Hello from the other side of the Atlantic (UK).
I am sure you don't get too many postings from the UK however I thought that
you might be interested in a report I received from Falls Church. My daughter
is currently living there for a couple of years whilst her husband works in DC.
She rang me yesterday (about 1 p.m. your time) to tell me that three small
raptors were circling quite low above her house just off Annandale Road in
Falls Church. I was surprised that her description seemed to fit Mississippi
Kite -I based this mainly on size and her description that suggested very
prominent white secondaries on an otherwise dark bird with a squared off tail,
looking at times as if it was slightly forked. Is it conceivable that they
could be Mississippi Kites?
Whilst she is not an active birder, she has suffered many hours birding with me
when she was younger and had no choice; she is quite aware of what is around
her and is usually alert to anything that she has not seen before.
Ian Hargreaves
