Purple Martins return to S.C. - banding study

Each spring birders anxiously await a cavalcade of migratory birds that either pass through or summer here in the Lowcountry, and no one species is as visible as purple martins. Their daring, swirling flight pattern demonstrates that these smallish, black birds are skillful hunters, well suited to fulfill their destiny and police insect populations. These birds have special housing requirements and the "condo" martin houses are common, which helps to give this species a 

"high visibility" among the general public. Most folks know these birds eat bugs like mosquitos and consider them a friend to man. It's too bad that bats, who also require special housing and eat lots of mosquitoes, don't also share the kind of public support of the martins. Regular folks care about and enjoy viewing purple martins, and there is even a Purple Martin Society of North America and a Purple Martin Conservation Association (PMCA) for those wishing to "join" a team of enthusiasts. Another common housing for purple martins are gourds, a garden plant resembling a bell that hardens when ripe, making for a great bird house when a hole is cut into its shell. Each year when people ask Lowcountryoutdoors.com what consists of a spring vegetable garden they hear about sweet corn, squash, okra, carrots - and gourds - WHAT, they say - and it is explained that gourds grow similar to watermelons (making them fun to watch) and if successful you might have just made some future purple martin homes. This year South Carolinians should keep a sharp eye for purple martins with a yellow or black leg band, becasue in 2008 about 630 purple martins were banded in S.C. to study nesting success and colony-site fidelity. Banding citings should be reported to the PMCA.

Photo By Jeff Dennis: Purple martins and gourds at Pawley's Island on 4/4/09.