Bird Fans Have to See This One for Themselves: ; Swallowed-Tale Kites Dont Visit W.Va. Often

Summary

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Last Sunday, the phone rang at my parents house and my father answered it. Its your brother, he said. He wants to know what kind of hawk or large bird has a forked tail like a swallow. I laughed and said a kite, knowing it fit that description, but he was not going to find one flying around in West Virginia. My father looked in his bird book and read the entry on swallow-tailed kites to my brother black and white markings, 4-foot wingspan, very distinct and unique forked tail. Your brother said that describes what he just saw circling around his house. He has a video recording of it on his camera. He has it on video? I asked. I wanted to see that. After he looked it up on the Internet, my brother, Shawn, was convinced that he had indeed seen a swallow-tailed kite, and the fact that they are normally found only in Florida and along the Gulf Coast did not dissuade him. My father also noted in his book that the birds are occasionally seen farther north, wandering during the late summer. After seeing the video for myself, I was also convinced. Convinced enough to post it on a Web site where bird watchers can report their findings in West Virginia. I was a little bit apprehensive. Im not an expert birder. What if I was wrong? That would be embarrassing, and now it was on the Internet for the whole world to see. But what if I was right? That would certainly be quite a find. From what I could learn, swallow-tailed kites had been reported in the state only three other times. Other questions arose, such as was it just passing through, or would it be around for a while? Elmwood, where my brother lives, is one of those small Wayne County communities that has a name and not much more. Its located about a mile and a half from the town of Wayne, on the way to East Lynn. Early last week, three bird watchers from the area drove out to the cemetery at Elmwood and saw the kite. They posted their sightings on the Web site. A few more bird watchers drove there on Tuesday and they, too, saw it. But so far all I had seen was the video. Who knew how much longer the kite would stay around? This was too good of a birding opportunity for me to miss. I left right after work on Wednesday and drove from Charleston to Wayne. As I pulled into the cemetery, I noticed a friends vehicle parked at the top of the hill. I had alerted her about the bird, and she was there to see it. We hadnt been there but about 10 minutes when we spotted the kite soaring across the sky. It circled around and went directly over our heads, not too high above the trees a large bird, gracefully gliding through the air without a single flap of its wings. It disappeared past the trees. We waited, and it returned and flew off again. Kites will usually just soar through the air, catching and feeding on flying insects. They are related to hawks and eagles, and there are five kinds of kites found in North America. Only the swallow-tailed kite has the long, forked tail. It was certainly a wonderful thing to see. My friend couldnt stay, but she was soon replaced by Steve Gillispie from Teays Valley. Steve had photographed a bird called a great knot near the ponds at the Winfield locks just a few days ago. Great knots are shore birds normally found off the coasts of Asia and Alaska not in a West Virginia mud flat. This one was far, far from home. While sitting in the cemetery, I watched several vehicles going by. They may have wondered why all those people were up there on the hill. They probably drove on, and will never know that an unusual bird sighting was just above their heads. Im learning to keep my eyes and ears open. You never know what might be flying around out there.

Did you know? Swallow-tailed kite (Elanoides forficatus) Size: About the same size as a red-tailed hawk, but much lighter in weight. Food: Mainly eats insects that it catches and eats while flying. Markings: White head and body, black and white wings, black tail. Range: Found mainly in Florida in the United States. They have been known to wander north in late summer before heading south for the winter. Facinating facts: * This is only the fourth reported sighting of a swallow-tailed kite in West Virginia. Other sightings and year: Greenbrier County, 1908 Randolph County, 1988 Mercer County, 1997 * Rarely flaps its wings while flying and rotates its tail in order to turn while drifting across the sky. Sources: www.birds.cornell; www.brooksbirdclub.org

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Bird Fans Have to See This One for Themselves: ; Swallowed-Tale Kites Dont Visit W.Va. Often

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