Florida Gulf Coast Creations

Tag: Kite

  • Florida Snail Kites

    Florida Snail Kites

    As promised from my last post, here is the story about our recent trips to the Fort Myers area to look for snail kites. I’ve written about snail kites in the past because they are such fascinating birds with an equally fascinating story. The Everglades snail kite subspecies is unique to central and south Florida. They are beautiful birds, a little smaller than an osprey. Adult males are striking with gray bodies, a white band above their tails, bright orange feet, and red eyes.

    Snail Kite Male Rests At Top Of Dead Tree
    Snail Kite Male Rests at the Top of a Dead Tree

    We ended up making two trips a few days apart because we learned that damage caused by Hurricane Ian 20 months ago changed the habitat and moved the kites to a different area. We also learned from a local resident photographer about where to likely find the kites. So, the second trip turned out to be amazing. We saw close to 20 snail kites! Typically, if we saw kites, it would be anywhere from 1 to 5. To see 6 to 10 would be considered a great day. They were feeding in a network of canals that were full of snails.

    Snail kites are raptors that feed entirely on apple snails. At one time Florida only had one native species of apple snail and it was found mainly in the Everglades. But over the years, the Everglades watershed has changed dramatically with surrounding development and man-made attempts to better control water flow. With the habitats disappearing, apple snails, along with the snail kites disappeared and they were put on the endangered species list in 1967. According to one source, the number of kites fell to less than 100 in 1972. But they’ve made a remarkable comeback, ironically due to an invasive species of apple snail.

    Snail Kite Male Flies By With Fresh Snail
    Snail Kite Male Flies by with a Fresh Snail

    Usually most invasive species of plant or animal have an alarming effect on the environment. A great example is the explosion of the python population in the Everglades which has had devastating impacts on the native wildlife. It’s thought that the foreign snails were introduced to the US from South America and were used mainly in aquariums. When they outgrew aquariums, people released them into the wild where they thrived. But the invasive snails have benefited both snail kites and limpkins since the snails are their only diet.

    Of course, there’s always a “but”. In the case of snail kites, the invasive snails were as much as 3 times larger than the native Florida variety. The problem for kites was the larger snails were much more difficult to lift out of the water and their beaks couldn’t reach all the way into the shell to dislodge the meat. So, kites have evolved. A recent study showed that snail kites have grown by an average of about 12% over the past several years so they have the strength to carry the larger snails. Their beaks have also grown about 12% longer to enable them to reach all the way into the snail shells. It’s a very interesting story about how something bad has helped something else. I don’t know the eventual impact foreign snails will have on the environment. But for now, there are two species of birds that are happy!

    I’ve included several links to stories about snail kites and the apple snails that have changed their lives.

    A few more pictures from the trips are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, please visit the gallery listed.

  • Fort Myers

    Fort Myers

    One of our best destinations to look for the uncommon snail kite is a large marsh just outside of Fort Myers. The kites nest in the area and the waters around the marsh are full of enormous apple snails, which is the main diet of snail kites.

    This day was not the best for snail kites. But their relatives, the swallow-tailed kites, put on quite a show for us. We know that there is a significant roosting area for the swallow-tailed kites not far to the east of this marsh. We were fortunate that a large group of them chose to feed above us. They are amazing to watch as they circle and glide chasing bugs and frogs and lizards.

    Swallow Tailed Kite Glides By To The Right
    Swallow-tailed Kite Glides by to the Right

    We’ll head back later in the summer after the young kites have grown and their parents are actively hunting for food. There will also be more apple snails that have hatched providing a better food supply. Stay tuned.

    For more information about this endangered species, go to the link below.

    A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.

  • Snail Kites

    Snail Kites

    This past week my friend and fellow photographer Art Nadelman and I ventured down to the Fort Myers area in search of snail kites. I’ve written about snail kites on a couple of occasions in the past. Most recently we had a great day photographing kites near Gainesville. But this week was the best yet for capturing images of these beautiful birds.

    Snail kites are on the Federal Endangered Species list. They are only found in certain areas of Florida in the US. Their diet consists primarily of large apple snails. It’s fascinating to watch them hunt for and grab the snails from the water. They go in feet first and pluck the snails out of the shallows then fly off to a nearby perch to pick the meat out of the shell. Apple snails are aptly named because they can grow to the size of a small apple. For reference, here is a photo of one in my hand.

    Img 1015
    Apple snail

    We see snail kites occasionally throughout the year but rarely find more than a couple at a time. This week we found a larger group that included 3 males which is very unusual. The males are a beautiful blue-gray color with bright orange feet and bills and red eyes. Two of the males were banded.

    I’ve listed some links for more information on snail kites.

    A few more pictures from this journey are included below. For a larger selection of photos, go to these galleries:

  • Central Florida Kites

    Central Florida Kites

    Summertime in Florida is generally a quiet time for bird photos. Many of our winter visitors have gone north and won’t return until fall. But there are some species that migrate here for the summer to nest and raise their young. One of those is the beautiful swallow-tailed kite. They travel all the way from South America and stay here from March to August.

    Swallow Tailed Kite Banking To Right
    Swallow-tailed Kite Soaring to the Right

    My good friend and fellow photographer, Art Nadelman, and I, talked about our aspirations for this year and at the top of our list was to capture some good shots of kites. Since swallow-tailed kites spend most of their days in the air, our goal was to get them before they left their morning roosts. The challenge is finding those locations. Kites typically nest and roost in very remote areas near water which makes them inaccessible.

    As the breeding season winds down and the return flight back to South America approaches, the kites begin to congregate in large groups in just a few spots around the state. The numbers can reach as many as 1500 birds. The peak time for gathering is usually mid to late July. I’ve included a couple of links to read more about these amazing birds.

    This week we had the opportunity to achieve another goal. We went out with a guide that we learned about from a friend. The experience was incredible. We loaded up our gear on his boat before sunrise and headed out on a 4-mile journey through channels and floating water hyacinths to get back to the birds. When we rounded the last of what seemed like endless turns, there at the tops of the giant cypress trees were hundreds of the bright white kites. It was a “WOW” moment!

    Our guide worked with us to quietly maneuver the boat into great spots for us to get the best shots. We finally got our photos of swallow-tailed kites on perches. As the sun rose higher, the birds began to awaken and start preening for their day long flights. Eventually a few would test the breezes and search for the thermals that they would ride the rest of the day as they headed out to feed. Then more would take off and begin circling and rising – a process called “kettling” because it resembles stirring a kettle. Occasionally one or more birds would drop down and swoop across the water to get a drink or sometimes just to splash their feathers. This makes for a favorite shot for photographers. Unfortunately, we only had 2 “swoopers” that morning and my only shot was of a bird flying away.

    Swallow Tailed Kite Swooping For Drink
    Swallow-tailed Kite Swooping for a Drink

    By around 10-o-clock, the trees and skies were empty, and the birds had gone off to feed for the day. According to our guide, they usually start returning a couple of hours before sunset to settle in for the night. In between, they soar all day looking for bugs, lizards, frogs, or small snakes. In a few weeks, they’ll be on their way south again.

    I’ve attached some links for more information about these magnificent birds.

    A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.

  • Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park

    Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park

    Just outside of Gainesville in the town of Micanopy, FL lies Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park. It is one of the largest parks in the state with almost 23,000 acres. It is designated as a National Natural Landmark. The preserve is known for snail kites, which is why we traveled there. There are also herds of bison and wild horses in the park, but we didn’t see them because high waters prevented us from reaching certain areas.

    We did, however, see several very large alligators. Since it was mating season, the males were bellowing all over the marsh. It’s an intimidating noise that sounds a lot like a lion roaring. At one point we thought we would witness a showdown between two very large gators but when they finally faced off, the smaller of the two hustled away into the grass.

    Alligator Male Bellowing In Marsh
    Large Male Alligator Bellowing in a Marsh

    But our trip was to see the snail kites and they did not disappoint. We counted a total of nine. It’s uncommon to see more than two or three so it was a great day. The only place in the US where Snail kites are found is Florida. They are considered endangered because of habitat loss. The main staple of their diet is the apple snail which are the size of a medium apple. They have a hooked bill which helps them dig the meat out of the large shells. Years ago, their main habitat was in the Everglades. But steady loss of the wetlands has forced them further north in search of more shallow lakes and marshes with apple snails.

    Snail Kite Perched On Dead Branch
    Female Snail Kite Perched on a Dead Limb

    The links below contain more information about Paynes Prairie State Park.

    A few more pictures from this journey are featured below. For a larger selection of photos, go to the galleries listed.

Don`t copy text!