White-tailed Kite!

[Dave]

I just saw a White-tailed Kite on the way home from work! When it caught my eye, it was hovering over the large grass field at the NE corner of Castleman and Chapman Road. Its wings/body postioning was enough to catch the eye! Some small black birds then starting pestering it and it flew northwest across Chapman Road, I turned around with my truck (trying to keep an eye on the bird) and lost sight of it somewhere around 10655 Chapman Road....

The bird was clearly a kite. Very white, and very dark wings near the body. I have seen quite a few White-tailed Kites in California, but this one seemed to be the most "white" of them all.

Now the bad news, I was looking sharp in my tie and dress pants, but did not have my camera or binos. If I would have had my camera, with the beautiful blue sky.....ya..........need I say more?

Dave

[Gord]

Nice work Dave and thanks for the call! Wish I could have popped out to see! Im really glad someone who has experience with kites got a look! Not that I doubted my dad's observational skills from the beginning, but this is just great!

I just got back from looking this morning. At home it was POURING heavy drops of rain which made me question the use, but out there the weather was ok. Nice area, much easier to see all around than where it (assuming it's the same bird, probably a safe assumption) was out in Greendale. I didnt see the kite but did see three red-tailed hawks and two bald eagles. On my way back there were 9 cinnamon teal in a pond on Chilliwack Central near Gibson. I saw three more further along just west of Prest.

Good stuff Dave!! Next time I hope to hear a report of a sharp dressed man with camera and binoculars running down the road after the next rarity...