Sunday, July 14, 2013

first Mississippi Kite fledge of summer


Today I was in Metairie not far from Bonnabel High School, when a pair of Mississippi Kites came circling low overhead.  They were making their usual peel-poo call, but with a bit more frequency than usual.  Then I noticed that the tail on one was boldly banded black and white- indicating it was a juvenile.  The other bird had a solid black underside of the tail, indicating it was an adult.

This is my first young Mississippi Kite out of the nest this summer.  The species is always one of our earliest to leave on migration- they will essentially be gone by the end of next month- tightening the whole nesting cycle (especially given that they are one of our later spring migrants to arrive back, most in mid April or later).

Peter

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