Have you seen a Swallow-tailed Kite in the Southeastern US yet? You will soon. The flood gates have opened, and they are pouring up across the Gulf of Mexico.
Six GPS-tracked Swallow-tailed Kites tagged by ARCI have JUST returned to the US and are making their way to their former breeding grounds.
The first to arrive was Lucky Lox on March 3rd after a slow, yet direct route to St. Petersburg, FL. She made her way across the Peninsula to Palm Beach County two days later. Sanibel Botanical and Suwannee 22 arrived in the Florida Panhandle on 4 March. Sanibel Botanical is making her way slowly down the Florida Peninsula to the island of Sanibel, in Lee County.
Cypress reached Pinellas County FL on 6 March after a couple of days circling over the Gulf. She made her way to the breeding grounds in Palm Beach County just two days after Luckey Lox.
On 9 March, Snuffbox Canal from Georgia, landed on the Panhandle of Florida near Pensacola and has made his way back to his nesting location in McIntosh County.
The most recent arrival was Cinco, tagged last year at the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge. Cinco arrived on 10 March almost directly into South Florida near her previous nesting area.
The next wave of Swallow-tailed Kites to cross the Gulf of Mexico are close behind. Abita Flatwoods tagged in Louisiana by Dr. Jennifer Coulson of Orleans Audubon Society, is on the northeastern Yucatan. Joining her is Peter’s Creek from South Carolina.
Belle River from Louisiana is moving through Honduras, while Lox 22 from Palm Beach County, Florida is streaming through Costa Rica, and Simmon’s Creek from South Carolina, is moving through the Colombian Amazon.
We are waiting on additional GPS-tagged Swallow-tailed Kites that are going through long stretches of undeveloped land and ocean without connection to the cellular network. They are storing their location data so when they do make a connection, they can upload their tracking history. Safe travels Swallow-tailed Kites!
If you see Swallow-tailed Kite nesting behavior, you can help ARCI by reporting and observing your nesting kites through the breeding season. Follow our Eyes on Kites program here: https://www.arcinst.org/eyes-on-kites/
All banding, marking, and sampling is being conducted under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey’s BBL.
This work would not be possible without our dedicated supporters and collaborators. For our current 11 GPS-tracked Swallow-tailed Kites we thank:
American Bird Conservancy (ABC)
Forest Investment Associates (FIA)
Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge
Friends of the Lower Suwannee & Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuges
Friends of the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge
Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge
Palm Beach County Department of Environmental Resources Management
Palm Beach Zoo and Conservation Society
Resource Management Service (RMS)
Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation SCCF
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