Mississippi Kites and Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive

The best season to observe Swallow-tailed and Mississippi Kites in Florida is Summer when many have migrated from their Wintering grounds in South America to breed.

The Swallow-tailed Kite with prey above (image 1) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

Tom Obrock and I made a drive on Independence Day to observe a large number of Mississippi Kites that had been reported in Belleview, Marion County. We were not disappointed as the raptors began to arrive in very good numbers around 10:00am. An effort has been made in this article to present the Mississippi Kites seen in their wide range of age and molt.

The Mississippi Kite with prey above (image 2) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The American Crow above (image 3) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite with prey above (image 4) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite with prey above (image 5) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The range of the Mississippi Kite in North America is more restricted than that of the Swallow-tailed Kite with the former having a vagrant report as far west as Los Angeles, California, and as far north as Winnipeg, Canada. A large breeding population of Mississippi Kite has been documented as far west as El Paso, Texas.

The Mississippi Kite above (image 6) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite above (image 7) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite with prey above (image 8) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The juvenile Cooper's Hawk with Swallow-tailed Kite above (image 9) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

Florida's other two kite species, the Everglades Snail Kite and White-tailed Kite may be found in south Florida year round. The Everglades Snail Kite has been reliably found at Harns Marsh Preserve and Stormwater Treatment Area 5 (STA5). Female and juvenile Snail Kites have been personally observed in far greater numbers than males of the species.

The Eastern Bluebird above (image 10) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite above (image 11) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite with prey above (image 12) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite with prey above (image 13) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The White-tailed Kite is significantly more elusive having been personally seen near Lucky Hammock. It has been reported along Miami Canal Road south of Clewiston, and at Snake Road between Miami and Naples earlier this year. The next time I see a report of White-tailed Kite, I will jump higher and faster in an attempt to see it.

The Mississippi Kite with prey above (image 14) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite above (image 15) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite with prey above (image 16) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite above (image 17) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

A fellow birder at the Belleview site had remarked that a Bald Eagle on hand had not been seen in his previous three weeks of observations. An appropriate species to make an appearance on the holiday though the eagle was harassed by a Swallow-tailed Kite and a pair of Mississippi Kites. These kite species will be migrating south by September.

The Mississippi Kite above (image 18) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite above (image 19) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Bald Eagle with Swallow-tailed Kite and Mississippi Kite above (image 20) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite above (image 21) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

After nearly a few hours of observation of the Mississippi Kites, Tom and I decided to move on with another large kettle of kites seen before leaving the area. We had been advised of good species of bird like Least Bittern that might be seen at Circle B Bar Reserve which I have not visited before.

The Mississippi Kite with prey above (image 22) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite with prey above (image 23) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite above (image 24) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Mississippi Kite above (image 25) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

Since there were portions of Circle B noted to be closed, we opted to visit Lake Apopka North Shore Wildlife Drive which opened to the public on 1 May 2015. This 11-mile drive can be accessed off of Lust Road in Apopka Friday-Sunday and on federal holidays from sunrise to an hour before sunset.

The Mississippi Kite with prey above (image 26) was photographed at SE 96th Place Road, Marion County, in July 2016.

The Barn Swallow above (image 27) was photographed at Lake Apopka North Shore Wildlife Drive in July 2016.

The Barn Swallow above (image 28) was photographed at Lake Apopka North Shore Wildlife Drive in July 2016.

The Barn Swallow above (image 29) was photographed at Lake Apopka North Shore Wildlife Drive in July 2016.

Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive is similar to Black Point Wildlife Drive at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The Lake Apopka bird checklist is particularly impressive while boasting a larger number of bird species observed than that at Merritt Island.

The Little Blue Heron with prey above (image 30) was photographed at Lake Apopka North Shore Wildlife Drive in July 2016.

The Green Heron above (image 31) was photographed at Lake Apopka North Shore Wildlife Drive in July 2016.

The juvenile Black-necked Stilt above (image 32) was photographed at Lake Apopka North Shore Wildlife Drive in July 2016.

The White-winged Dove above (image 33) was photographed at Lake Apopka North Shore Wildlife Drive in July 2016.

The most abundant bird species seen on our visit to Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive was Common Gallinule (formerly Common Moorhen). A very impressive number of Barn Swallow were observed in a few groups as well. While an impressive half dozen Least Bittern were observed, the highlight was a Blue-winged Teal that is considered a rare bird for this location and time of year.

The Blue-winged Teal above (image 34) was photographed at Lake Apopka North Shore Wildlife Drive in July 2016.

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North Florida Winter Trip: Part I

With what was certainly a tremendous amount of effort, bud Tom Obrock created an itinerary for our annual North Florida birding trip that was almost as much fun to read as making the trip itself.

The Laughing Gull above (image 1) was photographed at Bayport Park in February 2016.

Tom and I met as scheduled at 5:30am to head north from Fort Myers on 1 February. Tom had recommended that we make seven stops on the first day of travel. The arrival at Hernando County's Bystre Lake, our first stop, was delayed by several hours due to a flat tire. A very brief visit at this beautiful venue unfortunately did not afford any photo-ops.

The scene above (image 2) was photographed at Bayport Park in February 2016.

The Osprey above (image 3) was photographed at Bayport Park in February 2016.

The Common Loon above (image 4) was photographed at Bayport Park in February 2016.

The scene above (image 5) was photographed at Bayport Park in February 2016.

Our next stop was Bayport Park north of Tampa where the diminutive Weeki Wachee River spills into the Gulf of Mexico. Virtually all the birds seen at this venue were distant enough to require binoculars to get great views of them save a small number of Ring-billed Gulls that pursued one of their own with a fish. The action was too quick and close to photograph, but I tried.

The Little Blue Heron above (image 6) was photographed at Bayport Park in February 2016.

The Laughing Gull above (image 7) was photographed at Bayport Park in February 2016.

The Red-breasted Merganser above (image 8) was photographed at Bayport Park in February 2016.

The Ruddy Turnstone above (image 9) was photographed at Bayport Park in February 2016.

The walk under the magnificent oak trees laden with Spanish Moss at Tuscawilla Preserve was a reminder of the deep old south. This venue looked ridiculously dry while considering the abundant rainfall which is attributed to the 2015 El Niño weather event. There was a lot of poison ivy seen here.

The Horned Grebe above (image 10) was photographed at Bayport Park in February 2016.

The Eastern Bluebird above (image 11) was photographed near Bayport Park in February 2016.

The Yellow-rumped Warbler above (image 12) was photographed at Tuscawilla Preserve in February 2016.

The American Goldfinch above (image 13) was photographed at Tuscawilla Preserve in February 2016.

In advance of a storm approaching the southeast, a first visit was made at Sweetwater Wetlands Park in Gainesville, Florida. This magnificent place was previously known as the Paynes Prairie Sheet Flow Restoration Project. Tom and I explored a very small footprint of what can be seen along the 3.5 miles of boardwalk and trails available at this jewel.

The Blue-winged Teal above (image 14) was photographed at Sweetwater Wetlands Park in February 2016.

The Sora above (image 15) was photographed at Sweetwater Wetlands Park in February 2016.

The Wilson's Snipe above (image 16) was photographed at Sweetwater Wetlands Park in February 2016.

The Limpkin with prey above (image 17) was photographed at Sweetwater Wetlands Park in February 2016.

With daylight waning, we made our way toward the University of Florida where a potential life bird for the both of us had been seen reliably at Dauer Hall. It seemed we might miss this species similar to Chimney Swift as it didn't appear at the time when last reported.

The Blue-winged Teal above (image 18) was photographed at Sweetwater Wetlands Park in February 2016.

The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck above (image 19) was photographed at Sweetwater Wetlands Park in February 2016.

The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck above (image 20) was photographed at Sweetwater Wetlands Park in February 2016.

The Glossy Ibis above (image 21) was photographed at Sweetwater Wetlands Park in February 2016.

My photos of the Vaux's Swifts at and after sunset were captured at double my normal maximum ISO setting of 1600 with a shutter speed of 1/200. It was remarkable nonetheless observing the Vaux's Swift enter the chimneys of the residence hall where they would roost overnight. It was a great end to the day while missing only two stops. No photo pun intended.

The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck above (image 22) was photographed at Sweetwater Wetlands Park in February 2016.

The Eastern Phoebe above (image 23) was photographed at Sweetwater Wetlands Park in February 2016.

The American Coot above (image 24) was photographed at Sweetwater Wetlands Park in February 2016.

The Common Gallinule above (image 25) was photographed at Sweetwater Wetlands Park in February 2016.

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The Tufted Titmouse above (image 26) was photographed at the University of Florida (Dauer Hall) in February 2016.

The Vaux's Swift above (image 26) was photographed at the University of Florida (Dauer Hall) in February 2016.

Please also see North Florida Winter Trip: Part II