A combination of factors led me once again to NH yesterday afternoon to check out the Mississippi Kites that have been reported for the last several days. When I last posted, we had driven up to NH to see the birds the day they had been reported. (They were actually reported a few weeks earlier, but were confirmed and seen by many on Saturday.)
Since that time, people have been checking in on the Kites almost constantly. They have seen the male bringing sticks to the female, copulation, then a female was found on a nest while TWO other birds were seen flying. So there are THREE MISSISSIPPI KITES in New Hampshire. Just in case you missed that, let me sum it up - there is a female Mississippi Kite on a nest, a Male that has been seen copulating with her, then a third kite, which appears to be a young female, that the male is also courting and seems to be copulating with. All this is happening for the first (documented) time north of the Carolinas Virginia. (I've not researched this well, so if you know of a documented nest further north, please let me know) Amazing!!! (Oh yeah, there is also a ton of photo documentation of all of this.)
So, for the last several days, I've been wanting to go back, since when we were there on Saturday, nobody had discovered where they were regularly perching (much less nesting) so all we saw were the birds in flight. I wanted to get much better looks, (and maybe a few pics of my own) but I'd been feeling pretty wiped out for the last few days. (Tired, achy, headaches, etc - I keep checking but haven't noticed any ticks on me in the last week, no odd rashes or anything, so I think I'm just trying to outrun a cold.) Yesterday, I had all my work done early, and headed home to try and get some rest. Pam had the day off but had an appointment in the afternoon. When she got in, we decided that since the weather was so much nicer than predicted, that we'd give another shot at the kites, and up we went.
The immature female sat out in the open for very easy looks (and obviously some digiscoped shots) while the second female stayed on the nest. Eventually the male flew in, and attempted a few 'passes' at the younger bird, then perched nicely for us while dark storm clouds rolled in behind us.
Not the best photos, but the looks - both perched and in flight - were fantastic.
Definintely worth the trip!!!
CT - Lesser Black-backed Gull - 02/03
14 hours ago













7 comments:
It's always amazing when a bird this unexpected and beautiful drops in. We had a few reports of Mississipi Kites in NYC in the last month. I wonder if any of these birds are the same.
Love the blog!
There has been a pair of Mississippi Kites nesting in Fairfax County, VA, for years, so this is not the first case north of the Carolinas. It might be the first north of Virginia, though.
Hi John - thanks for the correction! I should have done a little more research before making a statement like that. (I was going on something that somebody else at the site had said, which is never a good idea!
It's possible that the Fairfax nest hasn't spread beyond local knowledge yet.
I saw this Kite fly across my backyard in Newmarket NH! I ran in and told my mom about it and she looked it up and said it was the Mississippi Kite. We see the birders with their telescopes at their nesting site downtown. It is cool to have seen it, I guess the male was hunting.
Richie
Yesterday,Tuesday June 24th my son and I watched the Male Kite kill a Blue Jay at 4:30 pm on a front lawn 500 yards from the trees they have been hanging out in. He naiked it during flight knocking it to the ground and while trying to finish it off 3 more jays "attacked" him. He ended up killing it adn flying 10 feet high into a mapl with it.
john
Newmarket
I live in Newmarket, NH and drive by the schools these birds have been seen near and didn't realize that the birds were what people were looking at. I dont belive that they are the only Mississippi Kite's in Newmarket, my son who is a bird lover...tells me that we have atleast three of these birds in a tree in our back yard. I have looked at several pictures of this bird and believe that what is in our back yard is definetly this bird!
Laurie of Newmarket
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