Foam Lake Birding No. 190

FOAM LAKE BIRDING

No. 190

            Wrens and Tree Swallows notwithstanding The bird most sought after by residents of both towns and farms alike is the Purple Martin.  It is one of the few birds that nests in colonies which endears it to people.  (See Article No. 9). 

            Although Purple Martins used to nest singly (in pairs) in abandoned woodpecker holes they do like to nest in colonies if at all possible.  In this respect they have been well aided by man and man alone – a welcome change from the doom and gloom of the negative effects of human activities on wildlife.  This was first done by the native inhabitants of the southern USA and Mexico by putting out groups of gourds suspended from a snag or on a pole.  Modern man has substantially improvised on the quality and quantity of housing available for the Purple Martin. 

          The most common is the multiroom birdhouse ranging from fewer than six rooms to more than fifty, although, twelve and sixteen are the most common.  To make one of these houses takes a good bit of building skill and even more patience.  Fortunately, there are many commercial ones available.  Depending on the materials used and the amount of ornateness, a 16 room birdhouse can be had for as little as $30.00 to well over a $1000.00.  The cheaper ones are usually made of aluminum or plastic; the more expensive ones are made of wood with fancy trim made of various coloured metals. 

           Another effective system is to hang several single room birdhouses in a group from a pole fitted with several cross arms from which to hang the houses.  Gourds (a type of pumpkin) can also be used but they do not grow in Canada so are more or less restricted to the southern USA and Mexico.  Because these single dwellings are hung on a short chain or wire they will swing a bit in a wind.  Like Tree Swallows, Purple Martins do not mind a moving birdhouse but House Sparrows and Starlings do not and avoid them.  Another great advantage of this system is that the number of houses can be increased or reduced as the need arises.  It is also easier to replace or repair a one room house than a multiunit one.  This system of many single houses suspended in close proximity to one anther is gaining in popularity. 

The size of the “living room” of the house should be about 8in. by 8in. by 6in. high.  The entrance should be about 2in. in diameter and positioned about one inch above the floor.  Perches are an option but not required.  However, a TV antenna type of perch mounted on top of the pole seems to be greatly appreciated by the martins that do like to perch high up.  In fact a discarded TV antenna would work very well and can stand up to some very severe weather.  The houses should be out in the open away from trees. 

            Then, one can only wait and hope.  We were lucky as we had a colony move within days of putting up our 12 room house (this week’s picture); others have waited for years and sometimes even then with no results.  Such is the way of Purple Martins.  If this is your first attempt, good luck with your forays into the world of Purple Martins.

Foam Lake Birding No. 119

FOAM LAKE BIRDING

No. 119

Considering the weather of the past two years I never thought I would find myself welcoming rain but that is exactly what I did as I was writing this article this morning. By all accounts this rain was appreciated by both town and farm folk alike. Another personal benefit to me was that being confined to the indoors gave me the time to deal with an ever growing stack of paperwork including this article.

This past week a variety of birds, especially Robins and House Sparrows, have hatched young and are presently feeding them. The interesting thing is that the young remain very quiet until the parents come in with food and then the "baby chirping" kicks in. Nests that were previously hidden and unnoticed are now out there for everybody to see exposing the young to potential predators. However, this problem exists for a brief time only as the young fledge quickly and serious predation is not a big problem.

While birds like Robins and House Sparrows have already raised a brood and are getting ready to raise a second and even a third later on, birds like Goldfinches have just started nesting. It is interesting to note that birds that raise multiple broods usually are either permanent residents or birds that arrive early in the spring and leave late in the fall. Birds, like Purple Martins and Yellow Warblers, that raise only one brood arrive later in the spring and leave earlier in the fall.

This past week or so we have seen a number of Tree Swallows flitting about in our backyard and in neighbouring yards checking out suitable nesting sites. Being cavity nesters they readily accept bird houses of just about any kind and anywhere. Our yard has several bird houses including one unoccupied one which the swallows did check out but nothing definite so far. My wife related a humorous incident that she witnessed on one of her early morning walks. A Tree Swallow was trying to land on the "O" on the stop sign by the school. Apparently, it thought the "O" might be an opening into a suitable nesting site! This is rather late for them to be still looking for sites and not already raising young and perhaps the lack of cavities has made the birds somewhat desperate and frantic.

The male Tree Swallows are pure white underneath and steely blue on top from the forehead to the tail tip. When perched they give the appearance of being dressed in formal wear for a very important social function. The females are much the same with the black being more subdued. In a nutshell, the males show more contrast . Once seen they really cannot be mistaken for any other bird.

This week's photos of a male (back facing) and female (front facing) were taken several years ago when the pair nested in a birdhouse in our backyard. The birds were very confiding allowing us to approach them within a metre or two before flying off a short distance and then landing again. They are very pleasant to have around and I hope a pair decides to nest in our yard this year.