On 13 March, Panther had flown as far north as she could before crossing the Gulf of Mexico. She hovered on the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, faced with strong headwinds produced by the …
When no news is bad news
We’ve come to grips with the fact that we are no longer getting satellite data from Bullfrog, a female Swallow-tailed Kite tagged in June 2015 in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. On 8 March 2017, …
Closing the gaps
We have never seen a Swallow-tailed Kite do what MIA just did to reach his nesting area. After watching him seek refuge on Cuba during strong mid-Gulf headwinds, only to embark on a startling trip …
In the spotlight: MIA
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 …
Two Sighs of Relief
We last heard from Pantheron 26 January – nearly 40 days ago. The weeks went by and we remained hopeful, but the kites face challenges and risks on their winter and migration ranges. To our …
This most dangerous time of year
It seems that traversing the Andes Mountains lights a fire in northbound Swallow-tailed Kites. In just 8 days after this daunting crossing in southwestern Colombia, South America, MIA covered over …
A new leader, a risky passage
GPS-tracking data for six Swallow-tailed Kites showing their locations as of 21 February 2017. The Andes Mountains, the longest continental range in the world, actually consist of three distinct …
5,000 miles home
All six of our satellite-tracked Swallow-tailed Kites have left their South American winter ranges on their migration back to the breeding range in the southeastern U.S. This map will give you a …