites reported in Buckland on Sunday and Monday. I spotted 
one bird overhead as we pulled into the Buckland Antiques parking lot.  This 
bird was joined by a second, and eventually a third bird appeared overhead.  We 
watched the birds as they fed on both sides of the road and in both Prince 
William and Fauquier Counties for approximately 20 minutes.  At least one bird 
was in view during that 20-minute time period, and at one point, all three 
birds (two adults and one second-summer, I assume, a mostly adult-plumaged bird 
with banded tail) were in view at once.
  
Neither Eric nor Joe had seen Mississippi kites before so these were especially 
good birds for them.  Another birder, Peter Deahl, who had not heard about the 
kites but had stopped at the antique shop, saw us looking skyward through 
binoculars and came over to see what we were watching.  The Mississippi kites 
were an unexpected surprise and a life bird for him, as well.
   
  It's amazing how effortlessly these birds can catch and eat dragonflies while 
on the wing!
   
  Craig Tumer
  ctumer@xxxxxxxxx
  Gainesville, VA by day,
  College Park, MD by night.

                
---------------------------------
How low will we go? Check out Yahoo! Messenger?s low  PC-to-Phone call rates.