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THE CONNECTICUT WARBLER A Journal of Connecticut Ornithology Volume 31 No. 1 January 2011 Pages 1-36 The Connecticut Warbler A Journal of Connecticut Ornithology Volume 31, Number 1 January 2011 CONTENTS 1 Connecticut’s First White-Tailed Kite Scott Kruitbosch 15 Reflections on My Big Year James M. Dugan 21 Books on Birds Alan Brush 23 Notes on Behavior Status and Distribution Greg Hanisek 24 Connecticut Field Notes Greg Hanisek 34 Photo Challenge Mark Szantyr ON THE COVER White-Tailed Kite Mark Szantyr captured the aerial mastery of the White- tailed Kite, which must rank as one of the most char- ismatic avian visitors ever hosted by Connecticut. The combination of first state record status and a meticu- lously documented 71-day stay earned this bird celebrity status. Beauty didn’t hurt either. CONNECTICUT’S FIRST WHITE-TAILED KITE By Scott Kruitbosch Dennis Varza discovered Connecticut’s first White-tailed Kite from Short Beach in Stratford as it flew around Stratford Point around 8 a.m. on August 1, 2010. He was watching for shorebirds as the tide went out and noticed Common Terns attacking what he determined to be a White-tailed Kite near the tip of Stratford Point. Dennis got word out to the pub- lic on the COA’s CT Birds email list around an hour later. I woke up after he sent out that first email, having slept in a bit on the beautiful Sunday morning. I had been planning to go to Stratford Point later in the morning to conduct my usual survey on the Connecticut Audubon Society-managed prop- erty, but Dennis’ email made me hurry out the door. Charles Barnard Jr. called me about it as I threw on some clothes and grabbed my gear. He was heading out to check for it as fast as possible. Charlie beat me there, and when I drove up the driveway at Stratford Point, he excitedly waved at me, point- ing out the White-tailed Kite as it soared over the coastal grasslands. As we stared in awe and tried to make 100% sure of the iden- tification, Charlie astutely told me to grab my camera and take record shots in case it flew off. I ran after the kite as it landed in a tree, getting some shots of it as it looked over its shoulder at me, not realizing at the time I was taking the first photos of the species in New England, let alone Connecticut. The only previous sighting in New England was of one bird at Martha’s Vineyard on May 30, 1910. Charlie and I got out our phones and started calling every birder we knew while I opened the gate to the property for the masses of visitors that would be rushing to Stratford before this mega-rarity de- parted. Little did we know that the White-tailed Kite would remain here until October 10 to the delight of thousands of visitors from all over the continent – and little did I know that I would spend hundreds of hours with this spectacular raptor, learning a great deal about this vagrant of the species. The Connecticut Warbler, Vol. 31 No.1, January 2011 1 2 KRUITBOSCH The White-tailed Kite’s first day in Stratford was a unique one. I, along with several others, had been to Stratford Point the previous day, so we are certain August 1 was at the very least the first full day it was present. The kite hunted for the entire day, as it was obviously very hungry after a long journey from an unknown origin, though without any suc- cess until the evening. It allowed crowds of people physi- cally closer than any subsequent day as it spent a great deal of time kiting and hovering, occasionally perching in a small sapling near the beach or at the top of other trees. During extensive observation on the first day, it was discovered that the kite’s two outermost primary feathers were worn and brown, indicating it was undergoing molt. This molt, a process that encompassed most of the time the kite was here, replaced primaries, secondaries, and tail feathers. Its completion may have been a factor in enabling it to depart in October. Most of the general opinion from those who had seen White-tailed Kites before was that this raptor was on the larger side of the spectrum for the species, thus supposing it was female. However, since they are monomorphic in ap- pearance and the bird was never in hand, the sex was never determined. Even though it spent most of the day in front of the ecstatic crowds at Stratford Point, the kite took a few excursions as it explored its new “home” region, hunting at the old dump next to Short Beach, flying up the Housatonic River, and going to the Stratford Great Meadows Important Bird Area, where it was seen near Frash Pond and Sikorsky Airport. In the next few days, it would add Milford Point to the list of places it would frequent, and these locations de- fined its territory during the entire 71-day stay. However, Stratford Point remained the White-tailed Kite’s primary area, as it depended on the unique coastal grass- lands habitat for the vast majority of its prey. I was told repeatedly by visitors who had been to the Texas coast that its home at the mouth of the Housatonic, with coastal grass- lands, marshes and beaches, very much resembled the kite habitat there. It quickly developed a reliable daily schedule, feeding on likely two or three prey items just after sunrise, roosting for much of the day, especially on the hotter days WHITE-TAILED KITE 3 Bruce Finnan photo The White-tailed Kite was a powerful flier. in August, and feeding normally once, occasionally twice, and rarely even more in the late afternoon and evening. It took most of its kills to either the telephone poles at Stratford Point (in the mornings usually) or a juniper tree in the grass- lands near the western edge of the property (most often in the evenings), and occasionally its favorite deciduous perch tree on Stratford Point property. When these spots were not available due to human activity or other disturbances nearby it would often bring prey to the Stratford Point beach to eat on the sand. On August 3, an anomalous day during its first week present, it hopped between the sandbars at Milford Point from around 9 a.m. to 5:20 p.m., progressively moving west while eventually catching, mantling and eating some type of prey during the mid-afternoon. Given that there were no rodents out on these sandbars, it was suspected this was a bird, and likely a shorebird. Beyond that, it was impossible to determine the species; the best guess was a Ruddy Turn- The Connecticut Warbler, Vol. 31 No.1, January 2011 4 KRUITBOSCH stone. Apart from this incident all other known kills made by the raptor consisted of vole, rat or mouse. I would approxi- mate their frequency at 80%, 13% and 7%, respectively. Grasslands filled with voles The coastal grasslands of Stratford Point are filled with voles, and the raptor would hover or kite over that habitat at least 98% of the mornings and 90% of the evenings for its meals. No other forms of hunting were seen in Stratford. It especially preferred the area in front of the main building on the Long Island Sound side of the property, as these grasses were a bit shorter than the rest of the property and featured a more abundant rodent population. It would hover above the ground in one place for anywhere from five seconds to a few minutes at a time, especially if it had prey in sight. The average time was likely about 30 to 40 seconds, often longer when strong winds helped to hold it aloft right along the shoreline. This would be at a height of anywhere from ap- proximately 15 to 50 feet on most occasions, with an average starting point of around 25, with no identifiable reason for the variance in altitude. The only minor correlation I noted was in poor weather (such as rain or cooler than usual tem- peratures), as the kite would stay closer to the ground, often finding prey faster, eating it more quickly, and leaving the area to roost for the night earlier than usual. These conditions also often meant it would take more than one prey item in the evening, too. What was particularly fascinating is how it would target rats when it had not eaten its normal amount in the morning or if the weather was poor. The kite would fly over to the revetment wall that goes around most of Strat- ford Point, knowing that the very large rats living in its rocks that would provide a considerably heftier meal. Instead of hunting over the grasslands, it would hover directly over the rocks and capture the prey in its typical manner, often eating at the site of the kill. The kite would allow its legs to dangle while staring down and around, shooting its eyes all over the grasslands and towards birds or people surrounding it. It would often drop WHITE-TAILED KITE 5 down in its hover, say from 25 feet to 15 feet, pulling up as prey moved about below. It would point its wings up and head down, diving talons-first to snatch prey, coming up im- mediately if it was unsuccessful but remaining on the ground for a few seconds to finish off or better position the kill when it succeeded before flying low to the ground to a perch.

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