Project Purple Martin

The Purple Martins is North America's largest swallow. They are also experiencing a unique threat to their long-term survival.

Purple Martins are cavity-nesters, normally reusing old woodpecker holes, but populations in the eastern part of the U.S. depend almost exclusively on manmade housing.

Best Information - The best source of online information on Purple Martins is available at the Purple Martin Conservation Association website. All our colony hardware was ordered from there too.

Current News - Purple Martins are exhibiting nesting behavior at the gourds! Bi-weekly nest checks happen on Tuesday and Saturday.

Volunteer - If you want to volunteer to help monitor the colony this year, please fill out this form and we will keep you posted.

Scroll down for the updates from past years… it’s an amazing journey for these beautiful birds.

2024

June 5 update: ALL HATCHLINGS HAVE FLEDGED!

Yesterday, June 4, our last gourd with hatchlings fledged all 5 birds! Team RWB lowered the gourds and found 4 hatchlings but their gourd was loaded with mites. One of the original 5 presumably just fledged. We started to move the nestlings to a clean gourd without mites and they all started flying away! When I tried to catch the last one inside the gourd it ran out the tunnel and jumped off the porch! The parents were right there coaching them along to nearby bushes and mangroves.  

another beautiful day out!
THANK YOU TO ALL OUR VOLUNTEERS

3 Gourds with Eggs (FRAM, Capt G, Team RWB)

16 total eggs

11 hatchlings

8 Fledglings (twice as many as last year)

Kathy Griffin and Kermit Hunnicut have volunteered to clean the gourds again this year and store them at my house. Thanks to them, Team RWB, and all the Saturday and Tuesday gourd drop volunteers for making the season successful and fun. We will be back at it next January.

ready to go!

May 11 update: MORE HATCHLINGS!

At today’s 10:30 nest check we found 5 new hatchlings! And our original set of 5 nestlings are getting much bigger! Still no sign of mites either. So right now we have 10 nestlings and 5 eggs. 

That brings us to 16 eggs, one unviable, and 10 of the eggs hatched into healthy nestlings. 5 more eggs to go. If there are no new eggs on Tuesday, we can consider going back to once-a-week-only drops until they have all finished fledging in mid-June.

brand new purple martins!

all those intricate feathers!

April 27 update: HATCHLINGS!

Today on our Saturday nest check we found that 5 of the 6 eggs in Gourd #9 (FRAM) have hatched! And there are now 5 eggs in Gourd #5 (Team RWB)! Several other gourds have leaves so there is potential for more nests and eggs to come. Right now the parents in #9 FRAM are very busy feeding the hatchlings so stop by and watch the non-stop action. 

In addition to the newly hatched, we saw a Summer Tanager in the Live Oak!

feed me!
and keep it coming please

April 17 update: WE HAVE EGGS!!!!

At our April 16th nest check we found 6 well hidden eggs in Gourd #9 (FRAM). The first observer thought they saw one egg and when Kim Ramos peeked in from her step ladder she was able to move some of the leaves to reveal 6 eggs total! There are several other nests with evidence of nesting behavior, but no other eggs yet. So keep your eye on #9 FRAM for now to see how the parents manage during this phase. Based on the Purple Martin Conservation Association life cycle information, we can expect to see hatchlings around April 30th, and fledglings around May 25th. We will move the camera to Gourd #9 at our next nest check on Saturday 10:30am so we can get some video of the parents feeding the nestlings.

6 eggs!
Incubation lasts 15-16 dayS

nest Check!
volunteers lower the gourds
Kim R documenting

Factoids from the PMCA:

  • The female Purple Martin lays one egg per day, generally in the morning, for a total of two to eight pure white eggs.  

  • The average number of eggs per nest is four to six. Incubation begins with the penultimate (second to last) egg laid.  

  • Only the female can incubate the eggs because they have a brood patch, a featherless area rich in blood vessels that transfers heat to the eggs. Males may sit on the eggs for short periods of time, but they cannot incubate the eggs.

  • Incubation lasts 15-16 days, although incubation can be delayed due to weather. 

  • Hatching may be spread out over two or three days. The young will fledge between 26-32 days after hatching and can receive care from both parents between one to two weeks after fledging.

March 12 update: NESTING ACTIVITY
Today's nest check revealed two gourds with oak leaves and two gourds with the nest material rearranged neatly.  

  • Gourd #4 - Capt G.

  • Gourd #6 - Hugh P.

  • Gourd #9 - FRAM

  • Gourd #12 - Louise T. 

No eggs yet, but since two nests are ready it would be prudent to start the twice weekly nest checks in case they start laying eggs tomorrow. Last year it was almost 4 weeks between oak leaf evidence and eggs showing up, so that is a possibility. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Our 2024 season begins!

Join us on Jan 3 for our Third Annual gourd raising at the Marine Discovery Center. At 10AM we’ll give an overview of the project, prep some nesting material, and head over to the pole.

The PUMA scouts were sighted last week, and we are right on time.

We need volunteers to monitor, so come and sign up.

Click here or on the graphic for more info on our Facebook Page.