Purple Martins--Nesting Behavior

It is always amazing to me when a bird hangs in there, remaining on the nest while a nest-check is taking place.   

One of the tasks of a purple martin landlord is checking the nests to record progress or problems as they look after the welfare of their purple martin colony.  On one of my visits this summer to a martin colony in my area, I had the pleasure of being present for one of these nest checks.  Not only was it intriguing to see the array of twigs, leaves and other items the martins add to their nests, but also to see the several martin females that remained on their nests while the nest check was in progress.  Keep in mind, the rows of artificial gourd housing are lowered with a pulley-like system, so the bird is not only remaining on the nest through this lowering process, but through other nest checks until the portal in her gourd is finally opened for viewing.     

Personally, I call that courage.  But it is also true, that when landlords visit their birds on a regular basis, the birds become familiar with the landlord and are not alarmed when nest checks take place.  The purple martin's historical reliance on housing provided by humans and preference for the safety of living near human activity, may also help foster this trust.

In my last post I showed you a purple martin female trying to maneuver a long twig into her nest cavity.  Now, take a look at the pine cone in the nest above, and the image below.  The cone was almost the size of my hand, clearly larger than the smaller, more oblong cavity opening that it was maneuvered through.  

One has to wonder how a martin managed to grip an object this size, let alone, pull it into the nest cavity with an opening no larger than the one shown below!  

And then there's the leaves.      

A universal habit of purple martins is the addition of fresh green leaves to the nest, beginning with the completion of the loose nest structure and continuing until the eggs hatch.  Both the male and female participate in this activity, but observations seem to indicate that males become more preoccupied with this task. 

Above, you see a female martin plucking a maple leaf, and below, a male martin perched with a pear leaf before taking it into the nest. 

A report on the Purple Martin Conservation Association website gives some delightful descriptions of this leaf gathering activity (link provided below).  Practical theories for why fresh leaves are added to the nest include parasite control and thermal regulation, but the real purpose for adding the leaves remains a mystery. 

August 9th:  Update--Pine cones added by hand not beak!

Because the pine cones seen in the above nests did not make sense as nesting material, and one is quite large, I inquired about this occurrence at the Purple Martin Conservation Association, and also with the colony landlord.  Many purple martin landlords collect pine straw and place it in the nesting cavities prior to martin nesting activity to encourage nest selection.  Pine needles are often raked into a pile, and along with them, some pine cones.  When grabbing a handful of straw to place in a nest through the opened portal, sometimes a cone that is not open won't be felt.  This is what the landlord believed happened, especially in the case of the larger pine cone.    

Coming up:  More fun stories about purple martins!

Links and Resources:

Purple Martin Conservation Association:  Green Leaves and Martins

To see all my posts on this colony visit:  purple martins.  The most recent post will be first.

Visit my Purple Martin with Prey painting and watch it take shape at Vickie's Sketchbook.

Purple martin eggs and babies

Purple Martins Finding a Summer Home

South Austin, TX--Saving Martin Babies from Heat

Purple Martins--Contenders for Bird-World Personality Award

Typically, its my observation of a species that inspires interest and the desire to create art, but it can also happen the other way around.  I recently received a request for a painting of a purple martin, a bird that I was familiar with, but that I had never had opportunity to observe.  I said, yes, of course.  I love a challenge, especially when it comes with the opportunity to get better acquainted with a bird species.  But then, I immediately wondered, how am I going to accomplish this?  I don't even know anyone with a purple martin colony.

Not an obstacle.  Purple martin landlords love their birds and many belong to a local and/or national purple martin organization.  In this case, the Purple Martin Conservation Association located a colony landlord for me, who graciously allowed me free access to the colony, gave me the opportunity to participate in a nest check, even loaned me a ladder for a better view, all in a perfect location for uninterrupted observation.

Female purple martin above and below.

Observation time with these birds was totally fun.  As martins return to the breeding colony in the spring, what you initially see looks like chaos.  But there is the making of social order from all that activity.  The birds are selecting mates, nest sites and compatible neighbors, and what appears to be confusion, is simply a highly social species sorting out relationships, and progressing toward the order that will see them through the breeding season in a colony of closely positioned nests.

So if you haven't had a chance to spend time with martins, you are in for a treat.  The only thing lacking is the vocals.  A very chatty species!  Below you will see a series of images of a female trying to add a twig to her nest.  Her determination was astounding.  I didn't count how many times she tried before she actually succeeded, nor do I know whether her success was a learning process or just accidental trial and error, but she was no slacker in persistence.  And whether her mate, or a neighbor, her efforts caught interest and comment from the male perched beside her.  Also notice the beautiful blue sheen of sunlight on his feathers.  (click on images to enlarge)

  

She was one of many birds going about this challenging activity.  Both males and females were flying in with mouths full of nesting materials, all sizes and description.  I'll show you more about this in my next post.

To see more of my sketches and the painting's progression visit:  Purple Martins at Vickie's Sketchbook.

To learn more about purple martins, visit:  The Purple Martin Conservation Association

For a visual comparison between the plumage of males and females and younger birds visit;  Chuck's Purple Martin Page