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.
