ARCI is tracking twelve Swallow-tailed Kites with satellite
and GSM (cell phone) telemetry as they begin this journey. Five newly tagged kites
– two in Florida, one in South Carolina, and two in Louisiana tagged by our
project partner Dr. Jennifer Coulson – received their transmitters this past
summer.
This southbound half of their 10,000-mile migration cycle contributes
fascinating behavioral, geographic, and habitat data to ARCI’s long-term tracking
study of Swallow-tailed Kites. Palmetto, tagged in South Carolina in 2011, is beginning
her eighth trip as a tagged kite! Who knows how many migrations these birds
endured before they carried these sophisticated, solar-powered
transmitters?
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| A solar panel powers the battery in both the GSM (pictured) and satellite transmitters. |
The ultimate goal is to reach Brazil. To get there, most of
the tracked kites leave from the southern tip of Florida for the eastern shore
of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, passing over or near the western portion of Cuba.
The Swallow-tailed Kites from Louisiana usually follow the Gulf coast of Texas
into Mexico. Although we might think the over-water route would be far more dangerous,
22 years of remote tracking shows that both pathways are relatively safe. However,
weather and other unknown factors cause a few Swallow-tailed Kites to take different and sometimes riskier routes.
The birds usually linger for a short time in the bountiful
tropical forests of Mexico, Guatemala, or Belize before continuing southward. Unlike
other raptors, such as Red-shouldered Hawks and Bald Eagles, Swallow-tailed
Kites catch and eat their prey without missing a wingbeat. They pluck
dragonflies and beetles out of the air and swipe anoles and frogs from the
treetops, devouring everything without needing to land.
The whole southbound trip may take a Swallow-tailed Kite anywhere
from 8 weeks to 3 months. For the most part, they don’t rush. Instead they move at
a slow but persistent pace, feeding as hunger and food availability dictate
until reaching their wintering destinations. Unlike their northbound migration,
when mates and a short nesting season await them, their southbound journey
seems unhurried.
As of 13 August 2018, eight tracked Swallow-tailed Kites had started their migrations:
Okaloacoochee
(OK): Tagged in Collier County, Florida, in June 2018. OK was the
first tagged kite to start migrating south, crossing over the Florida Keys on 7
July. It safely reached the Yucatan Peninsula after crossing over the western
tip of Cuba and is currently in Panama.
Bayou Vincent: Tagged in 2018
in Louisiana by our project partner Dr. Jennifer Coulson, President and
Conservation Chair of Orleans Audubon Society. Bayou Vincent was second to show
migratory movements, but unexpectedly flew east through Florida, skirted Cuba,
and reached the Yucatan Peninsula on 28 July. Bayou Vincent is now in Belize.
Lacombe: Tagged in July 2015 by our project partner Dr. Jennifer Coulson. On
25 July, Lacombe left Louisiana just west of the Mississippi Delta and flew due
south for three straight days across the Gulf of Mexico. He spent a few days in
Guatemala and is now halfway through Honduras.
Babcock: Tagged in June 2017 at Babcock Ranch Wildlife Management Area in
Glades County, Florida. She chose a more traditional route and left peninsular
Florida on 28 July, crossed Cuba and reached the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico on
30 July. Babcock lingered there briefly and is now in Costa Rica.
Palmetto: Tagged in June 2011 at Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina. We have
followed her longer than any other Swallow-tailed Kite. Palmetto moved to
Georgia in July and on 4 August, decided it was time to fly south. She traveled
down peninsular Florida almost to the Florida Keys, but instead of continuing
towards Cuba, Palmetto was likely blown westward until she landed east of Mexico
City on 10 August.
Sarasota: Tagged in June 2017 at T. Mabry Carlton Preserve in Sarasota
County, Florida. Sarasota left North Port, Florida, on 3 August and headed
towards Cuba. He passed over the western coast of Cuba and is currently in
Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Sawgrass: Tagged in June 2016 at Sawgrass Lake Park in St. Petersburg,
Florida. She moved from her nesting area in St. Petersburg to South Carolina in
July where she remained until 6 August. Over the last week she has traveled
through Florida and is currently east of Havana, Cuba.
Wilson: Tagged in June 2017 at Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina. He is
currently still in that area.
JAX: Tagged in July 2018 in Jacksonville, Florida. JAX spent some time near Waycross, Georgia, in
July but left the area on 7 August. As of 13 August, JAX is near Marco Island,
Florida.
Apopka: In June 2017, Apopka was rehabilitated at the Avian Reconditioning Center (ARC) in Apopka, Florida, after a car collision and
received a transmitter before he was released. Apopka is still in Central
Florida.
Hobolochitto
Creek: Tagged in 2018 in
Louisiana by our project partner Dr. Jennifer Coulson. Hobolochitto has
recently moved west from near Picayune, Louisiana, to the Louisiana-Texas
border near DeRidder, Louisiana.
Pritchard: Tagged in July
2018. Pritchard likely nested very close to Palmetto and Wilson in Palmetto
Bluff, South Carolina, and is currently still in the area.
NOT PICTURED ON THE MAP:
MIA: No longer transmitting. MIA’s satellite transmitter quit as
he was making his way north through Central America last spring. Birders in
South Florida observed MIA nesting, business as usual, and this past June, ARCI’s
Gina Kent recaptured MIA and removed the non-working transmitter.
Refuge: Unknown fate. Last heard from in January 2018.
Panther: Unknown fate. Last heard from in February 2018.
Bogue Falaya: No longer transmitting. Bogue Falaya was tagged in May 2017
by Dr. Jennifer Coulson, who observed him since the transmitter quit and
confirmed is alive and well.
