THE PURPLE MARTIN ADVENTURE
by Cedar Key Resident Scott Wright
June 2, 2020
To fulfill a National Audubon grant, Cedar Keys Audubon tackled setting up two purple martin (PM) complexes. Everyone involved was a novice when we started. Fortunately, we got some very helpful guidance from Dr. Jason Fischer, Conservation Program Manager Disney's Animals, Science, and Environment. It became clear that one does not just set the complexes out and they will come! Until they are established, purple martins need foster parents. Cedar Key’s Scott and Beth Wright came to the rescue. Scott shares their adventure. …Jay Bushnell, Cedar Keys Audubon President
One complex of six units, with “AC and a view overlooking the marsh” was set up on their property. In early February, Ronnie Taylor graciously gave us permission to install another condo on his lot between the Hardware Store and Fire Station. It then became a family affair with the Wright’s daughter, Irene, on pandemic hiatus from college, helping to install the unit.
In the meantime, PMs were arriving on the island and returning to established older condos, many unknown to us. Every day, they would fly and chortle right over our new condos ignoring them. We purchased a song box and timer to lure in the birds. Not knowing the best volume setting, we had to lower the volume when we started getting calls from the commercial airlines because the noise was scaring the passengers when the jets flew over at 45,000 feet. Also in the meantime, a bevy of English sparrows decided they were less discerning than the PMs and started to move in. I had read that this might be a problem and so began removing sparrow nest material several times a month. Then I tried plugging the entrances to each unit hoping to thwart attempts to re-nest. That did not seem to work either as the sparrows seemed to hang around the condos out of spite. They were not nesting, just there…all the time.
Then one day it happened. Eureka! We had found a tolerable volume for the song box and, lo and behold, PMs were buzzing the condo! Right there! Six or eight of them were flying about and calling and trying to land when……there he was…..the sparrow from hell! He would chase away the PMs every time they tried to land. After about 10 minutes, the martins left but the sparrow remained. No martins returned, but the sparrow stood on the perch and shouted to the world that he was ruler of the realm, every day. day after day. Then I suppose he got bored because he too did not visit the condo much anymore. While all this saga was unfolding, I did notice that several martins seemed to fly south over our property to fly over the marsh and then fly back north each day. After some sleuthing, I discovered another condo (privately owned, smaller unit, no AC, no view) which was where these martins were nesting. But aghast, the martins were nesting right next to…..English sparrows! How could this be? They were actually talking to each other, like they were friends!
Then just this past weekend, I heard the purple martin song box, except it wasn’t our box, it was a real martin! Yes, a real bird! There he was resplendent in his blue-black shiny feathers. First on the perch, then at each vestibule, he would stick half his body inside the entrance but not go completely inside. He did this to each unit. Another martin arrived and sat on the perch singing. After a short while, it flew away. Then the first bird left only to return about an hour later and repeat the same curious behavior. After a while, it flew away and has not been back yet. No sign of the sparrows either. I lowered the condo, and everything looked fine. So, keeping fingers crossed the martins will return. We are nearing the end of the time of year when new birds arrive and seek nesting sites. I am confident that we will get birds. I just don’t know when, but it will be exciting.