A Crested Caracara Visits Kansas

A Crested Caracara perched in a dead tree yesterday morning in Coleman Township, Washington County, Kansas
On Monday evening a friend of mine told me he thought he'd seen a rare bird while working ground that afternoon on my Dad's farm in the western part of the county. He described the bird to me in great detail and immediately I thought it was likely a Crested Caracara. I went looking for it that evening but was unable to locate it. I returned yesterday morning and was successful in finding the bird about a half a mile east of it's location the previous day and I managed to get a few photos. There has never been a record of a Crested Caracara in Kansas so with this sighting the state checklist will likely have a new species added in the near future. This is apparently a very good area for rare birds, in September 2006 I found a Vermilion Flycatcher in the same section.