My Purple Martin BLOG

I have been thinking a lot lately of the latest fad of “going green”. It seems like using environmentally friendly products has become all the rage. Reducing ones carbon footprint has become the quest of many. But with all these acts of conservationism none is as humble and beautiful as what a Purple Martin Landlord does for his birds.
Not many people are aware of the plight of the Purple Martin. Besides the fact that most people have NO idea what a Purple Martin is, the act of putting up a house or a gourd for a Purple Martin to live in is becoming a remnant of a bygone era. Much like families sitting together for dinner-SANS Television, putting up housing is something more of us should do but not many of us actually do.
What is so compelling about this bird anyway? It’s about 8 inches long and so are a lot of other birds. The males are a steely blue-ish black…OK. The females not as fancy looking…alright. What is the big deal? Since these birds will never visit your backyard bird feeder most people will never get to find out. But if you are blessed enough to witness them, you will be taken in by their beautiful song, unquestionable grace in the air and apparent joy of flight.

So why am I writing this? You wanted to help the environment. You want to make a difference in the world. Feel free to donate money to save the Whales. Don’t let me stop you from recycling the newspaper. But other than a change in your routine and giving up a Starbucks Latte twice a week, what do you want to do? Do you want to make a difference right in your own backyard?
Many people want to help nature but they just don’t know how. We go to our local “Mart” super store and spend 20 bucks on a nest box and complain that no birds ever nest in it. So, what can YOU do to make a difference? CAN you even make a difference? ABSOLUTELY! It’s not easy and sometimes it’s not pretty either. But the joy you will experience, the pride you will feel, the sense of accomplishment will be amazing!
Back in the 40’s and 50’s, when putting up a house for Purple Martins was popular, you could drive down a road and see birdhouse after birdhouse. Heck, there was a time when parks and public areas would put up housing for Purple Martins. Then something happened. Somewhere along the line, we forgot about those that were so completely dependant on us for their continued survival.
So what happened? We may have many opinions on that but one thing is certain. Literally, only individuals, like you, hold the key to this birds survival.
That’s right, You-by putting up Purple Martin housing- can be personally responsible for bringing Purple Martins into the world. You can be single-handedly, the most important factor in those birds life. For what purpose does any life have? Only to be born and die, and hopefully adding some offspring to the mix. As long as more are added to the population than die, we will slowly and surely fill the skies with Purple Martins. But your help is needed. Your actions are vital. Join fellow Landlords and raise up a Purple Martin house and enjoy the song and grace and joy that you will have added to the world.

For more info on Purple Martins go to: www.PurpleMartins-R-Us.com
Or check out some of the links on the right.

I recently posted about my desire to help my local rehab center obtain Purple Martin housing. You may or may not know what is my relationship with Folke Peterson Wildlife Center. It all started with an injured fledgling I named Beau. On his maiden flight (or shortly thereafter) he got stuck in a metal chain link fence for an unknown amount of time. By the time I noticed he was in distress, he was weak and dehydrated. Beau was rehabbed by Folke Peterson and owes his life, as do many animals, to the people that work there.

You may be wondering what I am doing to help FPWC, as I am asking people if they would like to donate to FPWC. I mean, Geez, ”You have a website and sell all kinds of stuff and even Purple Martin Housing-just donate one of the houses you sell.” Well, if I was independently wealthy, I would. I have wholesale agreements with the people whose Purple Martin Housing I sell but none of them are free. Folke Peterson will have the option to purchase (at wholesale prices-for NO profit) from my site any of the housing I sell. OR since it is their donation money they can purchase it from whatever source they wish. My MAIN interest is helping them to get housing up. Do I have ulterior motives? YES! Because I know that when people see Purple Martins in flight, they will be astounded. Others will then want to get Martin houses up of their own. Hundreds of children will be exposed to these birds. Perhaps some of them will tell Mom and Dad about these birds. Perhaps a few people will be as taken and fall completely in awe of them-as I have.  But I am off on a tangent.

Follows is an exerpt from their site about the history of the center:
“In 1969 Bonnie Findlay and her brother Wallace Findlay founded The Bambi Bird & Wildlife Sanctuary, one of the first wildlife rehabilitation operations in Florida, on 31 acres of undeveloped, Australian pine-wooded land west of State Road 7, (441), and just south of Southern Boulevard in Western Palm Beach County.

Bonnie and Wallace dedicated the rest of their lives to the cause of helping injured, sick, and orphaned wildlife, by nursing them back to health, and releasing them back into their natural habitat.

With little more than their own time, money, and unending compassion, they generously cared for this area’s native wildlife and protected the animals living on their designated sanctuary.

In February of 1997, a devastating fire destroyed the Findlay’s home and two other buildings. Tragically Wallace Findlay perished in this dreadful blaze. Bonnie was diagnosed with cancer soon after and passed away in 2000. But before she died, Bonnie decided to partner with The Folke Peterson Foundation, named after a South Florida dairy farmer who bequeathed more than $25 million dollars of his money to animal causes in 1989.

The causes and dreams of these two animal lovers, separated by time and distance, but with similar visions, came together in 2001 when the Peterson Foundation Trustees and Bambi’s Board of Directors agreed to construct and fund the building of a $2,000,000 facility on the property, while at the same time renaming Bambi as The Folke Peterson Wildlife Center, at the Findlay Sanctuary. The original board members of the Peterson Foundation, including Chairman Don Champion, Frank and Emily Van Vliet, Howard Usher, Rick Kornmeier and Sue Shearouse were instrumental in crystallizing this joint vision into a long range plan for the future that would include the state-of-the-art facility we have today.

“I spent much of my youth feeling lonely and out of place,” Wallace once said. “So when I see sick animals that are injured and scared, I feel compelled to help. My dream is to build a wildlife hospital here, and I know if I keep working towards this goal with purpose and dignity, it will come to pass.”

Through the dedication and hard work of countless people, both past and present, that dream is being fulfilled.

With the Findlays’ and Folke Peterson’s hopes for the future in our minds and hearts, we proudly carry on the work of saving wildlife, educating the public and preparing to ultimately become a teaching hospital for current and future wildlife veterinarians and wildlife rehabilitation professionals.”

Last season when I had a fledgling martin that had been injured I brought him to Folke Peterson Wildlife Center. The fledgling was cared for and I was allowed to return the fledgling to my colony for release back to its natal site. One of the veterinarians there related to me that her parents had been Purple Martin Landlords and when the director of FPWC told me of their interest in putting up housing I was thrilled to offer whatever help I could. I will be monitoring their future site weekly as well as teaching their staff on how to manage their colony (including S&S control). Also I will ensure that all entrances are SREH.

So, on behalf of Folke Peterson,  if anyone wants to join me in helping Folke Peterson obtain housing for Martins, we would be grateful for your help.

If you would like to donate unwanted used housing that can be rehabilitated,
donate new housing,
or spare funds
Please, I ask that you donate any money directly to FPWC.

You can call FPWC at: 1-561-793-BIRD (2473) Make sure you tell them that your donation is for the Purple Martin project as they are a 501 (c)(3) not for profit, tax-exempt organization and they rely on donations for all aspects of their operations.

Checks can be mailed directly to them at:
Folke Peterson Wildlife Center
10948 Acme Road
Wellington, Florida 33414

Just write:“Purple Martin Project” on your check to make sure that the funds are allocated correctly.

You can contact me if you have questions related to getting any housing donations to the South Florida area. CONTACT SUSAN.

This high profile facility is often in the news for its help with local wildlife issues and gives classes (free of charge) to 3 or 4 groups weekly with up to 60 children per group. They could do great things for the cause of Purple Martins in the South Florida area by educating the public on our beloved bird; As Florida’s housing boom of the last decades has NOT included housing for Martins.

Thank you,
Susan Halpin

Here is a link to the FPWC site : http://fpwildlife.org/

“FPWC Mission Statement

The Folke Peterson Wildlife Center (FPWC) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization licensed to provide care for sick, injured and orphaned native Florida wildlife. Our primary goal is to return healthy, rehabilitated animals to their natural habitat as soon as possible. Unreleaseable animals are sometimes used as ambassadors for their species in our public education programs promoting tolerance and appreciation of wildlife.

Our ultimate goal is to become one of a handful of wildlife veterinary teaching hospitals in the country.

As we are not government funded, we rely on donations”

It had been some time  since I saw Jose. Last time we spoke he told me how talking about the martins had made him realize how much he missed them. As a landlord I can understand. A protectiveness and responsibility becomes part of your everyday life. He told me that he used to feel like he was a part of them, and when he left his home for the last time to go to the nursing home, he did not realize that he would never come back. “I guess I always thought that I would go home and go back to how it was. I never thought I would stay here so long.” I asked him if he thought his neighbors would ever see the birds return and put housing for them. “The last time I saw them houses they were a mess. Between me not taking care of that wood like I should and the storms…there wasn’t much left. My neighbors…they were not so much better off than me, you know? I don’t think people care too much for birds anymore. They care that they have a nice car and nice stuff. They talk big now saying we all use recycle this and that. But you know what I think? I think that recycling propaganda and green this, organic that…makes it all easy for people to not give a damn. They all think that they are doing their part but no one goes through the work. No one puts up the houses for the martins, leaves the old trees to rot and give the woodpeckers a place to live, fills the feeder with the good seed, kills those $&!^ Sparrows. They all want life wrapped in a pretty package with a pink bow.” We paused there and I felt a bit uncomfortable with his anger but I understood it. I finally said, “Hay, I don’t like them sparrows either!” He laughed and that seemed to release some tension. “I know, I know, you need to bring me a trap so I can put it our here for these ones here!” He said. I changed the subject and told him about the Red-Bellied woodpecker that has been occupying a wooden bird house on a pine tree next to my driveway. Earlier this year an Eastern Screech Owl had nested there. Now it appeared that the Woodpecker was taking a turn. He seemed happy to hear that news. “Ohhh good good.” He said happily. I finally remembered that I had brought him a small photo book of some of pictures I had taken this year and we flipped through it. I gave him a little background on all of the martins that I had photographed. The young momma with the bald neck, the ASY male with the bad attitude. The first pairs initial squabbles over which nest they would ultimately settle on. He seemed to enjoy it and it reminded him of individual birds that he would recognize in his own colony. I left it with him and said my good byes and realized that even the tiniest moments are a treasure. What Jose would not have done to be sitting on his chair in his own backyard with a sky full of Purple Martins swirling above him.

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September 4, 2004, a date that will live in infamy. Well, at least for me it will. 13 days prior to that I had given birth to my son via cesarean. After being discharged from the hospital on the 26 (I believe) I crawled into bed in pain and in a fog. My son was a blessing but feeding him was proving to be a problem. Without getting too graphic, God’s way of feeding children was not working out well. I was sleep deprived and my son was happier with a bottle in his mouth. I recall the news talk about a hurricane approaching. I also recall my every waking moment being full of diapers and bottles and pumping and all the other bits of being a brand new mom. I was a tad preoccupied. And I must admit, I was a bit weary of warnings to board up your house and store water and supplies.
I grew up in Florida and have vague recollections of what hurricanes meant for me. Hurricane David was a big to-do back in 1979 and was touted as a monster but to me it was a day off of school and a camp out at home. I think I slept through it. Hurricane Andrew in 1992 was a lot scarier. I lived on my own in the Ft.Lauderdale area and there we had wind that swayed metal street lights as if they were made of rubber. I rented an apartment and no one bothered to board any windows. I pushed my sofa up to my sliding glass door and recall stuffing my washer and dryer with all my photos and things I could NOT live without and huddled in a safe room for a few hours.
Fast forward to 2004, I guess I didn’t think that I had to be the one to prepare. My husband, never having been through a proper hurricane did not bother to fill up the bath tubs with water. By the time I realized nothing had been bought-no water, no food, no supplies, I was too tired to care and fell asleep. I awoke shortly thereafter to no power, no water, no toilet or showers. It was 2 weeks of no power and a much longer story I am writing here.
My point is: I pray that all those in the path of “IKE” heed the warnings and get out. I pray all those that need help, receive it. I pray that all those that will be suffering are helped. I pray that this hurricane brings people together in the spirit of goodness and grace. May God have mercy on Galveston tonight.

I was partly amused at a story I saw on CNN this morning. Apparently the European Red squirrel is being seriously threatened by America’s larger more aggressive Grey squirrel. The red squirrels are trying to wage a comeback with the help of active conservationists who are trapping and euthanizing the American squirrels. I am sure at some point a rich American will probably spend millions of dollars to have trapped grey squirrels returned to the USA to be repatriated to their native soil.

 I have written about North America’s plight against European invaders such as Sparrows and Starlings. The fight is not for the faint of heart and I am sure that it may seem cruel to some. One thing must be kept in mind. In 50 years, if nothing was ever done to control Sparrows and Starlings here…or grey squirrels in England-our native species would be urban legends. Much like the Dodo bird whose extinction was sealed when cats and dogs (among a few) were introduced to the island of Mauritius. These animals decimated the native populations of Dodos and though they did not compete with the Dodo’s, they did directly cause their demise. So, even though the squirrels in Europe and the cavity nesters in the America’s are being pushed out by direct competition by direct relatives, those related species were introduced by us. Lets not tell our Grandchildren WE were directly responsible, by our INaction to the fall of any animal. Just as we would rise up against a neighborhood bully to protect the weaker kid on the block, let us protect the weak-as God would have us do.

Art:copyright www.PurpleMartinArt.com-”PurpleMartin Lake”

My martins have been gone for over a month. Reading the posts from the Purple Martin Forums, as far north as Canada, the final martins are heading towards their premigratory roosts. Within a week or two, they will all be gone.

Down south I have noticed some other departures and some new arrivals. The Swallow tailed Kites have all left. They leave shortly after the martins do, also forming premigratory roosts. Though their numbers are far less, their size and beauty makes them no less inspiring and amazing to see. I have begun to notice large flocks of barn swallows feeding silently as they zip back and forth, fairly low to the ground. Their rust colored necks and bellies in varying shades of cream and rust are a dead give away. Around the house, 15 Miles away by the Super Target, and many points in between I see them in groups of 10 to 50 birds. I would guess there must be thousands of these birds spread out all over south Florida in such a fashion. I will have to wait for the first cold snap up north to bring the large flocks of Robins that come every year. I am fortunate to live near a large wetland preserve and there are always large numbers of birds that fly to and from the preserve. Robins always coming and going to the preserve, En Mass. Some other winter time visitors to my yard make illusive appearances such as the pair of Eastern Phoebes that come every winter. 

I will shortly begin planning next season in earnest. Another pole, Predator protection, a bat house and more gourds of course. I strive to give my neighbors something to laugh at. If they only knew the joy these birds can bring.

I left a message Saturday night with Jose. I told them to let him know I would be coming by Sunday for lunch. My youngest son and I went to a Cuban restaurant to pick up something nice for Jose. I picked up an assortment of pastries and croquettes and a couple of bottles of “Malta”. (It’s a soda type of beverage)

My son was a handful and all he wanted to do was run around. Having worked in a nursing home (10 years ago) I was totally freaked out by this. Doesn’t he KNOW what spills on these floors! Uh, no…he’s two…why would he know. OK, OK, so I couldn’t get Jose out to the patio fast enough. Jose looked the same. Lanky and happy to have someone to talk to. My son was fascinated with his wheelchair but soon took to playing in the grass while we talked. Between bites of food Jose told me little stories of his time in Brazil. I gather that his father was not around much. Apparently his job took him to some other town and he would return on weekends. He and his mother were close though.

I told Jose that I recently had taken all my Purple Martin housing down, as season is over. I asked him if he did the same. “Yes, for quite some time” he said, “But little by little the body gets lazy and the mind gets tired, then I started leaving it up. The rain was hard on the would, though. It was cheap wood.” Jose had told me on an earlier visit that he would use wooden pallets and take them apart to pirate the wood for Purple Martin houses. I asked if he pre-built nests for the Martins. “Oh sure, sure. I would use a lot of palm trees.” You mean pine trees? (Typical nests down here are made of pine straw) I asked. “No, Palm trees. I cut up the fronds after the tree drops them, like so.” He motioned with his fingers a distance of about 5 inches. “They like that alright. Sometimes, you know, they change it. Most times they like it fine. They add the leaves and I change out after they all done with the babies.” Wouldn’t the fronds get wet and soggy? I asked “Nah, its a bird. It’s no brain surgery. They like it fine.” I asked him what was the earliest that he would get the Purple Martins back and he said, “I always have everything up and ready before 3 Kings day.” (January 7-I think) “But they came earlier than that quite a few times. I think New Years one year was earliest…Sometime in 1968, or something. Long time ago. My mind gets tired you know.” With that he polished off his 8th croquette.

Weekend before last we took our two boys to Disney World. Always a big hit with them, it usually results in years taken off my life. We went, as usual, to magic Kingdom. I found myself taking photos of Sparrows which simply covered the floor in some areas. Apparently they are in the midst of fledging young. The fledglings were easily in arms reach in some spots. I jokingly said to some friends at the “Purple Martin Clubhouse” that it took all myself control to not reach over and put them out of my misery.Hosp fledgling

I think I will enter a few of the photos on my GALLERY site  ,as I got a few good shots that may help some of you with HOSP Identification. Like this photo of a female hosp shows the UN-streaked chest and light streak behind the eye.

The last time we went to Disney we saw the Purple Martin houses that they had at Epcot. Top class housing. At the time I asked a few Disney personnel that walked by if they had any info on who cared for them. Noone knew a thing. Purple Martins were flying about on a nasty rainy overcast day. Sparrows were abundant and perched in the entrances of several gourds. I could only hope that Disney was being responsible enough to manage the S&S. Well, it took awhile but I am pleased to report that the Epcot colony IS managed superbly by a gentleman named James Mejeur who also manages a colony at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I am not sure if he is a Disney volunteer or employee but I DO know that if the colony there can fledge martins with the abundance of S&S around, then their is no excuse for those that think they can not beat the pesky S&S. Mr. Mejeur cleans the HOSP nests out every two days and not a single one fledged a chick out of the colony.  Even better is Between the colonies at Epcot and Animal Kingdom, they fledged close to 500 chicks this year. Astounding and simply wonderful! I love Disney even more, now that I know this about them. My hats off to James and his wonderful work!

OK, so you are convinced. Your Martins are outnumbered at best, “out-beaked” at worst. You have decided that all is fair in Love and War, and it’s WAR! You have gone through all this effort and as soon as you get martins to nest, the hosp show up and the martins exit, stage left.

You have to consider, with habitable purple martin housing at an all time low, the martins arrive and are desperate for nesting space. All the younger SY birds arrive and all the prime spots are full of ASY (after second year adults) birds. What is a strapping young pair of Martins to do? Well, they can wait until later in the season. Then they have to deal with hot summer temps and the disaster that can spell for nestlings. OR they can nest in housing that’s infested with (S&S) Starlings and Sparrows. The landlords will usually note that a pair started to nest, maybe even laid a few eggs but then “just disappeared”. True, several things can make a pair just vanish but I’ll bet you it’s ALWAYS some form of predation. And S&S are like cockroaches; for every one that you see, there are a dozen watching and waiting to take its place.

Enough talking. What are your trapping options?

Well, you have 3 options.

Bait trapping: Wire cage using food or nest material to lure S&S into a cage. Usually more effective with HOSP than starlings.

Nest trapping: Traps S&S within the nest compartment. Is not selective and will trap ANY bird. MUST be monitored frequently to prevent harming native birds.

Shooting:Great option for the outdoors-man who likes hunting. Takes some practice, but not as much as one might think. ALSO: check with local ordinances when it comes to discharging either a firearm or pellet gun in your area.

So lets get into this.

(FYI: ALL AUTOMATIC TRAPS WILL TRAP NATIVE BIRDS AND MUST BE MONITORED FREQUENTLY!)

Bait traps can either be repeating or not. By repeating that means it re-sets by itself. A real time saver. Some of these have a holding are that you can place a bird or two-separated from the trapping area.They work a LOT better when you have at least one bird in this area as it serves as a lure for investigating birds. But since native birds can and do get caught in these traps you must monitor this type of trap and release natives ASAP.

Cheap bird seed (lots of proso millet), white bread and popcorn make great bait for these traps. During active nesting a few feathers and nest scraps make a great lure also. Try pre-baiting an area for a day or two to get the S&S accustomed to feeding in this area before you introduce the trap. But if you have martins, a day or two can be enough to cause huge losses so weigh your options. If you don’t have the luxury of pre-baiting an area…don’t worry about it. Bait your trap and get going. These traps are available on eBay for a good price. Or just Google “sparrow traps” and see a plethora of choices. There are also traps called “funnel” or “V” traps that have no moving mechanism and work on the principle that birds aren’t the brightest bulbs. (Hence the term bird-brained) These type of traps work better with sparrows but are used quite successfully on a large scale with Starlings. Basically, a narrow entry allows entry but is difficult for the trapped birds to relocate in order to escape.

Nest traps  can either be on the Purple Martin’s housing or at a separate location that the martins would not be interested in. Such as close to a tree or under a house eaves. Traps within the Martin housing have a tripping mechanism that must be reset after each catch. Unless you make the entrance hole to the compartment containing the trap smaller, you can catch sparrows AND starlings AND MARTINS! So monitor closely. There are numerous commercially available traps of this kind, depending on what type of house or gourd you are using. My personal favorite type of nest trap is a repeating nest box trap. It automatically resets after each catch. The bird enters the “nest” and drops down into a holding cage. Since you can place this trap closer to trees or a building the chances of catching a martin are slim but woodpeckers love mine. I release them quickly.

Shooting success is based on your skill level. So practice is essential. I, personally, am not comfortable with my level of expertise but its an easy and effective way to dispose of S&S in one easy step.

So you trap these S&S and what do you do with them? First, make absolutely sure its a European Starling or an English House Sparrow NOT a native look-alike.Male and female HOSP

Well, I do NOT recommend driving them somewhere and releasing them. Unfortunately you will just waste gas and they will fly right back or give some other poor birds grief. So what can you do to quickly and humanely euthanize the S&S you trap? I HIGHLY suggest visiting one of my favorite sites SIALIS.org  for great detailed info on your options who I thank for the HOSP photos. The link will take you to their page which outlines numerous legal and non-legal techniques that people use. Whichever technique to trap and dispose of S&S I wish you luck. Remember, that being a Purple Martin landlord is an active endeavor. It is a hobby in which your success is often a direct measurement of your actions and in-actions. If you are fortunate enough to be in a situation where you are protecting your martins, please send a prayer to all those striving landlords that are doing everything right. Unfortunately, due to the damage inflicted by S&S, in Purple Martin numbers, many landlords housing sit empty waiting for those fortunate enough to wage the good fight with the S&S, to tip the scales and re populate the skies with the graceful bird we all love…the Purple Martin.

God Bless!