![]() ![]() We drove in, found a place to park at a trailhead near the side of the road and asked two passing hikers for quick directions to the campsite area. A fair amount of the 2000 acre property is designated for small campsites, and the kites were said to be visible from one of them in particular. Neither Ivan nor I had ever seen one in New Jersey, let alone more than a dozen, so we weren't going to let this opportunity pass us by.īelleplain is situated midway between the Atlantic and Delaware bayshores in upper Cape May County, in the lower range of the Pinelands. Not just one Mississippi kite made it up here for the feast: as many as 15 at a time have been spotted roosting in a dead tree along Lake Nummy. We could only hope that word would get out on the kite network, and much as seafood enthusiasts head to shellfish festivals, these raptors would zoom up to the Garden State for a once-in-a-lifetime gustatory event.Īnd, indeed, it didn't take long before an observant birder announced a sighting at Belleplain State Forest in Cape May County. ![]() In any case, a handful of accidental visitors would be no match for the millions of cicadas emerging from their long slumber in the soils of New Jersey. They generally spend all their time south of the state, and though Mississippi kites have been making a very slow progression northward, it's still a big treat to find breeding pairs here. Only thing is, neither is an abundant visitor to New Jersey. When several of my naturalist Facebook friends started posting their cicada sightings and observations, I asked the question, "Which birds feast on cicadas?" One particularly enthusiastic friend practically shouted, "Kites!" The smallish (14 inches from bill tip to end of tail feathers) Mississippi kite and his larger (22 inch long) swallow-tailed cousin survive on dragonflies and cicadas they capture midair. I know all that, but I just don't like 'em. And I know I should probably be thrilled by the otherworldly spaceship-kinda sound that indicates their presence in a stand of trees. ![]() I know I should marvel at the recent brood, which has emerged from the ground after a 17 year wait. As a nature lover, I know I should appreciate them. ![]()
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