Michael Hill holding one of the young Kites
What an adventure I had June 23 on Leon County’s Lake Munson! Juli deGrummond, an intrepid birder who loves listening to Limpkins, was watching them nesting and eating the uncountable non-native, invasive Apple Snails. In April, she espied a couple of Snail Kites (SNKI) frolicking among the cypress trees and also enjoying the Apple Snail buffet. Before long, the SNKI nested and raised three young. This marks the first nesting SNKI in Leon County and the northernmost successful nesting effort. Previously, it was determined that the adult male had been banded and lived on Paynes Prairie. Not sure where the adult female came from.
On June 23, as a retired Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Project Manager, I invited myself to ride along on the FWC airboat and assisted in banding the three young Kites. A team from Gainesville, Caroline Poli—a FWC ornithologist and Lara Elmquist—a University of Florida raptor and SNKI expert, came to band and install GPS locator beacons on two of the young. These two kites now have their own cellular phone number and can be tracked any time of day! Not satellite, not radio, but phone!
Enjoy the following photos that I took that day.
Caroline Poli (who trains at a rock climbing gym) scampered up the pond cypress tree and deftly lifted up two of the young Kites and handed them down to us. The oldest and heaviest bird flew a short distance and landed in the water hyacinths, where we netted it soon after.
The flying Kite safely in hand after Lara Elmquist gently netted it off the hyacinth mat.
Lara Elmquist holding a squawking fledgling. The adults were nearby, but never swooped at us. The young squealed until a hood was placed over its head, a common technique for calming birds.
Lara taking essential measurements after this Kite was banded.
Caroline attached the transmitter and solar panel, affixed by a harness. Once the bird preens itself, the feathers will neatly align just under the solar panel.
A freshly banded SNKI with tracking device installed. With that menacing hooked beak, I expected one of us to be bit! The young birds only squawked and never bit anyone.
The transmitter with parts of the harness.
A close up of the transmitter being mounted to the bird.
Time for putting the birds back in the nest. They tolerated being held and carried up the tree by Caroline. For a time, the young stayed in the nest or nearby branches until we left the lake.
