,,,,,,,,,is caring for Purple Martins a migratory small bird that goes south to Brazil and back each year. If they survive the trip which only 60% do then they will return to their last years nest site if they were successful in raising their young the previous year. I offer 36 cavities of man made plastic gourds for them to nest in. They are a joy to watch.
It has been said they nest nearly exclusively in man made housing. The population count is 10 to 12 million but they are losing ground to the totals for lack of nesting areas. I try to do what I can to propagate this species. There are Landlords like me from Florida to Northwest Canada all fighting for these little friends.
Here's a couple of pics. I did not take these but are they are by an acquaintance in Florida, the male is the darker of the two.The female is scolding the male,this is one of the pair bonding antics prior to nesting.
The gourd rack is one of mine in my back yard .This rack has 20 cavities and is 15 feet in the air .It can be lowered to do nest checks and change outs if needed.
They are a very delicate bird and they need supplemental feeding and hand warmers placed in their nest if a cold front were to come thru.
The birds are making their way homeward now many sightings have been made in Florida and Louisiana.
Notice in the pic, of the rack, the dark vertical pipe in the upper right,that is a water mister to cool them down in the hot Texas summers. They are not spoiled are they?
They head back to Brazil from this area in Aug and Sept.
enjoy
dick
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Originally Posted by dicklaxt
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