Mississippi Kite – Summer’s Raptor
About 10:30 this morning, against a loose carpet of white quilted clouds in a hot blue sky, a Mississippi Kite appeared over our neighborhood. Fairly low at first, it slowly, steadily circled and climbed higher.
I could not see the white head or gray color in its plumage, because the sun was high and directly behind it almost all of the time, but the sleek, dark shape, with long slender wings, round head and rather long, fan-shaped tail were clear. It was very beautiful to watch, flying so easily and gracefully. It never flapped while I watched, but sailed on open wings, rising higher and higher until it was only a speck against the cottony clouds.