I had seen on Facebook a few pics of a rare vagrant for New York of a Mississippi Kite. I have seen swallowtail kites twice before in New York and was always amazed at their flying style. Swooping around and catching and eating bugs mid air. I texted a friend and said any tips? He said Ill do you one better , I will give you exact location. It's nice when other bird photographers trust you to not harass or bother such a rarity. So off I headed stopping to lend a hand to another bird photographer to get a Lawrence's warbler that was nearby to me. Did my duty and scooted hoping for the best. After following the directions and pulling into an upscale neighborhood, I saw 2 cars parked with photographers standing next to them. I said this must be the place. I asked had they seen the kites lately and they said yep look up. There it was soaring above me! I was treated to a 2 hour show of both male and female gathering nesting material and catching bugs. Lighting conditions are tough these birds have a tendency to fly way up and your best bet is when they perch again very high up! A great trip , super cool bird, a lifer!, meeting new bird photographers from another part of the state. Its so fun to be a chaser!
The Mississippi kite is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Mississippi kites have narrow, pointed wings and are graceful in flight, often appearing to float in the air. It is common to see several circling in the same area. --Wikipedia
Species: I. mississippiensis
Lifespan: 8 years
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Ictinia
