Purple Martins Return

I took the picture of the Martin setting on one of my houses a couple days ago. I knew when I saw him there that others would soon arrive...Some say they are a scout but I kind of doubt that, I think he was just the one to get here first, probably caught a good tail wind that some did not. But today others have arrived and the place is starting to buzz with activity...They are checking out the two twelve unit homes that are available for them. Deciding which home to live in this year at the north end or the south end of the pond and then which unit a lower or an upper. And then sunrise view or sunset, like people they must have a preferrence or if they get here late it could be take what is available.....

After "she" makes the choice they will both turn to bringing in cornstalks and grass from the surrounding fields and mud from the edges of the pond and make a nest out of all of it...She will then lay the eggs, usually 3 or 4 and then set on them and he will bring her bugs to eat during this time. I do enjoy watching out for them each year and putting the houses up maybe a week or so before they are likely to show up. It is always a thrill to walk out to the house when they first arrive and say something like, "hey where you been", "did you have a good winter?"....They make there little clicking or chirping noices as they fly around me as to ask me the same and say they are glad to be back for another season of kid raising.

I believe they winter in South America somewhere. They leave here for that flight as soon as all of the kids are taught to fly well and catch bugs and learn to fend for themselves...Some years it is fun to watch as they maybe get the kids to fly up to the top of the TV antenna and then they seem to freeze there and the parents hover out in front of them churping away coaxing them to take flight again...Sometimes it takes almost all day but before you know it they are all doing the soaring that is so much fun to watch. They are very social depending completely on man for the housing they need. They surely earn thier keep as they eat hundreds of mosquitoes each and every day while they are here. I never recieve a mosquitoe bite while they are present so they are very valuable especially around water sources....

But as soon as they depart for the south within just a few days I do see mosquitoes again but usually it is mid to late August and not far from the fall season when they are not so bad. They sometimes fly through the porch if I am setting out there to almost "buzz" me just for attention. Then they may go high into the sky over the pond and catch the bugs that the wind currents are bringing in....

Lots of fun all of the birds that seem to have learned to live here and glad to have this season underway...