Our researcher friend, Dr. Gina Kent, at Avian Research and Conservation Institute reports that we have heard from Suwannee. His transmitter is still working. Hooray!

In response to a question after we last posted about Suwannee in July, Gina tells us that these birds fly about 18-25 mph in a straight-line, migratory-type flight. They are, however, greatly influenced by both head winds or tail winds.

Deputy Manager Larry Woodward captured our favorite Swallow-tailed kite Suwannee, and his tracker, as Suwannee foraged with a large group of other kites over agricultural fields adjacent to the Lower Suwannee Refuge.  Gina Kent from the Avian Research and Conservation Institute (ARCI) checked the signals from his tracker and confirmed both that it is still working and that he has been in these fields. She sent the map below to show where he has been. Although his battery is still transmitting, it has outlived its time and is expected to fail any day. We hope to be able to fund a new tracker for another bird in the future. Donations are welcome and can be made on Friends website.