Leuie returns April 7.

Saturday morning Joan caught a glimpse of Leuie, our leucistic male martin and ran to get me from my job , painting the kitchen cabinets.  Sure enough Leuie had returned to his summer home. I was thrilled to see him again.  It wasn’t the best of day to return with a cold drizzle most of the day. 

Today , Thursday of the following week the weather is still cold and in spring like but tomorrow it appears the weather is set to turn spring.  I hope to have the chance to get some good photos this weekend.  

  Tonight I waited till almost dark to see which cavity he would roost in and was thrilled to see Him enter ChirpyNest number 4 located below the T-10 followed by a female shortly after.   Hopefully this is his choice of nest site for 2018. 

April 5.

Counted at least 20 birds tonight. They actually hung out on the racks and it was the first time for that this year.  Up until now the birds would come in close to dark and go right in their cavity.  Temperatures were still cool tonight so maybe with numbers up from 14-15 they are settling in. 

Spring evening

this is my viewing point many evenings while my martins are here.  Spring is a funny time. It’s just after seven pm and my birds are finally returning from a day away from the colony.   Looking up , they appear from high in the sky one by one out of nowhere. As the temperatures lower with the coming darkness the martins are reserved, preening and visiting there respective cavities.  

   Morning is still the time for activity and singing but that will change as the days get longer and warmer.  Fourteen is the count for today this last day on March in Abingdon Virginia  

Fighting it out

while watching and trying to get a good count of the early returnees I heard a  martin in distress. The problem was in a natural gourd and I see a male struggling to exit the gourd.  He then went back in and attempted again to exit. He was either trapped or stuck. 

I lowered the rack and opened the gourd to find these two males. One must have been holding the other and fighting for territory.  

I picked one up and released it. The other, I left and raised the rack again. He flew out before the rack reached the top.

 I don’t know how this would have turned out  if I had not intervened but it’s all a natural part of the life of purple Martins.  I am surprised that they are fighting so soon. This group of birds just arrived yesterday.  

the two male martins caught red handed. gourd number one is where this battle occurred.