The Mississippi Kite found yesterday at the Dairy Mart Ponds (San Diego County, CA) was easy to find this morning for birders lucky enough to get there early...Guy McCaskie and Jan Nordenberg were already looking at it when I walked up. For almost an hour and a half it would sit on a snag and preen, occasionally sallying out to catch insects (as in the above photo).
This is what the bird did for most of the morning. Stoked. State (and year) bird for me.
I don't think raptors should be called "confiding", but it didn't seem concerned about any of the birders hanging out nearby.
At about 8:50 the bird took off, caught a thermal, and headed southeast. If anyone wants to find this bird in the coming days, I recommend getting there early and start checking snags about 100 yards west of the main parking lot, past the viewing "blind" at the pond. Mississippi Kites specialize on eating aerial insects, so they usually don't start foraging until its warm enough for the bugs to be out in force. It's a lot easier to find when its perched than looking for it way up in the sky as it hunts dragonflies.
I have so much rare bird envy. Sweet photos!
ReplyDeleteThere is no pain like VAGRANT ENVY
DeleteI have so much rare bird envy. Sweet photos!
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome. Why didn't this bird stop in Arizona first on his way over from MI?
ReplyDeleteThere's a good chance it did!
DeleteBy coincidence, there was one reported yesterday in Flagstaff (north central AZ)
DeleteYeah dude, rad rad bird... Tell it we have oodles of dragonflies up here just waiting to be eaten..
ReplyDeleteNo one saw it today. It probably heard about your dragonflies and is coming to check them out.
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