Tuesday, May 1, 2012

ABC Wednesday - PURPLE MARTIN-HOME WRECKER

                                                                       LETTER P


My P word this week is PURPLE MARTIN.   We purchased an apartment house for PURPLE
MARTINS several years ago.  Made sure it was 15 feet in the air and not too far from a water fountain.

The only birds that have rented it out have been Starlings.  Well low and behold this year there has been some Purple Martins coming to take over. They have been removing the nest material from the Starlings and there have been fights over the rooms.  I was able to snap a  shot of the male on the edge of the apartment house.

The manufacturers really tout their Purple Martin houses as homes where Purple Martins will live and eat the mosquitos in your yard. WELL---after looking up information on the Purple Martin I discovered that the Purple Martins diet consists of only about 2% mosquitos. OH WELL.

They do love to eat dragonflies, flies, stinkbugs, june bugs, moths, grasshoppers, cicadas, bees, wasps and flying ants.  We do have a lot of wasps so thats a good thing.

PURPLE MARTINS are aerial insectivores and eat only flying insects and they catch them in flight.  PURPLE MARTINS are daytime feeders-feed high in the sky-mosquitos mainly come out at night and usually stay low to the ground. You think we could have thought this out.

We are enjoying them coming to live in our yard.

Linking withhttp://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com/ for ABC Wednesday.



Ann

19 comments:

Carver said...

Glad the purple martins have come to live there this year. Carver, ABC-Wed. Team

Paula Scott Molokai Girl Studio said...

I've always wondered why the purple martins aren't in more places (geographically). I've never seen them here in NM. What a thrill it must be for you to have them come and live in the habitats you provided.

photowannabe said...

I would have thought the Purple Martins would like that house before now...after all it has 2 televisions!
At least they will keep the wasp population down for you.

Luna Miranda said...

lucky fellows...they have a ready apartment waiting for them.:p

Terra said...

I hope the purple martins win the home battle. They are very graceful and acrobatic as they fly.

Barbara said...

I hope you will be able to get plenty of photos of the Purple Martins now they have moved in.

Reader Wil said...

Nice story Ann! These birds look a bit like our blackbird, though I read that they are a kind of Swallows. Thanks for your contribution. Have a great week.
Wil, ABC Team.

VioletSky said...

I laughed at Photowannabe's comment, as that is exactly what I thought about those two antennae!

Meryl said...

The power of advertising! STill the house is pretty, and there is some level of 'pest' control. Have a great week!

Hildred said...

Here's to the Purple Martins, - hope they will stay with you.

Jane and Chris said...

Now you are going to have to buy a bat house too!
Jane x

Black Jack's Carol said...

I've never seen a Purple Martin, although they are in my part of the world (Vancouver) and I will continue to watch for them. Thanks for a fascinating post. Apartment buildings! Who knew?

Roger Owen Green said...

Wish WE had a wasp-eating bird!
ROG, ABC Wednesday team

Gardener on Sherlock Street said...

Nice to see the neighborhood is improving!

The French Hutch said...

What a lovely home for the Purple Martins. I've always thought it would be fun and interesting to watch the birds come and go.

~Emily
The French Hutch

Annie said...

A very nice home, I'm glad they came to you!

Linnea said...

Awesome place to perch!

Chubskulit Rose said...

Those starlings are taking over the foods we set out for the other birds at our place. That's a nice house!

P is for Pizzaroni
Rose, ABC Wednesday Team

Nan said...

Hi Ann on that fair garden in the wheel barrow. Yes I would love to make one of those if I can score an old wheel barrow around here. We don't have those purple martins and I love seeing them so beautiful.

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