A Kite Day

The kites that are right the end of the street inspired me to go see the congregation of kites at the Skeen Farm in Long County. That is about an hour and half northwest of the Golden Isles. There can be 100's of kites at the location a little later in the month. However Priscilla Fleshman is here for a week.  She wanted to see this show.

  On Tuesday July 21 we got to the farm around 10 am.  There were a few Swallow-tailed Kites flying over the fields.

 As the morning warms up, the kite numbers grew. It is a typical summer day, hot and very humid.

The kites keep come finally a few Mississippi Kites join the gathering. What a show! These birds are poetry in motion.











Beautiful Swallow-tailed Kites flying over the fields. They are swooping and catching the June bugs.








Then they eat them on the wing. It is fascinating watching them doing this graceful dance.













As noon approached, the birds began to disappear over the trees.

As we left the farm, we discovered we weren't along watching the show. These cows were enjoying it from the shade of a few trees. Not to be left out a Cattle Egrets had found its own perch.

These kites help make being here in the hot and humid well worth it.

Swallow-tailed Kite on Jekyll in June

There were several people who told me they had seen a Swallow-tailed Kite on Jekyll in June.  This is rather early or late for this species to be seen regularly on a barrier island.  However, they do nest just over the marsh so I did not think much about it.   Well, I did feel I was missing a beautiful bird so I did think about it a little. 

Late in June I got a call from Cheryl,  Captain Mark Miller from Little Cumberland Island had fished a bird out of the St. Andrews Sound.  This is the body of water between Little Cumberland and Jekyll Islands.  She wanted to know where to take it.  It was a raptor.  "Take it to the Turtle Center" I replied.  We need to know more about the health of our birds.  So the bird went to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.  The bird was a juvenile Swallow-tailed Kite.  Was this the same bird everyone had been reporting to me? 

This is the kite when it arrived at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. 

 Here is Mark's story of finding the kite:

"Last Saturday, I was running a boat and spotted a bird floating in the water in front of St Andrews Park on the southern tip of Jekyll Island. I turned around and observed the bird trying to swim. We drifted up to it and at first glance thought it might be an eagle. It was attempting to paddle with its wings, definitely not a waterbird. We made a pass by it and I simply reached over and scooped it up. I took the bird to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. Rachael checked the bird in to the center. It turned out to be a juvenile Kite. Over the last week it has been cared for by the Center and brought back to good health."

This bird recovered.

And yesterday July 10, Tim Keyes,
Wildlife Biologist,  Nongame Conservation Section, Wildlife Resources Division sent out an email. 

Since I don't have any pictures of the release, this a sketch I did last August of Swallow-tailed Kites feeding over a field.

Here is what Tim said:  "The release went well. We found a group of about 50 Swallow-tailed Kites feeding in Brantley county. Upon release the bird flew to a tree and perched for about 1/2 hour. It was then seen circling and foraging with other kites, and was seen feeding on the wing.


We have a transmitter on it, so we will try to keep track of it to confirm it is able to feed etc..."

This is a wonderful ending for a young bird.  Thanks all of you who were there to help.

Exploring nearby back roads

On Saturday, my friend Sheila came by and we went exploring. Our goal was to find kites. There is a traditional area for around Glenville Ga. This is a small community just outside of Fort Stewart.
This year the kites are gathering at Skeen's Farm. The family is used to birders stopping by to see the kites. For they just waved as they drove back and forth to their chores. This day there were 5 Mississippi Kites and 4 Swallow-tailed Kites. When the kites started feeding over the field, it was all I had hope it would be. The two kite species have very different feeding styles. The Swallow-tailed Kites would gracefully soar down and pick June bugs out of the air. The smaller Mississippi Kites tended to swoop and grab. Those Mississippi Kites would fly so high they were just dots. Then they would go into a stoop similar to Peregrines Falcons. They would pull up with a June bug. Both species ate their food while flying. My little camera just was not up to the task of capturing these graceful birds. I watched a while and then sketch awhile. Mostly what I was sketching was gestures. But I when I got home I did a full sized sketch.

We watched and "ooed and awed" for about two hours. It was noon. Lunch in Glenville's Rusty Pig barbecue was in order. This was a busy place and I could see why. The food was good and very reasonably price.

We took our time on the way back. On Georgia highway 57 there is a tiny town of Ludowici. In the late 1890's it was famous for it red clay tiles which was used in roofing.

Further down the road we turned on Georgia highway 251toward the Cox, a crossroads, near the Altamaha River. We got curious and went looking for Fort Barrington Park. The fort is no longer there but it is a pretty view of a lake just off the Altamaha. I always learn about native plants when I go exploring with Sheila. Here is an oak that is called a runner oak. Fascinating it just grows about six inches.
Our last discovery was an active Gopher Tortoise colony. I have seen them on state parks but this one was wild and right on the side of the road. Here is Sheila pointing at an active Gopher Tortoise borrow.Thanks Sheila for helping me to explore some back roads near the coast.

Scarlet Tanager Swallow-tail Kite Wow

April 19,2007
Oh my gosh! I just was on the phone talking about putting together the Registration Booklet for the Georgia’s Colonial Coast Birding & Nature Festival when I notice him! I have a wonderful drip birdbath with bushes near by so the birds can drop from the top of my old live oak tree down to the myrtle tree to the bath. There sitting on the top of the drip was a drop dead gorgeous SCARLET TANAGER. I know in migration that they travel in flocks. There are times at some hot spots where they all over. Here I have been working to make my yard bird friendly. I was just rewarded with this special bird.
This is a good time to update you on the past weeks birding on Jekyll and around the Golden Island. Last Thursday morning we had White and Brown Pelican as well as at least three Wilson’s Plovers at the southend of Jekyll. In the afternoon having dropped off seed for the feeders at Tidelands I was driving back to Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Cottage in the historic district when I became fascinated by the line of vultures flying north. As I watched my day was made for a SWALLOW-TAILED KITE dripped into my sights. Naturally I pulled over to just watch this agile flyer for awhile.
Saturday, I was on St. Simons Island helping with the Glynn Art Spring Festival in the St. Simons village area. It was a beautiful clear morning with just the right chill in the air. Walking to see how the various artists were doing setting up I heard GRAY KINGBIRDS. They have returned for I heard from a friend that they were on Jekyll as well. Jekyll host at least two pairs of Gray Kingbirds every summer. That same day which was April 14 the PAINTED BUNTING males started showing up at feeders along the coast. Spring is in the air.
With Georgia’s wildlife on my mind
Lydia
THURDAY APRIL 12, BIRD LIST
ISLAND WIDE
Yellow-throated Warbler
30 Turkey Vulture
Seemed to be moving North. Strings all along the Island
Mourning Dove
Tree Swallow
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Northern Cardinal

DOWNING MUSGROVE CAUSEWAY (before Ramble)
3 Little Blue Heron
10 Snowy Egret
1 Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
3 Green Heron
Red-winged Blackbird
Boat-tailed Grackle
SOUTH DUNES PICNIC AREA
1 Belted Kingfisher
JEKYLL ISLAND SHOPPING CENTER INCL. BEACH AREA
2 Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
1 Loggerhead Shrike
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
1 Northern Parula

SOUTH END OF ISLAND
100 Tree Swallow Really 100 plus
BIRD CORNER
2 Little Blue Heron
5 Cattle Egret
1 Northern Harrier male
2 Common Ground Dove
2 White-eyed Vireo
Carolina Wren
1 Northern Parula
2 Savannah Sparrow
3 Eastern Towhee
Northern Cardinal
10 Common Grackle
3 Brown-headed Cowbird

SOUTHWEST BEACH AREA
6 American White Pelican
8 Brown Pelican
6 Blue-winged Teal
1 Snowy Egret
25 Sanderling
1 Black-bellied Plover

4-H WEST Southend area Jekyll
1 Double-crested Cormorant
15 Brown Pelican
2 Willet
3 Wilson’s Plover
8 Ring-billed Gull
2 Herring Gull
100 Laughing Gull
75 Royal Tern
10 Forster’s Tern
250 Black Skimmer
1 Chimney Swift

SOUTH RIVERVIEW DRIVE
3 Fish Crow

TIDELANDS NATURE CENTER AREA
Anhinga
2 Brown Pelican
2 Green Heron
1 Osprey
1 Cooper’s Hawk 5 Spotted Sandpiper
3 Belted Kingfisher
5 House Finch
6 Brown-headed Cowbird



CAMPGROUND BIRD SANCTUARY
1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
5 Blue Jay
2 White-eyed Vireo
Carolina Wren
4 Carolina Chickadee
4 White-throated Sparrow
6 Common Grackle

AMPHITHEATRE POND AREA
2 Pied-billed Grebe
1 Double-crested Cormorant
Anhinga
4 Snowy Egret
1 Green Heron
6 Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
8 Black-crowned Night-Heron
2 White Ibis
26 Wood Stork 14 nesting
1 Black Vulture
3 Osprey
1 Red-tailed Hawk
2 Red-bellied Woodpecker
3 White-eyed Vireo
Carolina Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
1 Northern Parula
25 Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler


SEEN AFTER THE RAMBLE:

BEACH PAVILION Mid island
15 Cedar Waxwing
HISTORIC DISTRICT
1 Pine Warbler
1 Great-crested Flycatcher
TIDELANDS NATURE CENTER AREA
1 Swallow-tailed Kite
Flying with vultures
DOWNING MUSGROVE CAUSEWAY
3 Barn Swallow


WELCOME CENTER
1 Orchard Oriole Male
25 Semipalmated Plover
30 Western Sandpiper
20 Dunlin
50 Short-billed Dowitcher
14 Whimbrel
1 Greater Yellowlegs
10 Blue-winged Teal
1 Osprey
20 Willet
10 Black-bellied Plover