(Posted by Julian Sellers <[email protected]> via moumn.org) I observed a Mississippi Kite yesterday in Duluth. Here's my report to eBird.
I was at a private home with a deck with a partial view to the north and northeast and a wide view to the southeast (toward the Duluth harbor and St. Louis Bay). The location is 7.8 miles southwest of the Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory. The forecast was for good raptor migration with a northwest breeze, but at my location the cloud cover did not disperse until about 14:45. At about 15:15, I started seeing kettles of Broad-winged Hawks and some other individual raptors. At about 15:40, I saw what I first took for a falcon, due to its long, pointed wings and long tail, approaching at a moderate height from the north. I soon noticed that its flight was not falcon-like; it glided, executing an occasional quick twist, turn, or dip hawking insects. I also noticed a light-colored head and a light body contrasting with an all-dark slightly flared tail. The trailing edge of the secondaries, seen from directly below, appeared white. I observed the bird for a minute or two before I lost it as it glided out over the bay. About five minutes later, it returned, gliding in the opposite direction (northwest) over the ridge. Julian Sellers, St. Paul ---- 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.
