Hi All -
My family and I have really enjoyed keeping up with the Mississippi Kite family
in Thoroughgood this season!
I thought I would let report that for the second day in a row the Kites have
been seen flying over Lake Smith, on the Five Forks Rd. Lake Smith Terrace end,
a couple of times a day. I had seen the adults several times over the last
week or so there and over Aragona/Haygood area, but yesterday late afternoon
was the first time I spotted the recent fledge as I scanned the sky from White
House Lane. It was flying up above the lake with both adults and it looked
like it was practicing its dive. It flew way up and then dove straight down
in a tucked dive and then made arc back up again to repeat several times as
both adults were catching and eating dragonflies on the wing nearby.
This morning as I was watching Ruby Throated Hummingbirds, I saw what I thought
was the young Kite fly low over the house for a brief look. After a few
minutes of scanning the sky, the adult male Kite came into view high up over
the lake with two Turkey Vultures and an Osprey. I watched the male as it
banked several times showing its very light white head and the white
secondaries on the trailing edge of its wings in contrast to grey body and
black tail – very apparent in the sun! Then I heard a the typical two note
kite whistle and the young recent fledge flew into view. I watched it circle
back and forth over the lake and do a few dives. The streaked breast and
underwing in rusty brown color, were easy to see in contrast to the light
colored head and neck and body background. The tail is noticeably dark to
black (when not spread) with thin white stripes through it, to distinguish it
from some other bird of prey when viewing from underneath on a quick pass by.
It has the flight profile of an adult kite, but it does appear bulkier than the
adult and its wings are a bit rounder and fuller in appearance.
I was thrilled to watch the young bird as it caught a cicada after two tries
and ate it on the wing! Still a little clumsy looking for a kite, but neat to
see. I never saw the fledge from last year catch anything itself. It looks to
be developing right on schedule for its upcoming long migration southward.
The last date that I saw the kites in Thoroughgood last season was August 23/24
– so it won’t be long!
I did see that quite a lot of Mississippi Kites have already been counted by
the hawk watch in Corpus Christi TX in the last week.
http://hawkcount.org/month_summary.php?r=on&rsite=470&go=Go+to+site Check out ;
the numbers! Makes me want to do a road trip!
Keep your eyes to the skies!
Tracy Tate
VA Beach
PS I had multiple RTHU yesterday and a Black and White Warbler foraging in the
Magnolia Tree.
