EMPTY CHATEAUS….
THE PURPLE MARTIN TRAGEDY
Chances are very good, that if you live anywhere in the United States or Canada , that you have seen those large often ornate bird “hotels”, high up on poles in gardens and parks all over the continent. The chances are not good to very slim however, that you have ever actually seen one of the intended tenants of these often beautiful multi-chambered bird “villas, ( except maybe in an old bird book). The proposed, and much desired and loved occupants, are the largest member of the swallow family in North America, the beautiful and very beneficial Purple Martin. They are not actually purple, but a deep royal blue, with dark violet overtones and jet black under parts. “Prone Subis”, are 8 inches long, and always nest in a colony. Females are dusty gray with a blue “wash”. At one time purple martins were quite common throughout America and Canada, (especially in the Deep South, where they have a legendary status). Unfortunately, the purple martin has experienced an incredible and frightening decline in the last several decades, especially the last ten years, and similar to the mysterious disappearance of other native birds, like the common night-hawk, the chimney swift and the well-known, but almost never heard or seen whip-poor-will. All of these birds have a similar common thread. They are all exclusively insectivorous, all winter in the tropical zones of the Americas, and are all vanishing at an alarming rate. Fortunately for the purple martin, some steps can be taken to help to rebuild their decimated population. By putting up, (and more importantly closely monitoring), martin “hotels”, with starling deterrent entrance holes, we can try to bring back colonies of the beautiful and famous native American birds. The main culprits, in the martin tragedy, are definitely the introduced, (and unwanted), English house sparrow, and even more so, the much larger, stronger and even more aggressive European starling. Starlings and house sparrows do not migrate, and so have a head start on choosing and taking over bird houses and other nest sites, before the wanted birds arrive in the spring, such as Bluebirds, tree swallows, (who will also nest in loose colonies with each other and with martins), and of course the purple martin. These “hotels” must be monitored closely to protect the martin colony, blocking the entrance holes until the first martins arrive, helps immensely. You must, I repeat you must follow the guidelines, to put the martin hotels up correctly. The “hotel”, must be very high up on a retractable pole, (twenty feet or higher), and must be by a wide open area, (even by a lake, river, baseball field or beach is ideal). The hotel must be on a pole that can be lowered to monitor any problems that arise. I have been alarmed by my many travels in the United states and Canada, to find most Martin hotels empty, or even worse taken over by those two unwanted bullies the starling and house sparrow. If their cousins the tree swallows move into the hotel, let them be, as they will co-exist just fine with the purple martins. There are many informative sites online, dedicated to these much loved birds of American folklore. Purple Martins are still fairly common, but extremely local in two separate areas, the Great lakes region and the Deep South… especially in Florida. They are a very rare sight to almost completely missing everywhere else in their once extensive (former) range.
We need to revise and update current data on native bird populations, as almost all of the current information that is out there, appears to be sorely out-dated here in the USA. We need to push to add more species of birds to the official threatened and endangered lists that exist now, as they are out of date, and they are not correct. We also need to enforce stricter laws concerning our migratory birds in other countries as well. Together we also need to encourage county and state officials to use all of our land properly to help our native wildlife. They should employ parks, athletic fields, industrial parks, recreational areas, and even golf courses and cemeteries to put up purple martin “hotels” as well as other bird species nesting boxes and shelves, to bring back these legendary birds of America.
Copyright @ 2014 Photo and Story by Fritz Von Ludwigslust. All Rights Reserved.
THE PURPLE MARTIN TRAGEDY
A male Purple Martin, listed, wrongly, in older bird books, as a common summer resident of gardens, farms and even city parks. This bird is locally rare to absent from more than half of its former range.
Chances are very good, that if you live anywhere in the United States or Canada , that you have seen those large often ornate bird “hotels”, high up on poles in gardens and parks all over the continent. The chances are not good to very slim however, that you have ever actually seen one of the intended tenants of these often beautiful multi-chambered bird “villas, ( except maybe in an old bird book). The proposed, and much desired and loved occupants, are the largest member of the swallow family in North America, the beautiful and very beneficial Purple Martin. They are not actually purple, but a deep royal blue, with dark violet overtones and jet black under parts. “Prone Subis”, are 8 inches long, and always nest in a colony. Females are dusty gray with a blue “wash”. At one time purple martins were quite common throughout America and Canada, (especially in the Deep South, where they have a legendary status). Unfortunately, the purple martin has experienced an incredible and frightening decline in the last several decades, especially the last ten years, and similar to the mysterious disappearance of other native birds, like the common night-hawk, the chimney swift and the well-known, but almost never heard or seen whip-poor-will. All of these birds have a similar common thread. They are all exclusively insectivorous, all winter in the tropical zones of the Americas, and are all vanishing at an alarming rate. Fortunately for the purple martin, some steps can be taken to help to rebuild their decimated population. By putting up, (and more importantly closely monitoring), martin “hotels”, with starling deterrent entrance holes, we can try to bring back colonies of the beautiful and famous native American birds. The main culprits, in the martin tragedy, are definitely the introduced, (and unwanted), English house sparrow, and even more so, the much larger, stronger and even more aggressive European starling. Starlings and house sparrows do not migrate, and so have a head start on choosing and taking over bird houses and other nest sites, before the wanted birds arrive in the spring, such as Bluebirds, tree swallows, (who will also nest in loose colonies with each other and with martins), and of course the purple martin. These “hotels” must be monitored closely to protect the martin colony, blocking the entrance holes until the first martins arrive, helps immensely. You must, I repeat you must follow the guidelines, to put the martin hotels up correctly. The “hotel”, must be very high up on a retractable pole, (twenty feet or higher), and must be by a wide open area, (even by a lake, river, baseball field or beach is ideal). The hotel must be on a pole that can be lowered to monitor any problems that arise. I have been alarmed by my many travels in the United states and Canada, to find most Martin hotels empty, or even worse taken over by those two unwanted bullies the starling and house sparrow. If their cousins the tree swallows move into the hotel, let them be, as they will co-exist just fine with the purple martins. There are many informative sites online, dedicated to these much loved birds of American folklore. Purple Martins are still fairly common, but extremely local in two separate areas, the Great lakes region and the Deep South… especially in Florida. They are a very rare sight to almost completely missing everywhere else in their once extensive (former) range.
We need to revise and update current data on native bird populations, as almost all of the current information that is out there, appears to be sorely out-dated here in the USA. We need to push to add more species of birds to the official threatened and endangered lists that exist now, as they are out of date, and they are not correct. We also need to enforce stricter laws concerning our migratory birds in other countries as well. Together we also need to encourage county and state officials to use all of our land properly to help our native wildlife. They should employ parks, athletic fields, industrial parks, recreational areas, and even golf courses and cemeteries to put up purple martin “hotels” as well as other bird species nesting boxes and shelves, to bring back these legendary birds of America.
Copyright @ 2014 Photo and Story by Fritz Von Ludwigslust. All Rights Reserved.
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