The Heart of Purple Martins

The Heart of Purple Martins
Shared by Heather Gallagher
Naturalist
heather.gallagher@nashville.gov
Photos courtesy Graham Gerdeman

As you have heard by now,  it has been a banner bird year at the Nature Center. The bluebirds, barn swallows and other insect eaters are visible and plentiful, especially if you choose to view them from the comfort of a rocking chair on the back porch.

And the martins-oh the purple martins! I have documented a minimum of 11 pairs and over 40 young at our site. But let's back up.

As a federally-licensed bird bander, I check our gourds weekly beginning in mid-May, each one yielding more nests, then more eggs, then more young.

Gourd with 6 beautiful eggs.

• By May 27, I counted 32 eggs in 11 gourds. 
• By June 2, there were 46 eggs. 
• The next week eggs had begun to hatch, and I counted 29 young.  

Babies, probably around 2 days old.

Young martins display no feathers. They are all about food, and have large beaks to show for it. As they age, feathers will begin to develop in the form of pins that serve as protection for the feathers.  

Our study at the Nature Center is two-fold: we participate in the Purple Martin Conservation Association's Monitoring Project as well as the Purple Martin Banding Project through the BIRD program. Documentation of nests, eggs and young is reported to PMCA yearly, while the BIRD program info is submitted to the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory in Maryland. 

The emergence of pin feathers is an indication that the birds are at the age to be banded, around 16-20 days. Believe it or not, the band will not fit correctly until the baby martin's leg is SMALL enough for it. 

Due to the close proximity of the nests, I decided on one date to band all babies, choosing the date that babies would be in that 16-20 day old window. The gourd rack was lowered, and staff removed babies one nest at a time.

Babies ready to be banded!

 As Master Bander Laura Cook, our BIRD program coordinator, recorded band numbers, I banded each baby.

Pliers are specially adapted to securely and safely close bands.

The band can turn comfortably, just like my wedding band!

After applying bands to the left leg, Master Bird Bander Sandy Bivens returned nestlings to their proper gourds. When all birds are banded, we hoisted the gourd rack back into position, and the adults returned with food in less than a minute. 

This week has been extra interesting around the martin gourds, as a hawk has been checking out the fledglings taking their first flight. 

Hawks are one of the many predators that threaten martins.

Our martins will leave soon, gathering at a roost before heading to Central and South America. Yes--they leave Tennessee over the winter, returning next March to begin again.

Now the roost is most curious: in Nashville, Purple Martins will gather by the thousands--maybe even hundreds of thousands--in downtown Nashville around the river. So when my husband shared that Heart would be playing at Ascend last August, I jumped at the chance.

And I was rewarded! While everyone was jamming to Ann and Nancy Wilson, I was looking skyward, amazed at these incredible birds as they spiraled above the Cumberland. There must have been 30,000 martins!

Purple Martins have definitely stolen my Heart!

Creek Exploration 101

Creek Exploration 101

shared by Naturalist Rachel Anderson

rachel.anderson@nashville.gov

photos credit Rachel Anderson

With the warm, humid days here to stay for a while, it’s definitely a great time to head to a nearby creek to cool off and have fun.  For many, it’s enough to feel the cool water on your feet, let the kids splash and build dams, maybe watch a leaf boat float along lazily.

Boats made of all natural materials can be fun to float down the creek

But the naturalist in me suggests another exciting idea – look a little closer, delve a little deeper, and discover what other animals (besides humans!) can be found in the creek.

Most people have caught crayfish and there are certainly plenty of these in our creeks.  But have you really looked closely at one?  How many legs do they have? What color are the pinchers? What other body structures do you see? What behaviors do you notice when you place it back in the water? 

It’s best to pick up crayfish right behind their front pinchers like this.

And there are other invertebrates (animals without backbones) that live in the creek and are pretty easy to find.  Gently lift a small rock and look closely at the underside.  Do you notice anything moving?  What shape is it? 

How many legs does this little creature have? Do you see the 3-prong tail at the end?

Don’t worry about naming your discovery, instead focus on what you can observe, what questions you might have, and what your discovery reminds you of! 

This interesting creature reminds me of a worm or a grub. It moves like one – shrinking and growing – but it’s white all over with an interesting ring of tentacle-like structures at one end. I wonder if that is the mouth? Is this the adult form or a larvae? 

This round insect is a water penny. Finding these indicates good stream quality, as they can only live in clean water. 

There are so many tiny creatures under these rocks, you may want to bring a clear cup for temporary viewing. A white ice-cube tray also works well.  If you gently sweep your finger across the insect on the rock, you can lift it up, then dip your finger in the water to release it into your container.

Want to find more interesting creatures? Place a net in the water, downstream of a rock where the water is moving quickly. Lift the rock and anything under may float downstream into your net!  If you rub the underside of the rock while it’s still underwater, you can dislodge tiny creatures as well.

As you pick up rocks and use nets to search, be on the lookout for vertebrate animals as well, like salamanders and snakes.  Most snakes in our river are harmless and quickly move away when disturbed. 

What do you notice about this snake we found in the creek one day?  We learned these reptiles, called queen snakes, eat crayfish because it regurgitated its meal when we caught it.  Probably a good idea to leave them be in the future!

Found a 4-legged friend? Be sure your hands stay wet when handling these sensitive salamanders.

How many different animals can you find during your exploration?  What do you wonder about them? Be sure to take pictures and videos of the animals you find, and then carefully release everything back into its habitat.  And be sure to come by the Nature Center with your questions and we can help you learn more about your discoveries!