As some might remember last spring I saw an interesting bird I had never seen before in my area. After a bit of online research I found that the bird I was seeing was a swallow-tailed kite. This bird used to have a wide range here in the US but that has greatly diminshed over the years. Slowly but surely their range is starting to increase again in the US. During the spring through the summer they come here to breed and nest. Then they fly back to Brazil for the winter.I have pictures of them on my cell phone I have taken of them out here but i am having issues with my cell right now. Here is a website that shows pictures of these beautiful birds:
http://www.squidoo.com/swallow-tailedkite
Anyways since I first saw them and learned about their history I found that there is a big conversation efforts for these birds. And I participate in a study that tracks sightings of these birds. And actually in the past they have been out here (conservation people) tracking and looking at the areas they have been seen in. One issue I have ran into around here when I talk to a few people that I know (particulary farmers) is that their first instinct is to want to kills them because they are birds of prey. But the thing is they rarely go after animals such as chickens, rats, rabbits and the like. Their main source of food is insects and lizards. They don't have a great grip so this is easier for them.
Another issue is that people don't see how rare it became to see these birds here. They just kinds blow me off when I talk about them.
So here comes the questions. How do I promote the conservation and the website to report sightings. Also how do I get people to not be afraid of these birds?
Thanks.
http://www.squidoo.com/swallow-tailedkite
Anyways since I first saw them and learned about their history I found that there is a big conversation efforts for these birds. And I participate in a study that tracks sightings of these birds. And actually in the past they have been out here (conservation people) tracking and looking at the areas they have been seen in. One issue I have ran into around here when I talk to a few people that I know (particulary farmers) is that their first instinct is to want to kills them because they are birds of prey. But the thing is they rarely go after animals such as chickens, rats, rabbits and the like. Their main source of food is insects and lizards. They don't have a great grip so this is easier for them.
Another issue is that people don't see how rare it became to see these birds here. They just kinds blow me off when I talk about them.
So here comes the questions. How do I promote the conservation and the website to report sightings. Also how do I get people to not be afraid of these birds?
Thanks.
