As I have posted in the past, I was involved with a Mississippi Kite reintroduction program for almost 20 years, first at the Memphis Zoo where I was coordinator of the Raptor Rehabilitation Program, and later as director of the Mid-South Raptor Center also in Memphis. During that period over 300 juvenile kites were trapped and removed from "problem" nests in Kansas and sent to us for reintroduction in their historic habitat along the Mississippi Flyway in the Mid-South. While the majority of the birds were released in the lower Mid-South around Memphis/Shelby County, almost 100 birds were released in the Henry County areas in the neighborhood of Paris Landing State Park. No birds have been released in almost ten years so these Henry County birds are certainly not from those originally released, but I would like to think (hope!) that maybe they are descendants of some of those original released Kansas birds. I am sorry to say that we have never received a single band return on any of the originally released birds so I have no way of knowing if any survived the long migration to South America in the fall and then the return to the US the following spring, but hopefully some did. The instances of kite sightings by MTOS members and others have increased from only a few in a season in the 50's and 60's to hundreds a season now. I have personally seen flocks in the Agricenter area where the raptor center is located of over 100 on several occasions, and one flock had well over 150 individuals. Hopefully the reintroduction program had a small part in this dramatic increase in the numbers of this special bird. Knox Martin Mid-South Raptor Center Memphis, Shelby County -----Original Message----- From: Shawna Ellis <yodergoat@xxxxxxxxx> To: Tn Bird List <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Sun, Jul 20, 2014 5:30 pm Subject: [TN-Bird] 7 Mississippi Kites, Henry County 7-19-14 about 9:00 am Henry County A family we know who has had Mississippi Kites regularly at their home this year and last year called yesterday to say that they had SEVEN kites in their yard. Six birds were in one tree and one was in another. I drove out to the location, but some of the birds had left and there were only 4 still present. I did, however, see photos from my friend of six birds in the tree at one time, and they pointed out where the other bird had been perched. My own photos were quite bad, as the birds were backlit and in terrible light. The included photo shows two of the three birds which were in one dead tree. These birds are not very skittish and remain perched in the tree for long periods when they are there, so might be good subjects for photography in good lighting. My friends have said that if anyone wishes to come and photograph the birds, they may do so. They live in a subdivision with a large cul de sac and the dead tree where the birds usually perch is quite near the cul de sac, so one could photograph them from their vehicle without even getting on the homeowners' property or disturbing traffic flow. I took photos in bad light with a very basic 300 millimeter lens, so a longer lens and good lighting could render some great photos. Of course one never knows when the birds will be there, but if you are interested in giving it a try just email me and I will give specific directions to the home, and can perhaps check with the owner to see if the birds are present at that time. It could potentially be very hit and miss. Two birds were present at about 12:30 today but left shortly after the owners came home, and we were visiting there for a few hours afterward and the birds did not return during that time. So who knows when they may reappear? The general location of the home is in the Stonebrook subdivision off of Country Club Road, which is off of Highway 79 North just outside of Paris. It is wonderful to see these birds so consistently in Henry County! Shawna Ellis Paris, Henry County