Once in a while, a bird watcher gets to experience something quite out of the ordinary and usually in a place where that something is least expected. This week, a neighbor and I had a friendly argument and subsequent wager over the identity of an apex raptor that visited a tree in his front yard. My guess? A Northern Harrier. His? A Mississippi Kite. The bet? A six pack of Modelo Especial – one of Mexico’s finest pilsners. Both birds habit the Rio Grande Valley and I figured I had a 50/50 chance. I’d seen a kite a couple of miles away only a few days before so I should have known better. Well, I am dismayed to inform you that I lost the bet.
The morning after the bet was entered, I glanced across the street at my neighbors cottonwood trees and noticed something off. I shook my head, refocused and looked again and was able to make out the outline of a pretty good sized, slate grey bird perched on a dead branch. I grabbed the tripod and camera and set up by my front door and took several shots across the street. Satisfied that I had the ID of the bird in the bag, I made my way closer to the street between our houses and up to my fence. I was probably 50 yards from her perch.
While taking shots of her, I soon noticed her partner flying in with branches (probably a dozen times, all told) to another part of the tree. He was obviously building the nest as she sat watch over the operation. Since MS kites are monomorphic (as opposed to dimorphic), how was I able to distinguish between the two? While I kind of figured the male was doing the heavy lifting, I was still not sure. And then I was able to catch this sequence of photos that seemed to indicate just who was who.
MS Kite Nest Building
MS Kite “Mating Ritual”
MS Kite Female?
A few seconds after depositing one of the branches, the male (I assume) flew back out. Only this time, instead of flying off to retrieve another branch, he flew to the branch where the female was waiting and mounted her. I euphemistically named this photo
“Mating Ritual” so as not to offend anyone. Obviously, neither of them were in the least bit embarrassed by the undisguised show of passion right above our neighborhood street.
The show lasted about a minute. Then, the male returned to his construction chores and the female remained in place – stone faced – as if the whole episode had never happened. I guess there are parallels between the animal and human worlds?
The whole thing reminded me again how critically important it is for us to do everything we possibly can to preserve places for animals to do their thing. And, to tread lightly and with consideration in spaces where birds and other wildlife make their nests, burrows, etc. and raise their young each spring. Who would have ever predicted that these cottonwood trees that I curse every fall as they disperse their leaves all over the neighborhood, could host such a beautiful “wild kingdom” moment? All I know is that this afternoon, my neighbor and I will tip a Modelo Especial in honor of one of the most special moments in my bird watching career.
PS: The above are just my observations and unscientific conclusions. I’m still researching this behavior, and while it seems pretty clear, I cannot yet find any confirmation that males are the primary nest builders. If you know anything about this, please contact me.
MS Kite Range Map
MS Kite Flyover
The MS Kite is primarily an eastern bird. However, a relatively small group makes its way up the Rio Grande as you can see represented here on the range map. We are very lucky to have these guys nesting here (I can see the nest and location where the female is perching each morning from my front window) in our corner of the neighborhood and we look forward to watching this couple and hope for a healthy brood of young ones. UPDATE: One chick was hatched and we watched it grow up, learn to hunt and depart the area in a healthy state.