At 9:00 this morning I was sitting on the deck when an adult Mississippi Kite passed overhead, just above the treetops. Sleek, pewter-gray color, darker primaries/secondaries, could see the black around the eyes, short dark hooked bill only visible through binoculars; the dark triangular tail really caught my eye. Total sighting lasted about 30 seconds.
I live pretty much in the center of Ortonville, and it was heading west towards Big Stone Lake. No hawking behavior observed, just a leisurely, zig-zagging (Harrier-like) flight towards the water. I drove down to Lakeside Park and spent the next hour and a half cruising both shores within a mile of Ortonville and Big Stone City, but haven't been able to re-find it. Lakeside Park is right in town, below the grocery store at the south end of the lake. Will update ASAP if re-found. -- Jason M. Frank Ortonville Public Library Founder & Vice President Luddite Ornithologists League (LOL) Big Stone County, Minnesota ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html During the pandemic, the MOU encourages you to stay safe, practice social distancing, and continue to bird responsibly.
