Mississippi Kites in NH

Mississippi Kite in flight

Location of kite nest in Newmarket, NH

Mississippi Kites have been nesting in Newmarket, NH a town near the coast. These kites are far from their usual range and were quite the celebrity birds throughout the summer. This is the first accepted state record for NH for these birds. Not one, but three Mississippi Kites showed up, an adult male and females and a subadult female. Speculation was this was an adult pair and possibly one of their offspring from a previous year. Mississippi Kites are know to have subadults as nest helpers. The pair picked an isolated maple tree on a busy surburban street for their nest site. The male was seen copulating with both females but just the adults nested, producing one chick. Birders came from all over to visit them.
We last saw them on Aug. 22. We watched for about 45 minutes and saw the adults bring food to the nest 3 times and feed it to their chick, who looked about full grown but had different plumage from the adults,more mottled tan and brown. Word has it the young kite has now fledged from the nest. We were on our way from someplace else and stopped by and I only had my point and shoot camera.
For more photos of these kites click here,
and here,
and here.