Mississippi Kite

On my way home this afternoon, I watched a Mississippi Kite soaring.  The bird was just a few feet above the trees and his swoops and glides were so beautiful and graceful; it made me wish I could fly.  I understand why people have tried to imitate birds (one of the things I love about Leonardo da Vinci).  I've seen Mississippi Kites soaring  and sitting in the trees in Audubon Park in New Orleans.  They are in the same family as hawks, but they have thinner wings (like a falcon) and are sometimes seen in small groups VERY high in the sky.  I heard a bird whistling while running at 5:30 one morning and searched until I found it--it was a Mississippi kite sitting in a very tall tree and it didn't sound like any hawk I'd ever heard.