PURPLE MARTINS HEADED SOUTH

We have had another successful year with martins in our boxes.  Lots of our customers have come by or called to tell us that they too have had more luck this year than in the past.  Now it is time for them to migrate south.  Where do they go?  When do they leave?  Where do they stay the winter?   These are some of the questions we are frequently asked.

Some surprising information that I have just discovered came thru my email from friends who love birds and live and bird watch in Lexington and surrounding areas.  As frustrating as computers can be, I find myself using it more and more to keep in touch with friends and to keep in touch with groups from nearby counties that enjoy bird watching.   One such group I found is part of listserve.com which has members from London and all over the state of Kentucky and the world.  One fellow bird watcher that I’m in contact with is Jim Williams who was with several birders that visited the Lexington Martin roost on Friday, August 12^th, 2011.  The roost is in the tree line adjacent to the Channel 27 building (west side) on Winchester Road a short distance east of the 1-75 – Winchester Road intersection.  The building is on the left as you go east.  You can’t miss their tower. Jim and several other observers stated that there were thousands of martins along with a significant number of Starlings, (possibly 10,000 or 20,000) martins.   Mosquitoes and small winged bugs look out.  The martins are known to gather in these roosts as they work their way south in the late summer.  Generally the roost is located by watching the weather service radar about dawn when they leave the roost.  The birds didn’t start coming in until at least 8:15p.m.  The site is http://radar.weather.gov.  You might want to try this from your area, as it has been mentioned that there is a large roost which is at Exit 25 near the underpasses, near Cracker Barrel, in Corbin, which includes lots of martins.  I’ve always noticed lots of starlings but never gave it a second thought that martins and starlings roosted together. Over the years, here at the store, we’ve learned so much about the birds in our area and their habits, and with lots more to learn, I’m always fascinated when something like this comes along.  Gleaning that information thru the internet is always exciting (I can’t believe I said that).  Another friend Ed Talbot, was at Lake Linville in Rockcastle County on August 27^th and spotted a Bald Eagle, while David Lang and friends, birding in Scott county,  spotted a black billed cuckoo, a redstart, a couple of blackburian warblers,  a prairie and a Tennessee warbler, which are good signs of the fall migration beginning.   These sightings encourage me to be on the lookout for different birds.   One of your best tools to spotting new birds is a good pair of binoculars and a field guide.  Both tools help you to identify and get more familiar with the birds and wildlife in your backyard.  These tools help us realize that often there is lots of birds coming thru that might not stay here and nest but that we have an opportunity to see at our feeders and in our surroundings. 

I’m do not dread winter, but as the leaves turn and fall from the trees and the colors begin to fade, it is always a lift to see a bright feathered friend on a welcome visit to our backyard feeders.  Now is the time to clean your feeders and get them ready for the winter feedings.    Wash with a wire brush and a mixture of ¼ cup bleach to 1 gallon of water.   It is also time to check your winter bird baths to make sure they are clean and consider buying a heater for those cold days.  My husband is already trying to turn the heat on at our house, so I know winter is approaching.