Purple Martins
Purple Martins (Progne subis) are a unique species even among other unique birds! These sizable aerial insectivores nest only within human-manufactured cavities including gourds, apartments and other types of boxes essentially everywhere to the east of the Rocky Mountains. This is due to Native Americans hosting them in gourds for thousands of years, slowly shifting their breeding behavior to using artificial structures as it was such a successful and mutually beneficial relationship. Without our help it is likely they would be entirely eliminated in this part of their range. Marketing is a...
Read MorePurple Martin Wire
There are precious few moments for Purple Martins (Progne subis) to rest at this time of the year with so many hungry mouths to feed back at their gourd. All of the cool butterflies and dragonflies that we regularly post are prey for these birds, and if you visit an especially populated gourd colony you will end up finding parts of them on the ground underneath. They used to be billed as mosquito eaters to help sell those apartments (ain’t marketing grand?) but the Purple Martin relies on much larger prey. If you ever have the chance to watch them feeding their young be prepared for...
Read MorePurple Martins (Progne subis)
Placed along a number of yards and marinas along Chautauqua Lake, these gourds create little neighborhoods for a number of nesting Purple Martins (Progne subis). During the breeding season, Purple Martins will take up residence in these man-made houses to safely nest and raise their young. As the little ones begin to hatch and grow, both the male and female will collect bug food to bring back to them. These large aerial insectivores are incredibly acrobatic and able to turn on a dime in order to pursue a fleeing insect. This summer season, no bug will be safe while the Purple Martins are in...
Read More
