Mississippi Kite at Mud Lake Conservation Area, Port Colborne

On May 19, Blayne and Jean Farnan discovered a Mississippi Kite at Mud Lake Conservation Area, near the town of Port Colborne within the Niagara Region. They alerted Marcie Jacklin who promptly spread the news on Ontbirds. At the time I was on my way from Cornwall to Point Pelee, doing the scenic Highway 401 tour in one day, and was unable to detour to check out the kite. Besides, I figured, it was likely a one-day wonder and not chase-able!

The kite ended up frequenting Mud Lake for several days, and after birding Pelee on Friday and Saturday, I made my way back to Niagara-on-the-Lake. The following morning I was on site by 10:30 AM, hoping for a repeat performance of the kite catching dragonflies while it wheeled in the sky above the lake. Alfred Adamo and Jay Silverberg joined me in our search, as they had just driven down from Toronto. It is not often that a Mississippi Kite sticks around for several days in Ontario.

From the south shore of the lake, I scanned the north end with my brand new Kowa TSN-773 spotting scope, purchased the day before at Pelee Wings in Leamington. It did not take me long to pick up the distinctive shape of the kite, soaring in the sky and heading in our direction. I quickly got Alfred and Jay on the bird before it disappeared overhead, obscured by the leaves which had quickly unfurled in the heat of the last few days.

Mississippi Kite - Mud Lake Conservation Area, Niagara Region (May 22, 2016)

I walked further east along the shoreline, eventually approaching a larger opening with a clearer view of the sky. Willie D'Anna and Sue Barth were there, with big smiles on their faces after being treated to excellent views of the rare raptor. I knew Willie quite well from gull-watching along the Niagara River, but it was my first time meeting Sue.

Mississippi Kite - Mud Lake Conservation Area, Niagara Region (May 22, 2016)

The Mississippi Kite kept re-appearing in the sky above our heads and we could not believe our luck at the spectacularly close sightings. In the days prior, it had stuck to the north end of the lake, offering views which paled in comparison to ours. The lighting was a bit harsh at this time of day, but eventually I came away with some decent shots of the bird.

Mississippi Kite - Mud Lake Conservation Area, Niagara Region (May 22, 2016)

Mississippi Kite - Mud Lake Conservation Area, Niagara Region (May 22, 2016)

This Mississippi Kite can be aged as a 1st-summer individual (second calendar year), due to its mottled wing coverts, retained from juvenile plumage, along with a banded tail. It also lacks the white secondaries shown in adult birds. Young Mississippi Kites molt their head and body feathers before their wings and tail, which is why this individual shows the whitish head and gray underparts that adults also feature. The majority of spring Mississippi Kites in Ontario have been 1st-summer individuals.

Mississippi Kite - Mud Lake Conservation Area, Niagara Region (May 22, 2016)

We watched the kite for quite some time as it efficiently picked off dragonflies above our heads and over the lake.

Mississippi Kite eating a dragonfly - Mud Lake Conservation Area, Niagara Region (May 22, 2016)

Below are two screenshots from eBird showing Mississippi Kite sightings from July. I am only showing July records as it eliminates most vagrants (May and early June), essentially showing where Mississippi Kites breed. The first map includes data from the years 1900-2000, while the second map only includes records from 2001-2015. While there are many more records in recent years on eBird due to the increase in the website's popularity, there is a bit of a trend that can be seen of the species slowly moving north. Mississippi Kites now breed regularly through central Indiana and Illinois and in several locations on the eastern seaboard as far north as New Hampshire. Winnipeg, Manitoba even had a pair breed in 2014. It may just be a matter of time before Ontario sees its first breeding record of Mississippi Kite.

Mississippi Kite records in July, 1900-2000 (via eBird.org)

Mississippi Kite records in July, 2001-2015 (via eBird.org)

As far as I can discern there are four previous records of Mississippi Kite for Niagara Region, including three spring records from the Beamer Hawkwatch in Grimsby (in 1975, 1977 and 2003), as well as a late-May record from Long Beach (1997). I do not have a copy of John Black's excellent Niagara Birds however, which may detail additional records that have not been reviewed by the Ontario Bird Records Committee. Like this bird, the vast majority of Mississippi Kites in Ontario have occurred from the middle of May through early June. 

Mississippi Kite - Mud Lake Conservation Area, Niagara Region (May 22, 2016)