A hot, humid summer day is replete with sounds of nature that remind us of the freedom of being outdoors.
One of these sounds is that of the purple martin, a deep purplish-black swallow that raises young in human-made apartments.
This bird’s song has been described as a series of boisterous throaty chirps and creaky rattles. I hear melodious, scrambled chattering. Since the martins nest near water, I equate that sound with a beach on a summer day, something I heard long ago when I didn’t know much about birds while on a family vacation.
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Finding purple martins in the eastern United States today means visiting a place where humans have erected birdhouses for them.
Centuries ago, purple martins nested in natural tree hollows, old woodpecker holes and crevices in cliffs near water throughout the U.S. In the west, purple martins still find plenty of native saguaro cactus in which to nest.
But in the eastern half of the country, including northern Illinois, purple martins now nest almost exclusively in human-made boxes. Finding natural tree hollows isn’t easy anymore, especially when competing with house sparrows and starlings that were introduced to the United States from Europe.
The idea of building these boxes perhaps came from the Native Americans who put hollowed-out gourds on a tree to attract these swallows. Today, roughly 1 million purple martin landlords in the nation care for these birds — and we are lucky that several purple martin houses have been erected and are cared for in our local forest preserves and natural areas.
On a recent June day, I hiked Independence Grove in Libertyville, and noticed the large white martin apartment complexes, raised about 15 feet high, near the lake. As I got closer to the houses, I heard the birds chortling and saw them flying overhead grabbing an insect, and then landing on the condominium holes. I could see pairs setting up their summer homes. The males are deep purple, and the females are duller with white bellies.
Purple martins are strictly insectivorous, and widespread pesticide use is likely causing their numbers to decline. A martin will catch moths, bees, mayflies and dragonflies. Though some have claimed these birds eat thousands of mosquitoes a day, research shows that mosquitoes make up only about 3% of the martin’s diet.
If you could peer inside the nest holes, you’d see a nest built of feathers, grass and straw, with four to five eggs. In about 18 days, the eggs hatch, and then both adults feed the young for about 30 more days, until they are able to fledge or fly into the new, big world.
As the summer progresses, so too do the purple martin families, and come July and August I’ll return to the martin houses to see a scurry of activity as parents fly to and fro bringing food to their young. It’s a noisy, wonderful experience.
Purple martins arrive in Illinois about late March to early April after flying thousands of miles from their South American winter homes. The first to arrive are the older, experienced males, claiming prime nesting spots and waiting for the females to return.
Those who care for the purple martin houses have a lot of work to do. They must clean the apartments and close them down after the last martin leaves in September. Come March, they open up the houses, watch for the martins to arrive, and shoo away pesky house sparrows that want to take over their homes.
When the martins arrive, landlords count the numbers and watch for signs of the adults flying into the apartments to feed the young. A purple martin landlord cannot be squeamish. Some tasks include cleaning out nests that are infested with mites that could harm the young, as well as removing house sparrow nests, which is allowed since that species is not native to the United States.
When I hear a purple martin in June, I not only marvel at the bird’s beauty, but also at the dedicated humans who work hard to keep the homes safe and ready for summer use.
Plan to experience purple martins this summer. Some places where humans are taking care of martin houses include Montrose Harbor in Chicago, the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, Lakewood Forest Preserve in Wauconda and Independence Grove Forest Preserve in Libertyville.
Like me, you may even begin to equate the true beginning of summer to when the martins are back to take advantage of human hospitality.
Sheryl DeVore has worked as a full-time and freelance reporter, editor and photographer for the baiduhai and its subsidiaries. She’s the author of several books on nature and the environment. Send story ideas and thoughts to [email protected]