Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Swallow-tailed Kite Migration: 21 Aug 2013

08/21/2013
 
An overview of all kites.



Palmetto remains on stopover in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, the largest protected area in the Mexican Caribbean.

After Pace made landfall on Cuba, he stayed for two days then continued his journey south at 10:00 a.m. on Aug 11th. For 5 hours he flew over the water until he reached the Yucatán Peninsula just 10 miles south of Cancún. Pace’s last recorded location shows he is now 50 miles north of the border of Belize.

Gulf Hammock is making her way through the Yucatán Peninsula.

After a week long stopover, Suwannee is on the move again. Heading south, she made her way slowly through Quintana Roo, hugged the eastern coast of Belize, and entered Guatemala via a 4hr over-water shortcut over the Amatique Bay on Aug 13th. She pressed onward through Honduras and is now just across the border into Nicaragua.

Day is also on the move again after spending 6 days in the southern part of Quintana Roo, Mexico. It looks like she and Suwannee may nearly have been travel partners for a few days as they departed Quintana Roo and moved south through Belize—they have very similar tracks and the same general locations on the same days from the 9th through the 14th of August. Their paths diverged in Honduras where Day has remained at the Sierra de Agalta National Park.

MIA is in Colombia and has approached the Andes Mountains. This is another treacherous part of the migration route. He is following their western edge and the last GPS fix shows he is holding over in the Tatamá National Park.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Swallow-tailed Kite Migration: 20 Aug 2013

08/20/2013
 
Gulf Hammock joins the journey south!



Gulf Hammock is our last Florida-tagged Swallow-tailed Kite to leave the US. She was the only kite to fly north (from Florida to Georgia) to stage for migration. She left her comfy corner of the Ocmulgee River in Georgia, where she spent a month and five days, and headed south where she stayed the night in the Steinhatchee Conservation Area in Lafayette County, Florida. The next night she roosted in the Green Swamp where Pace and Palmetto also stayed over. She spent her last sleeping hours in the U.S. in the Everglades just south of Chokoloskee, Florida. Setting up for departure, she followed the coastline and as the day’s light grew dimmer, she jumped off over Florida Bay from Cape Sable on August 13th. She spent most of the night over the Straits of Florida and made it to Cuba at around 4am. She didn’t stop, however, but continued to head out from the western tip of the Island on a 5 hour over-water trek to Cancun. Gulf Hammock has stopped in Quintana Roo, 30 miles NW of Tulum. Suwannee, Day, Palmetto and Pace are also in Quintana Roo.

Monday, August 19, 2013

Swallow-tailed Kite Migration: 19 Aug 2013

08/19/2013
 

Gulf Hammock has yet to leave Georgia. Any guesses as to when she will make her move south?

Pace stayed in Cuba after he made landfall on August 8th. He was still on the Guanahacabibes Peninsula on the morning of August 11th when his transmitter turned off.

There are 3 birds remaining on stopover in Quintana Roo, Mexico: Suwannee, Day and Palmetto.

MIA on the other hand has a plan to get to South America as soon as possible. He is in Panama about 20 miles from the Colombian border!

*We are trying to keep these updates as current as possible with the birds' actual movements. You will notice a lag right now but we will try to catch back up this week for you all!

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Swallow-tailed Kite Migration: 15 Aug 2013

08/15/2013
 
Palmetto has launched!

Another Swallow-tailed Kite makes its jump to the Yucatán. Palmetto left the Green Swamp in west central Florida and sailed off over the Gulf of Mexico in the early evening of August 7th. She launched from Pine Island in Lee County, Florida, significantly farther north than 4 of the tagged kites before her. She did not use Cuba as a stepping stone, but rather, flew a path over 500 miles of open water and did not make landfall until 29 hours after her Florida departure. In unfavorable winds, we have witnessed birds that were forced to stay on the wing for up to 3 days. Palmetto came ashore near Rio Lagartos, Mexico and at the time of her last fix for this map, she had flown inland and was nearing the border between the Mexican states of Yucatán and Quintana Roo.


Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Palmetto spotted in Georgia

08/14/2013
 
Our colleague, Todd Schneider, a wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, took some photos of an aggregation of about 50 Swallow-tailed Kites and 20 Mississippi Kites in late July in Long County, Georgia. When he reviewed his photos later on he noticed an antenna on one of the birds. He contacted us with the time and coordinates. Based on our tracking data, we were able to determine this was a photo of Palmetto, one of the Swallow-tailed Kites we are tracking by satellite.

This photo shows Palmetto on July 27th with the transmitter's antenna visible.


At the time of our last update, Palmetto was still staging in the Greeen Swamp in west central Florida.Photo credit: Todd Schneider

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Swallow-tailed Kite Migration: 13 Aug 2013

08/13/2013
 
Swallow-tailed Kite Migration Update: 08-13-13

Transmitter Technology and a Focus on the Kite, Pace

During each day, solar energy recharges the on-board batteries of the GPS-equipped satellite transmitters we use to track Swallow-tailed Kites (these devices are made by Microwave Telemetry, Inc.). The GPS receiver on the transmitter collects eight fixes at set times every 24 hours, mainly during daylight. For eight hours every other day, the transmitter uploads the GPS fixesto orbiting satellites. The satellites promptly re-transmit this encrypted information to a commercial facility on Earth, which then processes and sells the data to us (at over $3 per day per bird – you can do the math).

Since our last post, all of the kite transmitters except one were off and recharging so they could send their GPS data to the satellites the next time they turned on. However, one transmitter, carried by Pace from Jacksonville, Florida, did turn on and beam its valuable GPS file into space. This is why we knew during out last update on August 11th that he was flying southwest across Florida Bay.


We will use this opportunity to zoom in on Pace’s story (SEE ORANGE TRACK). He left his nesting area near Jacksonville, Florida, on July 27th and joined other kites in a foraging aggregation near Wildwood, Florida. Pace traveled 12 miles each day between this feeding site and his night roost until August 5th, when he headed south on the first leg of his migration. On August 7th at 3:00 p.m., he slipped off shore at Cape Sable, the southern tip of peninsular Florida. At this point, Pace was committed to crossing the Florida Straits through the night, sailing southwest by alternately gliding slowly downward, then circling to regain altitude. Within 24 hours, he made landfall on the Guanahacabibes Peninsula of extreme western Cuba. We’ll see if he spends the night there and leaves in the morning for Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, 125 more miles across open ocean. Fingers crossed for favorable winds!

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Swallow-tailed Kite Migration: 11 Aug 2013

08/11/2013
 
There are now three Swallow-tailed Kites that have departed the U.S. (Suwannee, Day and MIA) and three that remain (Palmetto, Gulf Hammock and Pace). It appears that Gulf Hammock, the only kite that flew north to stage for migration, will be the last bird to exit the country.


Palmetto (Female) - Tagged in Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina.
Palmetto has started her southbound migration. After leaving her South Carolina home, she made it to Gainesville, Florida, (She must have wanted to see us at ARCI!) where she stayed the night in a neighborhood to the northwest of town. She arose in the morning and continued south until she reached the Green Swamp where she stayed and roosted for the night. This is the same area Pace also stayed a night.

Pace (Male) - Tagged south of Jacksonville, Florida.
Pace has launched from the Florida mainland! After spending a night in the Green Swamp, then a night in Big Cypress National Preserve, he went offshore at Cape Sable, Florida. His radio has turned off to recharge and the last GPS fix we received from his transmitter showed he was over the water north of the Florida Keys.

Gulf Hammock (Female) - Tagged in Levy County, Florida.
Gulf Hammock is still on the Ocmulgee River south of Abbeville, Georgia. Unlike the other kites we are tracking, Gulf Hammock flew north (from Florida to Georgia) to stage for migration. This is the third year in a row she is using this pre-migration area.

Suwannee (Female) - Tagged at the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge.
Continues to stay at her stopover site in the Parque Nacional de Quintana Roo. She has been there since July 29th. This is classic stopover behavior similar to what Gina Kent found with her thesis work on the studies of the annual cycle of the Swallow-tailed Kite.

Day (Female) - Tagged in Daytona, Florida.
Day made it safely across the open water and reached Mexico! (At the time of our last post, her radio had turned off to recharge while she was still over the Straits of Florida, south of Marathon Key.) Her route out of the U.S. and to Mexico was very similar to Suwannee’s—she departed from Cape Sable, flew over Cuba and came onshore at the Yucatán Peninsula. She continued until she reached the same area near Tulum where Suwannee also remains on stopover.

MIA (Male) - Tagged in south Miami, Florida.
After moving quickly through Belize, Guatemala and Honduras, MIA arrived to Nicaragua and stayed for a short time. He is moving again. He left Nicaragua, and is now 13 miles west of Limón, Costa Rica.

Friday, August 9, 2013

Swallow-tailed Kite Migration: 09 Aug 2013

08/09/2013

We hope you all are enjoying these migration updates! We sure think it's fascinating stuff. Here's the latest whereabouts of the birds.


Palmetto (Female) - Tagged in Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina.
Still roosting along the Altamaha River in Georgia and congregating with other kites. She was photographed by Todd Schneider on July 29th with 50 other Swallow-tailed Kites and Mississippi Kites.

Pace (Male) - Tagged south of Jacksonville, Florida.
Pace has started his southbound trek. He left his pre-migration area and spent the night in the Green Swamp of Florida east of Dade City and Zephyrhills, Florida.

Gulf Hammock (Female) - Tagged in Levy County, Florida.
Unlike the other kites we are tracking, Gulf Hammock flew north to stage for migration. She traveled from Florida to Georgia and is still on the Ocmulgee River south of Abbeville, Georgia. This is the third year in a row she is using this pre-migration area.

Suwannee (Female) - Tagged at the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge.
Still in the Parque Nacional de Quintana Roo, Mèxico, where she has been for almost a week. This is classic stopover behavior similar to what Gina Kent found with her thesis work at Georgia Southern on the studies of the annual cycle of the Swallow-tailed Kite.

Day (Female) - Tagged in Daytona, Florida.
Day has left Florida to begin the first leg of her migration to South America. She spent the last night in the U.S. roosting in the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed in Collier County, Florida. When her radio turned off last, she was over the Straights of Florida south of Marathon Key. (These state-of-the-art GPS satellite transmitters have a solar-powered battery and are designed to turn off periodically to recharge.)

MIA (Male) - Tagged in south Miami, Florida.
After moving quickly through Belize, Guatemala and Honduras, MIA has slowed down and is staying put in Nicaragua.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Swallow-tailed Kite Migration: 08 Aug 2013

08/08/2013
 
We are currently tracking eight Swallow-tailed Kites during their southbound migration to wintering grounds in Brazil and Bolivia. Over the next few weeks we will be documenting six of the kites that were tagged in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.


Palmetto (Female) - Tagged in Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina.
Still joined with other Swallow-tailed Kites in foraging flocks near the Altamaha River in Georgia and was actually spotted by a local birder. He even managed to capture a photo of her! Photo coming soon.

Pace (Male) - Tagged south of Jacksonville, Florida.
Continues to spend his days fueling up in the Wildwood, Florida, area. This is the area at the intersection of I-75 and the Florida Turnpike where you can often see Swallow-tailed Kites overhead.

Gulf Hammock (Female) - Tagged in Levy County, Florida.
Departed her Florida nesting area on July 4th and headed north to her pre-migration staging area in Dodge County, Georgia, near the Ocmulgee River. This is the third year in a row she is using this pre-migration area.

Suwannee (Female) - Tagged at the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge.
After 18 hours of travel, she is still staging in Quintana Roo, Mèxico, near the town of Guanajay to rest and replenish her fat reserves.

Day (Female) - Tagged in Daytona, Florida.
Day is on the move. She has headed SW and spent the night in the Hillsboro River area.

MIA (Male) - Tagged in south Miami, Florida.MIA is moving strong and southbound. Unlike Suwannee, who is still staging in Quintana Roo to replenish her fat reserves, MIA has stopped only to sleep at night. He spent one night each in Mexico, Belize and Honduras and has already made it safely to Nicaragua.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Swallow-tailed Kite Migration: 07 Aug 2013

08/07/2013
 
We are currently tracking eight Swallow-tailed Kites during their southbound migration to wintering grounds in Brazil and Bolivia. Over the next few weeks we will document six of the kites which were tagged in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. 


Palmetto (Female) - Tagged in Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina.
Still joined with other Swallow-tailed Kites in foraging flocks near the Altamaha River in Georgia.

Pace (Male) - Tagged south of Jacksonville, Florida.
Continues to spend his days fueling up in the Wildwood, Florida, area. This is the area at the intersection of I-75 and the Florida Turnpike where you can often see Swallow-tailed Kites overhead.

Gulf Hammock (Female) - Tagged in Levy County, Florida.Departed her Florida nesting area on July 4th and headed north to her pre-migration staging area in Dodge County, Georgia, near the Ocmulgee River. This is the third year in a row she is using this pre-migration area.

Suwannee (Female) - Tagged at the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge.
Suwannee was our first kite to leave the U.S. this year. After leaving peninsular Florida she made her way across Cuba and continued southwest to Quintana Roo, Mexico. Eighteen hours after her Florida departure, she finally stopped near the town of Guanajay, Mexico to rest and replenish her fat reserves.

Day (Female) - Tagged in Daytona, Florida.Still near the St. Johns River and making daily feeding trips to the north shore of the Lake Apopka Restoration Area, where a large foraging aggregation of Swallow-tailed Kites forms every year.

MIA (Male) - Tagged in south Miami, Florida.
MIA, the city bird, has taken off suddenly. Unlike Suwannee, he skipped passing over Cuba and came ashore at the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on the Yucatán Peninsula. With a northerly tailwind, he continued all the way until he reached southern Belize.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Swallow-tailed Kite Migration: 06 Aug 2013

08/06/2013
 
We are currently tracking eight Swallow-tailed Kites as they begin their southbound migration to their wintering grounds in Brazil and Bolivia. Six of the kites are spread throughout South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. We will document these birds' movements over the next few weeks.


Palmetto (Female) - Tagged in Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina.
Has joined other Swallow-tailed Kites in foraging flocks near the Altamaha River in Georgia.

Pace (Male) - Tagged south of Jacksonville, Florida.
Spending his days fueling up in the Wildwood, Florida, area. This is the area at the intersection of I-75 and the Florida Turnpike where you can often see Swallow-tailed Kites overhead.

Gulf Hammock (Female) - Tagged in Levy County, Florida.
Departed her Florida nesting area on July 4th and headed north to her pre-migration staging area in Dodge County, Georgia, near the Ocmulgee River. This is the third year in a row she is using this pre-migration area.

Suwannee (Female) - Tagged at the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge.
Suwannee is our first kite to leave the U.S. this year. She started heading south on July 24th and spent that night on the Peace River near Fort Meade, Florida. She roosted the next night east of Wauchula, Florida, and her last night in the U.S. in the Picayune Strand State Forest in Big Cypress Swamp. On the afternoon of July 27th she left peninsular Florida through Cape Sable and crossed over the Florida Keys at Marathon on her way to Cuba.

Day (Female) - Tagged in Daytona, Florida.
Near the St. Johns River for the last two weeks. She makes daily feeding trips to the Lake Apopka Restoration Area, where a large foraging aggregation of Swallow-tailed Kites forms every year.

MIA (Male) - Tagged in south Miami, Florida.
MIA seems to be quite the city bird. He is finding food over golf courses, city parks and other treed urban areas from Kendall to Coral Gables, Florida.

Monday, August 5, 2013

Signal Lost

08/05/2013
 
Through June 2013, Croom continued to provide for his offspring by foraging out from his nest area east of Brooksville, Florida. On 2 July, he shifted his activity to an area three miles north, suggesting that the juvenile, which had been on the wing for a month, had become less dependent. This is a time when adults and their young gradually part and join other Swallow-tailed Kites in daily feeding aggregations and communal night roosts, all in preparation for their imminent southbound migration.   

On the night of 6 July 2013, 25 months and well over 25,000 miles of flight after being tagged, Croom’s satellite transmitter abruptly stopped providing data. ARCI biologists began searching for signs of his remains, the transmitter, or an encounter with a predator based on the last week of nighttime GPS fixes. They also looked closely at all the Swallow-tailed Kites they could find foraging in the broader area, but they did not see a kite carrying a transmitter. The crew also talked with local landowners where Croom had been roosting at night, but none had noticed any Swallow-tailed Kites in the previous week.  


There are several reasons why we might stop receiving transmissions from a bird we are tracking: a dead storage battery, premature transmitter failure, harness failure, a broken antenna, or mortality. The batteries in these solar-powered transmitters last over five years, and we have never recovered a Swallow-tailed Kite’s transmitter with evidence of harness failure or a damaged antenna. Complete transmitter failure has been extremely rare for these sophisticated devices and we have not confirmed one such case in the last 14 years.  

We can never be certain of what happened when we fail to find physical evidence following the loss of a bird’s signal, but in this case we believe the most likely cause was predation. There is substantial evidence from our studies and those of Dr. Jennifer Coulson in Louisiana that Swallow-tailed Kites — adults, nestlings, and fledged young — are vulnerable to attacks by Great Horned Owls while on their nests (e.g., incubating or brooding females; unattended young about to fledge) and in night roosts. In 2011, we began a companion project to our kite research to learn more about Great Horn Owl ecology and the factors that might reduce or aggravate the kites’ vulnerability to this powerful predator, which seems to be increasing in number in our study areas.

It always comes as bad news when we lose a marked bird. We certainly considered this when we chose to showcase the day-to-day life and movements of a single Swallow-tailed Kite. On the other hand, the goal of our research is to identify the factors that limit bird populations and, especially, how we humans can reduce the ways in which we compound these natural challenges with our own impacts on the earth. Every marked bird of every species we have tracked has provided remarkable insights vital to conservation — new knowledge from every single one. We remember this each time we accept the privilege of attaching a transmitter to a bird.  Sharing their stories with you is one way we can thank them for their contributions.  

ARCI continues to track eight other Swallow-tailed Kites tagged in 2011 and 2012 in South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana. We will begin positing updates on their movements as the migration season unfolds.