Swallow-tailed Kite. Photo by A. Kent
PBC-ERM Male, a GPS-tracked Swallow-tailed Kite from Palm Beach County, Florida, made it safely across the Gulf of Mexico! Arriving on Quintana Roo, Mexico on 16 August, this kite spent 3 days in Mexico before continuing his migration. Because his transmitter is reaching the end of its life, we have started getting sporadic data uploads from him. Case in point, locations between Honduras and Panama seem to cut across open water, whereas it is more likely that, during the ten days between fixes, he actually was following a track similar to that of Jeaga #1.
Jeaga #1, a female kite also tagged on lands managed by Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management (ERM), has picked up her pace and has now passed through Central America. She too has crossed into Colombia.
The next big migratory hurdle for these two Swallow-tailed Kites is crossing the Andes Mountains, a high, cold, and prey-limited passage.
We are grateful to our partnership with Palm Beach County’s Department of Environmental Resources Management (ERM) and the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society, in conjunction with long-time Zoo sponsor Florida Power & Light Company, who generously provided funding for the solar-powered GSM-GPS transmitters that are providing the amazing data as part of this vital conservation effort.
Where do I report a sighting? I have spotted 3 or 4 in Jacksonville, Texas. They have been hanging around in the neighborhood I currently live in for at least 2 months.
Hi Catie,
Thanks for your reply. Our sightings form is found under the “Get Involved” tab. Here’s the link: https://www.arcinst.org/report-sightings/
Cool Gina does it look like these were part of the large push that went past the Florida Keys Hawkwatch on September 4th & 5th? It looks as though they tracked through the Keys but not sure if they stayed over land and shot straight across FL Bay. That part of their track is JUST off this map.
Hi Jeff! We did not get the track across the Gulf for PBC-ERM male (data upload issue with older transmitter). The track for Jeaga#1 cruised right over the Florida Keys entirely and cut between Key West and the Marquesas on her way to Mexico. Both birds took off from FL in mid-August. We do see some similar pushes of our tracked birds on the dates the Hawkwatch was counting high numbers of kites! We are preparing a blog to wrap our tracking data with Florida Keys Hawkwatch counts as we speak! More soon.