I'm probably the last local birder to go check out the West Springfield
kites. Renee Grebe and I went out this afternoon; we didn't have to wait
long before one adult and one juvenile made an appearance, soaring in great
circles above us. Periodically one would swing one or both feet forward
towards its head. Birds of North America indicates that they frequently
consume the insects they catch while in flight by holding the item toward
the head, discard some parts and eat the rest in one or more bites. We
think this is what we saw.
Thanks to Donald Sweig for posting the information about the kites on
VA-BIRD and to Renee for helping me find them, it was a life bird for me!
I posted the best of my pics on my blog.
Betsy True
Alexandria, VA
www.birdlist.blogspot.com
