Mississippi Kite Update/Glenmere

[The "Nunn Guy"]

Some folks were out for the kites and took some great photos:

Penny B--Penny reports three "eyes are red-red-red" ... :-)
http://coloradobirder.ning.com/photo/photo/listForContributor?screenName=2eydahtn6tt5x

Pat G--saw two of them
http://coloradobirder.ning.com/photo/photo/listForContributor?screenName=2w39kqfp2yxxk

Greeley Tribune doing story on them-post link when it comes out.

Thanks Gary Lefko, Nunn
http://coloradobirder.ning.com/

[Joe]

It is clear that none of these five Mississippi Kites is a "hatch year"

bird. They lack the brownish overall coloration & brown ventral streaking seen on juvys.

Two are adults & at least one may be a "sub-adult" ie, a one year old individual. I hope to get better photos, flight photos, etc, soon. The three age groups (hatch year birds, subadults & full adults) are illustrated in Wheeler & Clark's "Hawk" guide Peterson series & in Sibley. I am on the steep part of the learning curve on all this. All 5 look like adults at 1st glance, but at least 1 has a large white spot on the wing, a feature of a subadult. Other marks to look for are best seen in flight, eg, 2 pale tail bands, brown underwings, etc. 

My references show subadults with red irises, like full adults. There is more we can learn about aging these kites, & flight photos would be helpful (&cool).

Trying to understand all this has been great fun, complicated by my computer crashing yesterday!

Joe Roller,

Denver

Sent from my iPhone

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