Scott Barnes reported the following to mocosocoBirds a short time ago: John Macaluso “gave a very credible description of a Swallow-tailed Kite he saw over his house in Chester on Saturday Aug 3. The bird was soaring near the intersection of Pleasant Hill Rd and Reger Rd.” As Scott says: “Who knows, with all the dragonflies that must be present around the Black River, maybe there’s an off-chance the bird is sticking around somewhere nearby”.

This represents only the second Swallow-tailed Kite in Morris Co. since 1887(!) according to NJBRC accepted records. One of the last reviewable Swallow-tailed Kites was seen and photographed in the Great Swamp, May, 2011. As of January 1, 2012 Swallow-tailed Kite is no longer a reviewable species in New Jersey.