Re: mystery bird? kite? gull?

[Norman Budnitz <nbudnitz@duke.edu>]

We did have two Northern Harriers at the Butner Gamelands on the Durham 
(NC) CBC on Sunday, 12/15.  However, both birds were female/immature 
plumage, and quite different from what you describe.  A male Harrier is a 
possibility, but a Ring-billed Gull is MUCH more likely.  Wing shape and 
tail length would be helpful field marks to look for in a case like this.

By the way, a couple of years ago I described what I thought might have 
been a Mississippi Kite at the Gamelands on a Christmas count.  But I 
decided to withdraw the sighting since there have been NO winter records of 
this species in our area and our view of the bird was not adequate for 
certain identification.  Also, a few other birders who checked the area 
within the next few days saw no sign of a Kite.

Yours ever-hopefully,

Norm

At 01:14 PM 12/16/2002 -0500, you wrote:
> Carolina birders,
>
> I've recently joined this list serve and have enjoyed reading all your
> emails. I am hoping someone might have insight into a bird we saw
> yesterday in Granville County, NC, near Creedmore.
>
> We were driving along the country side, and unfortunately only got a
> couple of good, quick looks.  There was a bird soaring (not too high,
> maybe 80 ft?) over the farm land/fields (there may have been a pond or
> lake out of sight).  We saw it do a couple of turns, beat it's wings a
> few times and then drop out of sight behind some trees.  The bird was
> all white underneath with black on the ends of the wing.  It was about
> the size of a small, slender hawk/gull shape, and appeared to be hunting
> from the air.  This description fits a white-tailed kite, but from the
> investigating I've done, this would be pretty impossible.  I guess a
> lone gull???  We did see some gulls a few miles away in town.  Any
> thoughts?
>
>
> April Smyth
> Chapel Hill, NC
> acarrier@bios.unc.edu
***********************************************************
Norman Budnitz, nbudnitz@duke.edu
919-684-3592 (day), 919-383-0553 (eve), 919-660-7293 (fax)

(work) Biology Dept, Duke Univ, Box 90338, Durham NC 27708
(home) 4115 Garrett Drive, Durham NC 27705

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