August 26, 2008
Kitefest!
On a visit to the botanical garden I considered myself lucky to have spotted a single Mississippi Kite perched relatively close on a dead snag by the river.
However, when news broke of mixed flocks of Mississippi and Swallow-tailed Kites to the south of Athens, I was keen to witness the spectacle. Joel, a local birder, kindly offered to take me out to see them on my last day, and on arriving at Bostwick Sod Farm the first bird we saw was my lifer Swallow-tailed Kite! After driving round the block a couple of times, we were able to get amazing overhead views of the bird performing its aerial acrobatics.
The bird was hanging out with about 15 Mississippi Kites, and the two were frequently engaged in aerial tussles. Note the much larger size of the Swallow-tailed.
We drove on to Fairplay Road, and found a flock of 4 more Swallow-tailed Kites and a lone Mississippi.
There seems to have been a substantial post-breeding movement of these species, and Joel was lucky enough to run into a flock of 65 Swallow-tails at the coast the previous weekend - check out his amazing photos here.
We stopped at a nearby pond to check for shorebirds, and managed the 'small peep sweep' of Least, Western and Semipalmated Sandpipers, along with single Solitary and Spotted Sandpipers. Here's the Western in company of a Least Sandpiper and Killdeer.
The Semi-P was a little more camera-shy, hanging at the back of the pond with the Solitary and Leasts.
On the drive back we were treated to great roadside views of a Loggerhead Shrike family. Here's one of the juvs.
A flyover Osprey on the drive to Atlanta airport was the last quality bird of the trip. As usual, I had a fantastic trip to the States, in no small part due to the fellow birders who shared their time and expertise. Now it's back to the grindstone in Cambridge!
Posted by rjhall at August 26, 2008 10:55 AM