Mississippi Bird of Prey: The Kite
On most mornings, I can usually be seen in the backyard with my camera. I have to be out there at about 5:45 in the morning. There is a very special tree in the next yard, right next to our fence line. It is the giant perching area of several Mississippi Kites, and they're my favorite raptors to photograph. Mississippi Kites are small birds of prey with long, gray and black pointed wings. Their tails are long and square-tipped, and they have a strongly-hooked bill. They are similar in size to a peregrine falcon, but they are three times lighter.
Mississippi kites have several nicknames: mosquito hawk, blue snake hawk, bat hawk, and locust eater.
They have excellent aerial skills and can usually be found above the tree line, coasting gracefully on updrafts of air, or flapping their wings. In their air, they catch flying insects, small birds, and bats. When they catch food, they hold the prey with one talon while eating it, mid-flight. Alternately, they perch to eat their food. I see them fly out from a perch sometimes. Usually, it's to catch a flying insect.
Kites are very protective of their nests. Both parents care for the young. They tend to divebomb people who come too close to their nests, and will often build their nests near wasp nests. This protects the chicks from climbing predators who wouldn't want to encounter a swarm of wasps.
As a photographer, I'm fascinated by their fierce, graceful looks. Photographing raptors has always been one of my goals. One evening about dusk, I was photographing a dove. It had its back turned to me, but every now and then, it turned its beautiful head back toward the camera. During the editing process, I realized that it was not a dove, but a gorgeous bird of prey, and it was preening in the tree next to my backyard!
I studied the kites' perching habits over the next two weeks, noting when they came to the tree to preen. Quarter to six in the morning was my best time to be ready with my camera. The sun wasn't rising yet, so my camera settings could stay relatively consistent. Here are a few photos of the beautiful Mississippi Kites who keep my backyard free from insects and bats.
