When MIA reached Cuba
after changing course to avoid headwinds over the Gulf, we assumed he would be
on his Miami nest territory within hours of resuming his flight. We were
wrong. The winds improved a bit as he
rested over land, from northwest to southeast, apparently encouraging him the
evening of 6 March to head back out over the ocean. However, this meant that,
instead of ending up in the Everglades within a few hours, he was carried west-northwestward,
missing the Keys and winding up back over the Gulf. Fortunately, he had enough
strength and just enough of a southerly component in the wind to reach the Delta
National Wildlife Refuge on 6 March, where the Mississippi River empties into
the Gulf of Mexico. MIA then turned northward, crossing Chandeleur Sound to
find refuge in a small, wooded area near Biloxi, Mississippi. Watching this
drama unfold makes it easy to understand why northbound migration is the most
dangerous time of the year for the Swallow-tailed Kites that nest in the United
States.
Watch MIA cross the Gulf of
Mexico in this short video:
To increase the resolution of the video, click the gear icon and select 1080p (HD).
On 26 February, MIA was
traveling through Nicaragua. Wasting no time in reaching the northeastern tip
of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, he immediately began to cross the Gulf of
Mexico. Interrupted by strong headwinds, MIA veered east to Cuba, taking a pit-stop necessary to wait for favorable crossing weather. But then, the winds
shifted, and favorable tailwinds enabled MIA to make it safely to Louisiana.
The remainder of the journey will be over land with plenty of resources along
the way.
