They're Back!

We had heard the swallowtails (the American Swallowtail Kite Elanoides forficatus) were back, but these photographed last Monday on the refuge were our first of the year. We saw four, but they steadfastly refused to pose together for a picture. And regrettably, images made against the background of the sky offer no clues that these are birds with four-foot wingspans.


It is always a thrill to see these remarkable birds for the first time in the season, and almost as thrilling to see them the second, third, fourth, etc. times.