8/12/2023 0 Comments Purple martin arrival mapĪll these martins undoubtedly impacted on Colonial insect populations, primarily ants, bees, dragonflies, moths, butterflies, flies, beetles, and stink bugs. Even John James Audubon chose to depict long-winged Purple Martins nesting in an old gourd hung in a tree (above left). Indeed, Purple Martins are prodigious eaters of flying arthropods-a behavior noted by early European immigrants who expanded the Indian tradition by putting up wooden houses and both clay and natural gourds. Purple Martins returned the favor for indigenous people, reportedly chasing crows away from plots of corn and eating insects that might devour the crop. Nesting near humans could have become "fixed behavior" in eastern martins because nests near Indian settlements were likely more successful when potential predators didn't wander into villages to take martin eggs or chicks. This penchant for "unnatural" cavities was well known to Native Americans, who grew gourds and hung them around their villages and agricultural fields. Interestingly, the western subspecies tends to nest in natural cavities such as hollow trees and old woodpecker holes, but here in the East our Purple Martins nest almost exclusively in artificial structures such as apartment houses we humans build and erect. All these birds depart in early autumn and overwinter in South America. ![]() A western counterpart is restricted primarily to the Pacific Coast from Vancouver to Baja California and into western Mexico. to the Rocky Mountains and throughout southern Canada as far west as British Columbia (see map at page bottom). The eastern subspecies breeds in Cuba and across the eastern U.S. Purple Martins, Progne subis, are the largest North American members of the Swallow Family (Hirundinidae), reaching 7" from tip of bill to end of tail. Many of these folks fail at their goal for any number of reasons: The nesting structures are erected too late in the season, they're placed in inappropriate habitats, gourds or apartments are poorly maintained, indiscriminate use of pesticides kills or contaminates local insect populations, or-heaven forbid-a flock of invasive European Starlings usurps the martin houses. Each year, hundreds of thousands-maybe millions-of North American bird lovers put little white duplexes and hollowed-out gourds on the tops of tall poles in the hope of enticing martins to take up residence. The Purple Martin is one of those birds that has almost mythic status among backyard bird enthusiasts. At long last and with some effort, we finally erected a Purple Martin high-rise on the pier at Hilton Pond. One cavity-nesting bird we've always coveted but never accommodated is the Purple Martin, so in 2005 we decided to go all-out in trying to attract this aerobatic insect-eater. With the loss of natural habitats and old trees, cavity nesters everywhere have it tough these days, so we do what we can to erect as many nest boxes as possible. Of these, Wood Duck hens annually lay eggs and fledge young from large boxes along the edge of Hilton Pond, while Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, Brown-headed Nuthatches, House Wrens, Carolina Wrens, and Eastern Bluebirds have used boxes actually intended for the latter. Several nesting species have taken advantage of artificial cavities-i.e., nest boxes we've erected on trees, poles, and fence posts. ![]() During our 23-plus years at Hilton Pond Center, we've found nests for 24 bird species for another 39 we've captured and banded females with active or recent incubation patches that imply breeding on-site or nearby.
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