The Kites

"There is a trick to flying. The angels told me." 

He had smiled at my wide-eyed awe. 

"You need to forget everything you know as a human being. 

When you are human, you discover that there is great power in hating the earth. 

And it can almost make you fly. But it never will."
I had frowned, not quite understanding him. 

"So, what's the trick?"
"Love the sky.”
― Anne Fortier, Juliet

I call them "ghost birds" as they perch in their plumage of multi-soft grey and look out on the world through red/brown eyes from dark sockets. Sometimes you cannot see their eyes - only black holes. They have high-pitched calls...and can even be aggressive towards humans. I suspect that is if the nests are threatened. I've never been threatened - only awed.

There was a family in the park this summer, but I never saw more than five at a time.

Do you want to see the 50 Mississippi Kites flying over my house? texted my neighbor.

"I'm coming," I replied.

She lives about two blocks away and we have talked about and enjoyed watching the flight of kites in the neighborhood park in years past. Kites are so graceful. She knew I'd want to see them.

My head couldn't quite get around the idea of 50 Mississippi Kites in one place. What were they doing? Was it some kind of migratory event? How did they find each other? 

The smaller birds were acting "wiggy" - flying off in all directions - seemingly afraid. Kites are not after them, are they? I thought kites ate insects - grasshoppers and cicadas. We certainly have those in numbers, but birds? [Kites do, in fact, eat birds and small mammals. I should have known.]

Finally I saw a kite...then five...then 15, but not 50.

One Mississippi Kite

I looked for a clear spot to see more sky. 

Yes, I was the crazy lady in clothes spotted-with-clay-and-supper turning around and around in the park looking up at the sky (and taking photos). I turned again and gasped. There they were...30, 40, 50 kites all flying in and out of the group. It was like a cloud of kites moving over and then off to the west/northwest.

"Oh, my God!" I texted my friend. "Thanks!"

"It was magical! I'm glad you saw them. I knew you'd love it," she replied.

"I've got some bad photos," I said.

"But you have good memories," she countered.

Their flight is wonderful to watch.

I couldn't get a shot of the entire group.

So I stopped taking photos and counted. I stopped at 50.