Greetings --

Thanks for the responses to my query on the status of White-tailed
Kite in western Washington. The replies all came to my address, not
Tweeters, so here's a compilation.

Scott Atkinson wrote me:

Others will probably comment in greater detail than I but I can say
that there is prior breeding recorded in Washington. I remember that
in the early 1980s (1981 if memory serves) there was the first
recorded nesting, at Leadbetter Point in Pacific County. When I
passed through in September, a family of five was still present. I'm
not sure if they've nested, but birds were regularly reported,
sometimes several at a time, at the Raymond Airport and in the
Chehalis area, although I don't recall any recent reports.

Other reports have been from various lowland prairie/pasture habitat
from the (Oregon) state line up to your area in Thurston County and
Nisqually. And although very rare, there are records north of you as
well: there was a bird in Sequim for several weeks (July - Aug I
believe), and for certain I can tell you Skagit County has four
records, three documented well, the occurrences all during migration
(early April, late October). I don't know about Snohomish County but
I recall at least a couple King County records (one in particular
from Tukwila in winter, another from the Kent Valley. I'd say you are
in the northernmost area of regular (or semiregular) occurrence,
north of you the bird is very rare or casual. And then the Canadians
have a few (less than five?) records for the Vancouver area.

Michelle Blanchard wrote me:

In 1999, a pair of White-tailed Kites bred successfully (raising at
least two young) on Glacial Heritage, a preserve about five miles
south by road from Mima Mounds. I didn't see any last year, nor have
I seen any this year, but that's due to lack of time to bird. You
most likely did see a White-tailed Kite. I'm glad you reported it, as
I thought I saw one yesterday, (Sunday 8 July) but since I didn't
have my nocs on, I wrote it off as a seagull. (I live on the northern
border of Glacial Heritage).

Roger L. Orness wrote me:

Sounds like you may have seen one of the first reported WTKI
fledglings this season. They are indeed breeding in southwest
Washington. I have observed juveniles at the Centralia steam plant
for 3 years in a row now. Last year I watched 4 carbon copy juveniles
down on Puget Island most of the fall. There is a record of breeding
at Glacial Heritage, which is on the mounds. I know of several other
candidate prairies, where I've seen new fledglings. So what part of
the prairie were you on? I was just thinking this morning when I
should get down there to look around for evidence of breeding. If you
keep returning to that same area, there is a good chance you will see
it again, along with a sibling or 2, or 3. The adults will be close
by too, and they will be feeding the young for a couple more months.
Great sighting.

I recorded these notes at the time: head white to light gray with a
black eye stripe or smudge; wings slender with outer 1/3 to 1/2 dark
or black, and a dark or black wrist patch; tail bright white; back
dark (grey?); breast with pale red color; belly white.

So I guess I'm going to call it good.

Thanks, Doug

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Douglas Canning
Olympia, Washington
dcanning at nisquallyestuary.org
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