VA Birders,
Yesterday 9/31 my wife, Lynda and I were driving along a ridge near John
Flannagan Reservoir and a few miles from Haysi, VA in Dickenson County, when
we spotted what I thought was a Mourning Dove on a wire off to the right. As we
got closer we saw that it wasn't a dove at all. The bird was larger than a
dove. Its body was not as streamlined; it had a hooked beak and a square tail.
Its head and body were a light gray coloring with darker coloring near the
eyes. We soon realized that we were looking at a Mississippi Kite. The bird sat
for a few moments, then turned its back to us and flew off, disappearing
quickly over the nearby trees. I had seen the species before but definitely not
in our southwestern end of the state.
Enjoy the birds, especially the unusual ones,
Roger Mayhorn
(near) Grundy
Buchanan County
