Mississippi Kite in NE PA!
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May 23, 2009 | by Kevin Loughlin
Lisa and I drove to the Pocono Mountains Friday night to enjoy a weekend at my cabin in Promised Land State Park. Rising early with the birds we headed off to one of my favorite birding trails in the park — the Village Trail. We met up with a group of three from Puerto Rico — Ana, Carmen and Juan.
Ana was recently on our Colorado trip with Adrian. She currently resides in the Poconos and went searching on BirdingPal for a local birder to take her visiting friends around the area. She recognized my name in her search and contacted me. I was happy to have them join me for a morning of birding in “my” park!
My friends Liz and Abraham, owners of Bosque del Rio Tigre Lodge in Costa Rica, happened to be in the area after touring around New England and they were able to join us as well. Along with my girlfriend, Lisa, we had a great group of people enjoying a fun and birdy morning!
Chestnut-sided Warblers, Scarlet Tanagers, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and Veeries seemed to be everywhere along the Village Trail. Cedar Waxwings buzzed by in small and large flocks, and Brown-headed Cowbirds were prevalent. A Baltimore Oriole sang from behind a thick branch of leaves, before rapidly departing. Flickers pounded and called incessantly.
By mid-morning the conditions were right for raptors. A Merlin posed on a snag overhead for a bit and a Broad-winged Hawk flew passed soon after. As we headed back to the parking area, I heard a Rose-breasted Grosbeak across the road. Thanks to Abraham’s keen eye, we soon had it in the scope. Another Broad-winged Hawk soared by as Turkey Vultures began to kettle.
I saw another possible raptor far on the horizon and put my binocs to my eyes. For a moment I was speechless… then I shouted KITE!… MISSISSIPPI KITE!!! The graceful raptor was catching insects on the wing floating and diving and now and again ruffling his wings. A graceful, buoyant flyer we begged him to come nearer. He finally did, but only to be backlit by the sun before he disappeared beyond the tree line…
A rare visitor to Pennsylvania. A new record for Promised Land State Park. I fired off a few images, but with the distance and poor lighting I was not able to get better than a record shot! Trust me though… the binocular views were absolutely wonderful!photos © Kevin Loughlin
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An excellent sighting and very good E. PA record – well done.
The best chance of seeing one in the Delaware Valley region is in Cape May at this time of year, where a couple are about. A
How cool! Thanks for sharing your sighting – I posted it on my Facebook page. 🙂
I looked a bit for the bird again today for a brief time on the other side of the forest over which it disappeared on Saturday. No luck. I hope other birders will keep looking!
How exciting! As the name implies – your state park must be like heaven 😉 I’ve never seen a Mississippi Kite – that would be a life bird for me…not to mention…I would do flips to see one!!!
We had a great time in Promised Land. The combination of a delightful group of people, absolutely great bird sightings and a beautiful location always makes for a memorable experience. Juan and Carmen liked Promised Land better than Cape May!
I am glad that my friends had the unusual opportunity to see this Mississippi Kite, and that they could observe it on the hunt. As with many of the kites, these elegant and graceful birds are best appreciated when they are hunting.
Thank you for so readily sharing “your” park. I am afraid that from now on it will become “my” park too!!