Snail Kite Demography in Blue Cypress Water Management Area. Final Report. 2006-2007

摘要

This report will present data on snail kite usage of Blue Cypress Water Management Area 5 (BCWMA) of the St Johns River Basin during 2006 and 2007. Because the BCWMA-West experienced drying in 2006 and the entire BCWMA was dry in 2007, we will discuss some of the implications of those management actions for kites. Given the nomadic nature of the snail kite population in Florida, we also deem it essential to report on demography at the scale of the whole population. Consequently this report will also present information on the current demography of snail kites throughout central and southern Florida from 1992 to 2007. The BCWMA comprises approximately 6,000 ha of marsh within the Upper St. Johns River Basin in Indian River County, FL. The population of snail kites is best viewed as one continuous population that is distributed among a network of heterogeneous wetland units in central and southern Florida. They use the entire spatial extent of their range, but given the discontinuity of suitable habitats, their population must still be viewed as spatially structured. The study area for the entire population includes a large portion of these different wetland units used by snail kites in peninsular Florida. BCWMA is a small part of the entire network of wetlands that are monitored annually for snail kites.