page Dance The of the Purple Martin By Jane Parker Myers It was over two years ago that I spotted the most beautiful Purple Martin Condo while in True Value, not knowing anything about the Purple Martin but knowing that I must have that beautiful bird house for my yard. After hinting around my son and his family presented it to me as a Mother’s Day gift. I was very disappointed after 2 years of not seeing a single Martin. Then last year while mowing the lawn I saw the most beautiful sight! It was just so breath taking that I had to stop the mower and watch. The Purple Martins had found their new home and they were thanking me with the most beautiful performance I had ever seen. I watched as they glided up and down and in and out as graceful as the most seasoned ballet performer. It was a show stopper and as though they were in the middle of a performance. Each day after that I would sit and watch their afternoon performance until they migrated. Putting up a Purple Martin house is like installing a miniature neighborhood in your backyard. The dark, glossy-blue males and brown females will peer from the entrances and chirp from the rooftops all summer. The Purple Martins perform aerial acrobatics to snap up flying insects. At the end of the breeding season they gather in big flocks and make their way to South America. Size & Shape Purple Martins are very large, broad-chested swallows. They have stout, slightly hooked bills, short, forked tails, and long, tapered wings. Color Pattern Adult males are iridescent, dark blue-purple overall with brown-black wings and tail. Females and immatures are duller, with variable amounts of gray on the head and chest and a whitish lower belly. Behavior Purple Martins fly rapidly with a mix of flapping and gliding. They feed in midair, catching large, aerial insects such as dragonflies. Martins feed and roost in flocks, often mixed with other species of swallows. They often feed higher in the air than other swallows, which can make them tough to spot. Habitat Purple Martins are colonial, with dozens of martins nesting in the same spot; they feed in open areas, especially near water. They nest almost exclusively in nest boxes and martin houses. If you are looking for a hobby and little investment then I suggest investing in a Purple Martin house. They will provide entertainment year after year as they come back to their homes until migration. 18
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