Friday, July 18, 2014

Snail Kite Release in Orlando - June 26, 2014

Was so glad to be a part of this important event for an endangered species.  Here is what I wrote about the event that was posted to the Save Our Seabirds Facebook page along with photos:

"As we headed out into the lake, I thought what a beautiful day it was for this. The snail kite would have perfect weather and plenty of time to re-familiarize himself with the surroundings before night. Along the way, we spotted a good variety of birds including bald eagle, osprey, black vulture, purple gallinule, and limpkin.

A prime release site was found about 0.4 miles from where the kite was born. Whitney jumped out of the boat into the shallow water and took the kite over near an embankment of cattails. The kite did not take off immediately, but sat among the cattails for about five minutes. 

Finally, the snail kite was ready and decided to take off. He soared beautifully as soon as he made the decision to go. He was out of sight within just a few seconds, but it was very encouraging to see how well he flew. 

Whitney let us know that they would be returning every week over the summer to look for him. Great job everybody.

Keep up the great work!"



 

No comments:

Post a Comment