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The Purple Martin – an urban bird December 19, 2006

Posted by Al in : cool,design,nature , trackback

There are not many reasons I could possibly think of for living in the United States – but the Purple Martin, and the exceptionally funky nestboxes available for it, is one possible reason. In the Eastern half of the US, particularly in the North East, the Purple Martin nests only in artifical nest boxes. These come either as boxes, or as gourds, and are hung at the top of poles and can be winched up and down. This is so that their human maintainers can inspect the nest, the eggs and then the chicks and make sure all is OK. The parents have become so domesticated that they will quite happily watch their chicks be handled by their human benefactors, as they have learnt that no harm will be done, and the nest will even get cleaned up and pests removed.

The nestboxes themselves can be as simple as a waterproof, plastic gourd with a screw lid to expose the interior for insepction; up to a sophisticated nestbox with ventilation holes, a predator guard and an internal perch for the fledgelings. I think this is a fantastic thing as men are helping these birds nest and increase their population, and the birds are ever so happy to let us do it. I can imagine that having a few poles of these in your garden can lead to evenings with hundreds of birds swooping around, and Martins and Swallows are wonderful to watch. And at the same time you get to play parent in the day, checking the eggs, watching them hatch, seeing the chicks grow, etc. And then they all fly off and you get to wait until next year when nthey return again. An ideal relationship, and one that I would love to join in with – I may see if I can get a birdbox, or 2, out next year to see if I can tempt a Martin, or a Swallow to nest.

Comments»

1. Terry A. Suchma - December 29, 2006

AL,

(“There are not many reasons I could possibly think of for living in the United States – but the Purple Martin, and the exceptionally funky nestboxes available for it, is one possible reason. In the Eastern half of the US, particularly in the North East, the Purple Martin nests…”)

Al, I love Purple Martins! I live and breathe Purple Martins and have done so now for over two decades. However, I must take exception to your statement above. If you find Purple Martins as only one possible reason out of thousands to live here, why not go somewhere else in the world where you will be much happier. As for Hong Kong, you won’t find many birds there as the residents eat them all.

(RE: “The parents have become so domesticated that they will quite happily watch their chicks be handled by their human benefactors, as they have learnt that no harm will be done, and the nest will even get cleaned up and pests removed.” And “…, and the birds are ever so happy to let us do it”)
It is not that the parents have “learnt” (sic) no harm will come to their chicks; it is more that they cannot control the situation when humans trespass, even with good intentions, into their nests. While they are considered to be “semi-domesticated,” they are still wild creatures. And, as wild creatures, they have, by instinct, invested a tremendous amount of energy into migrating, courting, building their nests, laying eggs and rearing “nestlings.” For this reason, they do not easily abandon their nests due to intrusions by good intentioned “maintainers” or stewards. For them, it will always be a frightening situation when a human looks into their nests and disrupts their natural routine of things.
(RE: “I can imagine that having a few poles of these in your garden can lead to evenings with hundreds of birds swooping around, and Martins and Swallows are wonderful to watch.”)
Al, think about it for a moment, will you? “Hundreds of martins, nay, any species of birds flying about your backyard.” That amount of birds will definitely get the landlord into a lot of trouble with their close and far neighbors. In today’s times, backyards are now extensions of people’s homes. Patios, swimming pool and patio areas—all within the confines of our neighbors. Add to this mix, children playing, parked cars, driveways, boats, clothes and hundreds of birds flying, singing and defecating. The police would be called. Grievances would be filed and local ordinances would be broken. Hundreds of birds flying about one’s backyard would definitely be considered for most urban people today as a nuisance to the community.

That is why Purple Martins are considered to be more of a “rural” bird today rather than an “urban” bird as the title of this thread of notes would suggest.

When considering hosting Purple Martins, it is best to give some thought to where you live and in what kind of community you live. Having martins on postage stamp-sized backyards may not be a good idea at all. Perhaps, having one pole will be fine, but add several, even two, or more, in a densely populated area only invites the ire and disdain of neighbors and the local constabulary. In the best of situations, it is best to host martins on larger parcels of land-at least an acre in size.

Also, consider that hosting hundreds of martins is not in the best interest of the Purple Martin. In such close quarters in densely populated martin communities, consider that there is disease and pestilence. Transmission of sparrow-related blood diseases is high. Consider also that cramped martin colonies breed much aggressiveness—among the martins themselves. In Nature, when martins breed naturally, like in the Pacific Northwest or the Sonoran Desert, martins do not breed even fifty pairs in the same area, let along a few hundred pairs.

Also, consider the fact that where there are hundreds of any bird species, there is an increased awareness and presence by predators. The multiple sounds of the prey do not fall lightly upon the ear of the predator. Instead, the predator keenly tunes in and the colony becomes “stop #1 every day for a martin snack, or two, or three and so on and so on.

Densely breeding martins in concentrated open areas presents Purple Martins as sitting ducks to all of their predators. So, it is not really in the best interest of the Purple Martins or their conservation to provide many, many houses/gourds in one area and encourage them to nest there.

(RE: “And at the same time you get to play parent in the day, checking the eggs, watching them hatch, seeing the chicks grow, etc. And then they all fly off and you get to wait until next year when nthey return again.”)

Those involved in martins should realize that when they are involved in Nature, it becomes a responsibility for them. The interest in Purple Martins should never be thought of, in today’s terms, as a hobby. It is an amateur wildlife management of a wild bird species. It is not play. And, this is quite obvious in early spring when the weather takes a dive and there are no flying insects for martins to eat on the wing. Since they only eat food they catch while on the wing, with cold, rainy temperatures, the birds are doomed to die after 2-3 days. When Purple Martin stewards find many dead martins in their houses or on the ground beneath the pole and house, it is not play. It is sad! It brings grown men to tears to see their beloved birds dead.

And, we should only check the eggs and nestlings when we monitor them for problems. All landlords are not maintainers; so-called landlords are actually “stewards” of the birds they manage.

And, by being a steward of Purple Martins, we all should be educated in this subject. And, when we are, we will know that we cannot take the birdhouses down at just any old time to peer inside. First, we would not do it on cool, rainy days when the young could become hypothermic and die. Neither would we check their nests after the “oldest” birds in any house or gourdrack are over 20-22 days of age. At this age period, the young can actually fly. Not high. But, they can definitely get lift and distance. If one nestling prematurely launches due to an inappropriate nestcheck, it is enough to startle the entire nest of young and they all can escape and fly some 100-200 ft. They do not drop to the bottom of the pole where they can be handily returned to their nests. They will fly a good distance, many times, landing in dense foliage, never to be retrieved and returned to their nests. They will be doomed to die by starvation or predation.

Know how old your nestlings are! It is vitally important. You will need this tidbit of information at some time during the nesting season.

(RE: “- I may see if I can get a birdbox, or 2, out next year to see if I can tempt a Martin, or a Swallow to nest.”)

Al, I hope that if you spend money on expensive martin equipment, you will only allow Purple Martins to nest inside the nestbox. By allowing Tree Swallows (the only other swallow to nest in a martin house), you are allowing a waste of valuable and expensive Purple Martin real estate. Purple Martin houses should only be for Purple Martins!

By allowing Tree Swallows to nest in your house, you will allow only one pair of birds to a multi-compartmental house as Tree Swallows, unlike their larger and communally nesting cousins, the martins, will only nest one pair to a martin house.

Thank you for bringing the subject of Purple Martins to AOLline. It gives me and others an opportunity to educate those that read here. And, it is important to know that if you entertain thoughts of hosting Purple Martins this season or any season in the future, that there is a lot to know about Purple Martins. Educate yourselves well before diving into this interest. Purple Martins is more than putting up a birdhouse!
Read all you can! And, don’t just go out and buy any old martin house. Read before you leap!

For more information on Purple Martins, read these two websites:
The Purple Martin Society, NA: http://www.purplemartins.com

The Purple Martin Conservation Association: http://www.purplemartin.org

“Keep ‘em Flying!”
Terry A. Suchma
Executive Director,
The Purple Martin Society, NA