Twelve GPS data loggers were deployed on the backs of adult Purple Martins this month to collect data on their journey to the amazon rainforest and back. These GPS data loggers will collect data five times throughout the day (every day) and can pinpoint the bird's location as accurate as a few meters. In order to…
Over the last few days our first nests of the season have fledged and with each nest check we are finding more cavities empty. It's bittersweet to see the young successfully leave the nest, knowing it's a sign that our summer with the Purple Martins is coming to an end. [caption id="attachment_214" align="alignnone" width="472"] Plugged…
It was a busy week here at the PMCA as we banded nearly 300 nestlings for our long-term banding research. Every Purple Martin nestling at the PMCA is banded after they reach eleven days old. They are fitted with 2 bands; a silver federal band on the left leg and a purple auxiliary band on…
Over the weekend, our first eggs of the season hatched. We had three nests at Sommerheim with little pink babies and expect nests at our other locations to begin hatching by the end of the week. We are almost at full capacity, with active nests in nearly every compartment. What an exciting time of year!…
Our first egg of the season was laid on May 22 in a gourd at our Sommerheim location. Although our martins arrived later than they have in recent years, they took no time waiting to lay eggs, with our first egg appearing a week earlier than last year. [caption id="attachment_182" align="alignnone" width="367"] Our first nest…
As June approaches, our colonies are filling up with martins. The adult birds have been busy building nests for a couple weeks now and have begun to bring in green leaves, indicating that they are getting close to laying eggs. The first sub-adults arrived last week and are slow to the game of nest building,…
Last week, Erie had a glimpse of spring, the sun was shining and the temperature reached 70 degrees. It was the perfect weather for the martins to finish their journey home to the PMCA. The next morning I went out to our colony sites to look for scouts. Within seconds of getting out of the…
Martin season has finally arrived! Here at the PMCA, we have been busy preparing our research colonies for their arrival. This has involved repairs on the housing from the harsh winter months (Erie, PA has received a record 192 inches of snow this winter), blocking entrances to prevent other species from nesting, and providing fresh…
My Purple Martins have been gathering hundreds of green leaves from all our trees for the last 2 weeks. No tree has been spared - the cherry, poplar, sugar maple, and river birch trees have all had their topmost, newest, most tender new leaves stripped as male and female martins alike, attack them in frenzy. …
January is slipping right by us and February is almost here! Last year, I had the earliest ever recorded arrival on Feb. 28th, and since I was on work assignment in Germany, I was ill-prepared. Coincidentally, I again have to head to Germany the last week of February, so I’m jump-starting my preparations now. I…
