Although Swallow-tailed Kite
is a rarity almost anywhere in NC, and especially in and around the mountains,
there is one nearby spot where they are almost regular – the eBird hotspot
called Irma’s Produce Fields in McDowell County. Based on eBird data the peak times there for Swallow-tails
are in late July and August. And the
Swallow-tails are typically accompanied by multiple Mississippi’s. Though Swallow-tails aren’t seen at Irma’s
every year – for instance there were multiple Swallow-tail sightings there in
2019 but none in 2017 or 2018.
This year there was an early
report of a Swallow-tail in the area in mid-July, but still none at the Produce
Fields hotspot as of later in the month.
So with little else to do during the summer birding doldrums, I decided
to make a trip to the spot to at least check it out. And who knows, maybe I’d even get lucky and
spot one. Most of the 50-minute route to
Irma’s was a pleasant drive through the mountains, ending with a short ride across
a floodplain that featured Irma’s farming complex. Irma’s fields cover about 75 acres, with
Parker Padgett Road cutting through the western part of the fields, and then passing
along the southern edge of the eastern portions. Ordinarily you would think that with that
route the road would provide good access, but it turned out that the road is
very narrow with next to no shoulders. Luckily,
I found a wider pullout roughly in the middle of the complex that seemed like a
good central spot for viewing. And just
after I parked there some workers drove by without kicking me out – so I assumed
the spot was sufficiently out of the way.
I ended up spending about an
hour there at the pullout in the midday looking for Kites, but without
success. Though I did see a lot of
vultures and a few other raptors. Most
interesting was a distant Osprey that made me briefly think I might have my
target bird given its black-and-white coloration below. I had originally thought I might stay longer
but the hot sun and humidity were really rough on me. Then again, the hot temperatures made for
some good thermals for the raptors.
Then just a couple days later,
on August 1, came a report of a Swallow-tailed Kite at Irma’s. So of course it was time to head back to
Irma’s to give it a try. But the
sighting was from mid-afternoon - the hottest part of the day, undoubtedly providing
the best thermals for a Kite to soar on.
After my last experience “wilting” in the sun and humidity, I wasn’t
sure I would want to go there in the afternoon.
So I decided to give it a try in the late morning, hoping that it might
be the sweet spot of cooler times for me, though still warm enough to provide some
thermals for the Swallow-tail.
The morning of the 2nd was
another sunny and warm time in the mountains, so I stuck with my late morning
plan. I arrived at Irma’s fields around
10:30 and went right to the pulloff I had discovered on my earlier trip. As I was pulling in, I spotted a bird soaring
overhead. Even though I was looking
through the windshield without binoculars I could see I had my target
Swallow-tailed Kite. I watched the bird
for the next 20 minutes flying over the fields, often feeding on dragonflies,
cicadas and other large insects flying by.
It’s really fascinating to watch Kites catch their prey and then eat them
while still holding on to the insects with their feet – all while the birds are
soaring overhead.
Swallow-tailed Kite was
number 304 for my NC statelist. In my
statebird map below, NC is the second state after RI where I’ve seen this
species as a rarity (both shaded in brown).
The 6 blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen it in its regular
range. That leaves me with just AL as
the last state in its regular range (cross-hatched) where I’ve yet to catch up
with one.
And now a postscript: A couple weeks later a Swallow-tailed Kite
showed up at fields in my home county of Henderson, providing me excellent
views on a couple trips. I guess I
didn’t need to head to Irma’s after all.
Here’s a phonescoped photo of the perched bird in the distance.
