Sighting May 29 Mississippi Kite

Today as the thunderheads grew, I watched a Mississippi Kite maneuvering in the air high above my neighborhood.  At first light this morning, probably the same kite had been perched silhouetted against the morning glow to the east on a bare branch on the crown of my neighbor's huge Live Oak.

Mississippi Kites nest all over residential New Orleans, including in tall shade trees in peoples' back yards.  For the third year, they are nesting high in a large sycamore visible from my back yard.  New Orleanians are lucky to have them- their  breeding range is somewhat restriced, and most urbanites in the USA don't live within it.  In fact, most major cities do not do not have any raptor as numerous as Mississippi Kites are in summer in New Orleans.

Read more about Mississippi Kites on p.70 in Birding Made Easy.