The Avian Research and Conservation Institute (ARCI) is currently tracking 10 Swallow-tailed Kites outfitted with GPS-equipped GSM (cellular system) transmitters through their annual migration. These kites are making way back to their breeding locations in the Southeastern US.
Even without the changes humans have imposed on landscapes and climate conditions, bird migration is dangerous and unpredictable. These risks are exacerbated by ongoing shifts in climate conditions and agricultural practices, continually forcing migratory birds to alter where and what they eat, where they sleep, and the routes they follow. As we track the progress of our tagged Swallow-tailed Kites throughout their lives, as we have for over 22 years, such changes are at the forefront of our minds.
Below are the locations of our GPS-tracked birds as of today, 3 March 2021:
Swallow-tailed Kite PBC-ERM Male, the first to start its northbound migration, is now in Panama, the farthest north of all the kites we are tracking.
Prichard, a male Swallow-tailed Kite from Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina, is 600 miles south of PBC-ERM Male in Colombia. He will soon have to cross the high and cold Andes Mountains.
Ponchitolawa, tagged by our colleague Dr. Jennifer Coulson in Louisiana, just reached southern Colombia. Vast expanses of rainforest should be providing adequate food for him along the way.
Sawgrass, from Pinellas County, Florida, has taken a slight western track into northern Bolivia.
Jeaga #1, from Palm Beach County, Florida, has slowed down for the last few weeks while moving through the state of Rondônia, Brazil. She had spent time in this area in December 2020, and it appears that she has found sufficient resources to linger there once again.
Suwannee’s last location was northwest of Cuiabá in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, in January. We received a brief data upload this week indicating that the battery was too low to produce a location. The transmitter could be temporarily covered with some feathers or experiencing extended periods of cloudy weather.
Apopka was in the state of Rondônia, Brazil, in late January. We hope to get data uploads once he starts back to Florida.
Three other kites have been out of cell range for months; Sarasota last uploaded data from Acre, Brazil, and both Sanibel South and Jeaga #2 last checked in from Colombia.
Of course, as amazing as this remote tracking technology is, it remains imperfect. The timing of cellular-data uploads from kites on their winter range and during migration can be spotty due to a lack of cell coverage in remote areas. We sometimes go months without receiving data uploads, having to wait patiently for the birds to move within cell-tower range and upload GPS locations collected since the bird’s last transmission.
Wishing a safe migration to all Swallow-tailed Kites!
Audubon Center for Birds of Prey
bioGraphic
Caloosa Bird Club
Clearwater Audubon Society
CROW – Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife, Inc.
Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge
Friends of Palmetto Bluff Conservancy
Friends of the Carlton Reserve
Friends of the Florida Panther Refuge
Friends of the Lower Suwannee & Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuges
Halifax River Audubon
Jacksonville Zoo and Garden
Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge
National Audubon Society
Oklawaha Valley Audubon Society
Orange Audubon Society
Orleans Audubon Society
Palm Beach County Department of Environmental Resources Management
Palm Beach Zoo and Conservation Society
Palmetto Bluff Conservancy
Peace River Audubon Society
Sanibel-Captiva Audubon Society
Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation SCCF
Sarasota Audubon Society
Seminole Audubon Society
St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park
St. Petersburg Audubon Society
Sunrise Wildlife Rehabilitation
The Avian Reconditioning Center for Birds of Prey
Venice Area Audubon Society
West Volusia Audubon
Many Swallow-tailed Kites arrived in Pasco County FL today.
Many Swallow-tailed Kites arrived back in Pasco County Fl today.
Saw the first one of this year today (3/8/21) in the Arlingwood section of Jacksonville Florida!
The first S T Kite I saw this year was on Feb. 25. I observed it from the intersection of Marshall St. and Phillipe Pkwy. It was soaring south of Phillipe Co. Park between North Bayshore and Phillipe Pkwy. On March 6, one was soaring over an area on the west end of Marshal St. over the Harborside Church property. Joe Z and I were watching a Short tailed Hawk nest, female on nest and male perched, and then active nearby.
Saw the first 2 of the year fly over our home in Sanford Fl. on March 8th around 4pm. Near 25th Street and 17/92. They roosted overnight in an old dead pine on adjacent property. Hung around for about two day and have not been seen since.
Still waiting! St John’s County.
Spotted one near the Panama Costa Rica border at the 3000 foot elevation. Saw one here around the same time last year.
That is so exciting!