Back at my wife's family cottage on Sandy Lake, in Portage County, Ohio, I was surprised that purple martins were not occupying their houses when I stepped outside this morning; house sparrows appeared to be the only occupants, peering from the holes or lazing on the porches. Throughout most of the day, the martins did not appear.
Then, late this afternoon, about fourteen of the large swallows zig-zagged above the lake, snaring insects before settling in their homes. Usually arriving at this latitude by mid spring, martins produce a brood within a few weeks and the young leave the nest within a month; during that time, activity around the houses reaches a fevered pitch as the parents make brief sorties to feed their demanding chicks. By this time of year, however, the scene is downright sedate as the families hunt farther from home and begin to utilize larger roost sites before the late summer migration.
Indeed, purple martins often gather in massive flocks before and during their journey to the south. Often traveling across the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico, most spend the Northern winter in the Amazon Basin before heading northward through Central America and Mexico in the spring.
Then, late this afternoon, about fourteen of the large swallows zig-zagged above the lake, snaring insects before settling in their homes. Usually arriving at this latitude by mid spring, martins produce a brood within a few weeks and the young leave the nest within a month; during that time, activity around the houses reaches a fevered pitch as the parents make brief sorties to feed their demanding chicks. By this time of year, however, the scene is downright sedate as the families hunt farther from home and begin to utilize larger roost sites before the late summer migration.
Indeed, purple martins often gather in massive flocks before and during their journey to the south. Often traveling across the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico, most spend the Northern winter in the Amazon Basin before heading northward through Central America and Mexico in the spring.
