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Posted by Bob Kelley on 19:32:40 05/27/06
In Reply to: Swallow Tail Hawk (Kite) posted by David Kane
It sounds like you may have urban nesting SWKs.
In 1990 they started nesting in the urban areas around the University of Miami campus in Coral Gables. They seem to have discovered the easy availabilty of baby birds, a source of food never mentioned(I believe) in previous descriptions.
I saw one being harassed by red-winged blackbirds near SW57th Ave(Red Road) and SW88th Street(Kendall Drive) last Saturday morning. Based on previous surveys I would estimate that there are 7 or 8 nests within 5 miles of the UM campus.
All are in residential areas. Last year a nest was reported in an urban area of Broward County, so perhaps this new behavior is spreading.
I saw my first one in 1965 at West Lake in ENP,
and I still am amazed at their flying ability. I never dreamed that they would become a neighborhood bird here in Miami-Dade County.
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