Dozens of kites were in the air at any given time. This kite has what appears to be a dragonfly in its talons. That’s the Swallow-tailed Kite in the top right. Not nearly as territorial as some raptors, loose. Adults and recently fledged juveniles were present. The Mississippi Kite primarily feeds on large insects, most of which are caught in a graceful gliding flight. The Mississippi Kites were to be the indicator that I was in the right place for the swallowtail, but I was unprepared for the sheer number of kites I would encounter on that morning.Īt any given time the sky was full of up to 4 or 5 kettles of Mississippi Kites each containing a dozen or more birds. Overview ID info Life History Maps Sounds Identification Photo Gallery Similar Species Adult Small, slender raptor with narrow and pointed wings and a long tail. And, as it turned out, that was the case. Reportedly, the swallowtail was coming out around midmorning and flying with kettles of Mississippi Kites. I took these pictures earlier in the summer when I was in far southeast Dallas County to photograph a rare Swallow-tailed Kite. ![]() ![]() With prey in hand (talon) the kites could often be seen feeding while on the wing. On several occasions I witnessed a kite dive out of the sky and skim over the grass in order to nab a hapless grasshopper or dragonfly. Mississippi Kites are birds of prey, but they hunt mostly insects. Their acrobatic flying skills hone the analogy. These dove-gray birds spend the summer hunting over plains and woodlands in the southern United States. The uniform slate gray coloration and sleek form of the adult reminds me of a jet fighter plane. The Mississippi Kite is one of Americas most elegant raptors. I started with a big piece of cotton batiste over some batting.Mississippi Kites are some of my favorite birds. My neighbor Liz and I had each woven a nice table ScrapHappy November 2023 - Scraps from Many Livesīack in 2012, I sketched a plan for a way to use all the vintage handkerchiefs I had gathered up over the years, and this year I finally got around to making it. This Handwoven magazine cover from 2014 had inspired me to buy lots of silk sari ribbon. In an effort to use up my yarn stash, I returned to a project I had first woven in 2015, and I ended up weaving six table runners. Modern furniture took the spotlight, and some One Warp, Six Variations The 1950s brought color photos to the pattern books, and new, colorful trends to traditional doilies and linens. ![]() ![]() Even then, Pattern Books from the 1950sĪs the year comes to a close, it seems like a good time to dip back in to the pattern book collection I got at an auction in the spring. I lived through it with deep disappointment because even though I was a child, I loved the styles of the New Look, and aspired to wear them myself. We are getting close to the end of the huge collection of pattern books I bought at an auction, and I remember this era well. During their brief courtship period, the kites aerial displays to their prospective mates are a sight to behold. Insects are caught in mid-air and are often. Not many raptors can match the buoyancy, ease and grace with which Mississippi kites conquer the sky. In the photo of the pink hairpin lace shawl, notice Pattern Books from the 1960s Mississippi kites are insectivorous - feeding primarily on insects - but will also capture reptiles and amphibians. Handwritten notes clipped into these books show that the original owners, Minnie and Olive, were still actively creating hats, sweaters, and afghans during these decades. We have reached the end of the great collection of pattern books that I picked up in an online auction.
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