Swallow-tailed Kites, A New Chapter: Update

As our blog reported in the April News Brief, Friends is planning to help outfit a third Lower Suwannee Swallow-tailed Kite with a tracker to follow its migration between the bird’s nesting area on the Refuge and its wintering grounds in Brazil.

Swallow-tailed Kite with tracker

Coming in for a feeding

Scientists Gina Kent and Dr. Ken Meyer placing a tracker on a Kite

The time to capture a bird and fit it with a tracker is upon us. Audubon magazine published a story about the process when the first bird was captured on our Refuge in 2019.

Recently, Friends’ president Ron Kamzelski accompanied Senior Conservation Scientist Gina Kent from Avian Researcher and Conservation Institute in Gainesville on a couple of scouting trips to locate areas where a successful capture would be likely. The attempt will happen soon. It will be important to have the tracker working as the bird is preparing for migration in order to provide data about which sections of the Refuge and surrounding areas are used by the birds as they feed for the trip.
 
We will post again soon to keep you informed.