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.

Please be sure to be reminded about this weekly Southwest Florida Wildlife Blog with the email gadget located at the top of the page.

In Search Of Miami Parakeets

The lush tropical vegetation in the Miami area is very conducive for large numbers and a great variety of parakeets and parrots that can be readily observed visually and audibly.

The Mitred Parakeet above (image 1) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

On 12 March I made a trip to Miami with the company of Frank Constantin, Suzanne Lanthier and Réal Jauvin, all visiting from Quebec. Our first stop was the Baptist Hospital of Miami offering a pair of Egyptian Geese as the first bird species seen. Mitred Parakeets could be heard overhead. There were in excess of 70 in a single flock before breaking up into smaller groups.

The Egyptian Goose above (image 2) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Graylag Goose (domestic type) above (image 3) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Swan Goose (domestic type) above (image 4) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Egyptian Goose above (image 5) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Rock Dove above (image 6) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

After photographing other species of birds at hand we followed the call of the Mitred Parakeets to the west side of the property. The parakeets were obviously very wary of the presence of an American Kestrel. At one point the parakeets took refuge in a berry laden tree before once again taking flight to keep a distance from the kestrel's approach of them.

The Egyptian Goose above (image 7) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

Réal Jauvin, Francois Constantin and Suzanne Lanthier (l-r) above (image 8) were photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Fish Crow with nesting material above (image 9) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Eurasian Collared-Dove above (image 10) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Mitred Parakeet above (image 11) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

Our next stop was the University of Miami where we were asked to leave by campus security as we did not have authorization to visit. A call of parakeets could be heard where we had parked, but they were not seen thus remaining unidentified. We next visited A. D. Barnes Park which was nearly completely devoid of birds save a pair of Black Vultures, a Northern Mockingbird, a Mourning Dove and a Blue Jay.

The Mitred Parakeet above (image 12) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The American Kestrel above (image 13) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Mitred Parakeet above (image 14) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Mitred Parakeet above (image 15) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Mitred Parakeet above (image 16) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

Castellow Hammock Park was our next stop with hopes of photographing the Buff-bellied Hummingbird that was discovered by Colorado birder Connie Kogler. Word quickly got out about the rare to Florida hummingbird with eBird reports first appearing on 2 January. This was my second attempt to photograph the Buff-bellied Hummingbird, and was only fortunate enough to definitively see and hear it on this trip.

The Mitred Parakeet above (image 17) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Mitred Parakeet above (image 18) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Mitred Parakeet above (image 19) was photographed at Baptist Hospital of Miami in March 2016.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird above (image 20) was photographed at Castellow Hammock Park in March 2016.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird above (image 21) was photographed at Castellow Hammock Park in March 2016.

In the company of the Buff-bellied Hummingbird were no less than four Ruby-throated Hummingbirds which favored the depths of an approximately 15 foot tall by 35 foot wide Chinese hat plant. Again a parakeet was heard, but not seen. A White-winged Dove was a pleasure to find as I had not photographed this species in quite some time.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird above (image 22) was photographed at Castellow Hammock Park in March 2016.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird above (image 23) was photographed at Castellow Hammock Park in March 2016.

The White-winged Dove above (image 24) was photographed at Castellow Hammock Park in March 2016.

The Palm Warbler above (image 25) was photographed at Castellow Hammock Park in March 2016.

The Northern Cardinal above (image 26) was photographed at Castellow Hammock Park in March 2016.

Onward in the direction of home we made a brief stop at the Shark Valley Visitor Center where the water level was very high in the canals due to January's rainfall. The expected wading birds were absent as a result.

The Mourning Dove above (image 27) was photographed at Castellow Hammock Park in March 2016.

Please be sure to be reminded about this weekly Southwest Florida Wildlife Blog with the email gadget located at the top of the page.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird above (image 28) was photographed at Castellow Hammock Park in March 2016.