For most of the afternoon, around 1:00 to at least after 5:30, the bird sat in a tree in a yard adjacent to the north side of the Stratford Point property. A crowd had gathered in the area trying to catch a glimpse of it buried in the leaves and branches. It kept itself in the shade, probably as a way to rest and keep cool on the increasingly hot and humid summer day. It certainly seems likely that it will be here for another day. I hope that it will be as cooperative as it usually is early tomorrow. For the past two mornings, it has put on a show for thrilled Connecticut birders and many excited visitors who made long journeys from neighboring states. It seems to wander and rest a bit more in the afternoon hours.
Yesterday some of us were wondering how much the White-tailed Kite had gotten to eat. No one I spoke to had noticed it catching any prey, whether it be rodent or insect. However, a couple of photographers were able to see that it had in fact found a couple meals. Below are two photos from Paul Fusco.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEufGI6mCNu43Q_ROyCQWmAnIzGjMFv7Zrw527sqCU-X5ZS1dbxEgtVoQhZl9W3MYYSKA8MBz7Iik4ot6ZVcar4trdoSCHaRV0NTV_nccggtM6XuPE8GkFIOQ-72f_bCW5UecSFs5-xpJc/s400/WTKIxxx_Fusco.jpg)
A close-up of the prey, a vole:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizG9fymAW9hDy2vySf1iISUnJmB1Qsqx-PponkkW77Cc4JYfIt3ZN8OIl4eiGXtdAS0Rxm8LnrYNhw4NnQ5rhnXP49VLOBTYLDNz5lP1f-ACduU4i26-IukF1_t0Y3YZobsOyrQZFkjTtz/s400/WTKIxxxcrop_Fusco.jpg)
Looks as if the White-tailed Kite is doing wonderfully.
Photos © Paul Fusco
Good photographs from Paul. These are the first photos from which I was able to detect the brown color of the 2 outermost primary feathers, which help to age the bird. It is also the first evidence I have seen that the bird is finding and catching it's favored prey - small mouse/vole-sized mammals.
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