Last week I shared a video of our Austin Purple Martin Roost, where many thousands of Purple Martins soar together through the July sky before settling in for the night. These large flocks are called roosts, and eventually the birds will migrate together group by group to South America, where they will fatten up on insects during the winter before heading back to North America next year to nest once again. I went back a few days ago, this time with a functioning battery in my regular camera, to capture a series of images of the birds.
When we first arrived, the birds were still mostly in the sky.
But as the sky darkened, the birds began to come in to land. They had only a few trees, maybe three in all, that were the choice resting spot. Other trees nearby remained empty.
The sheer numbers of Purple Martins continue to astonish me, and the very loud zzzhhhhh sound of the birds in the trees could rival the worst summer cicada population.
It can be tricky to find for the birds to find a place to perch as they join their companions.
Just look at how many birds eventually gather together on each branch! It amazes me the trees manage to stay upright under all that weight.
This time, there was a crowd of bird watchers gathered in the nearby mall parking lot for the occasion. They oohed and aahed, too. Most of them stayed farther back, while a few brave souls joined me by the trees. For the sake of these pictures, I got pooped on three times — thank goodness for my giant floppy hat!
Wow! I had no idea this was going on less than a 10 minute drive from me. Thanks for braving the fallout and getting these shots! I’ve got to try to get over there before they migrate.
Amazing shots…I have never seen this in person but it looks amazing…what we will o for our pictures 🙂
Amazing, even after seeing the video previously. There must not be a flying insect for miles.
Only three “hits”? It seems like you’d need to wear a raincoat under that flock. 😉
Amazing! That was foresight to bring the floppy hat … I’ve never seen anything like it – thanks for sharing. It’s interesting to see birds already flocking south for the winter, when it’s the heart of summer …
Okay, so nothing to do with purple martins specifically, but do you have any recommendations on what type of bird feeders to get? I know you make your own seed mixes avoiding the milo and millet, but I don’t know what type of feeder to put them in – one of the tube types with little perches at the holes, one of the lantern styles, a finch sock or suet holder, or just put everything on a flat plate on the outside table? SO CONFUSED!
Isn’t nature truly amazing? Great post Meredith.
Hi, Katina. It depends on the kinds of birds you are wanting to attract as well as the ones you want to avoid. Songbirds are generally happy with the tube feeders, but cardinals can’t use the perches, so they like it if you have a tray at the bottom. However, trays allow larger birds like doves to get seed. House finches will use the regular tube feeders and/or socks, but goldfinches seem to prefer thistle in thistle tube feeders. I have a tube feeder with a dome and a tray AND a homemade cage around it to keep the doves from eating everything, and I also have a tube seed feeder with no dome and no tray. I have two plastic trays with adjustable domes that can be lowered to keep doves from landing, though I don’t mind if a dove lands there (just not 4 of them). And finally I have a plastic tube feeder with little holes for thistle. So far it’s all worked out well — they are very popular!