Related to my last post, I have to mention another bird that elicits hugs -- the Swallow-tailed Kite. For me, they are the most mesmerizing bird in flight….perfectly graceful. On the 6th of May 1993, I witnessed one ‘float’ past the Sandy Hook Hawk Watch in New Jersey and out over the bay towards Long Island, New York…a celebrated bird in NJ. As the bird disappeared into the distance, I turned to the only other person (Linda, since forgot her last name) watching with me that day, and she already had her arms open for a hug! I saw Linda 10 years later while I was counting hawks at Cape May, and the first thing she said was "remember that Swallow-tailed Kite?" Over 17 years later, I can still picture that bird approaching with its beautifully long, tapered, droopy wings, and a tail that appeared as 2 ‘streamers’ trailing behind it. Even more memorable was its effortless, buoyant flight as it never once flapped or wavered on its way north.