Huge Purple Martin Roost in Nashville

The huge Purple Martin roost that created quite a stir at the Nashville Symphony Center last year is back. Last September an estimated 150,000 Purple Martins turned the Symphony Center into a staging area roost in their fall migration and they have returned.

Purple Martins leave their colony nesting sites by mid-July and begin gathering in flocks before moving again to the next destination on their route. Eventually they will form huge roosts numbering in the hundreds of thousands along the Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida as they continue migration to their winter homes in Bolivia, Brazil and Argentina.

The roost will likely be present for another few weeks so make it a point to go see this amazing spectacle.

Warner Park may still be looking for volunteers to assist on a nightly basis to monitor and report observations. For more information visit

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4da5ac2da3f8c34-purple1

We Need Your Help!

Hello Everyone,

Last week we posted a blog about Purple Martins and their impressive roost currently in the downtown area, specifically around the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. The numbers of Purple Martins have been estimated at 150,000. These birds are resting and feeding before they continue their migration back to South America. One can certainly understand how a flock of birds this size would make quite a mess. But to disrupt this roost would be potentially harmful to the birds. So, we have a situation here. The Schermerhorn is a nonprofit and the mess created nightly by the Purple Martins is very expensive to clean up. Please follow the link provided, read the "release", and watch the video.

You, our customers, are a great and caring bunch of people and I know you will want to help both the Schermerhorn Symphony Center and your feathered friends. Please show your support and make a donation to the Tennessee Wildlife Federation to help with the cleanup effort. The Wood Thrush Shop has donated $500 to get the ball rolling. Thanks to you, the best bird store customers anywhere, from the staff of The Wood Thrush Shop.

Sincerely,

John Carreau, Jamie Bacon, Eli Haislip, Nathan Norris

• Tennessee Wildlife Federation press release link

• >>TAKE ACTION: Support purple martins and the symphony 

• Tennessee Wildlife Federation video link

Wood Thrush Notes

Purple Martins “Staging” in Nashville

There’s an extremely interesting bird occurrence happening in downtown Nashville that is worth making the effort to go see. For many years Purple Martins have utilized some downtown areas to roost in the evenings. This year there is a truly impressive roost. What is a Martin Roost? In late summer, after Purple Martins leave their nesting colonies, they gather in large flocks to feed, socialize and rest before migrating back to South America. It is referred to as “staging”. This pre-migratory roosting can attract thousands of birds to one small area. Martins also form winter roosts on their South American wintering grounds where they will often flock together with other martin species.

By 8 pm Purple Martins by the 10’s of thousands begin settling into trees surrounding the Schermerhorn Symphony center and areas nearby. Numbers have been conservatively estimated at 150,000 by local birdwatchers. With the Cumberland River very close by there is ample flying and feeding space for lots of insect eating birds. This roost may not last much longer so do make an effort to see more Purple Martins in one place than you’ve ever seen before.

Other birds to see in large migratory flocks around downtown include Chimney Swifts and Common Night Hawks.

House Finches with Eye Disease

This has been a very productive breeding season for many songbirds. By now we would typically see a marked slowdown at bird feeding stations; however, seed sales remain strong and feeding stations busy.

One species in particular seems to have been especially productive and now in great abundance at feeding stations, and not everyone is very happy about it. Many of you have been experiencing lots of House finches (not Purple finch) at your feeding stations and, too, their annoying habit of tossing seeds out of the feeder. I’m not sure why they possess this annoying and wasteful habit and have seen them do it even with the very best quality and desired seed like sunflower hearts.

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Male House Finch with eye disease.

In addition to this annoying habit House finches are prone to an avian form of conjunctivitis. Just yesterday I had a sick House finch on a platform feeder. With an abundance of House finches, we may see significant numbers of House Finches with an eye disease known as Mycoplasmal conjunctivitis, or House Finch eye disease. You might observe an infected bird sitting quietly in your yard, clumsily scratching an eye against its foot or a perch. While some infected birds recover, many die from starvation, exposure, or predation. If you’re a songbird it’s impossible to survive if you can’t see. We hear reports and see evidence of this every year that range from sparse to wide-spread.

Birds infected with House Finch eye disease have red, swollen, runny, or crusty eyes. In extreme cases the eyes become swollen shut and the bird becomes blind. House Finch eye disease is caused by the bacterium Mycoplasma gallisepticum. This bacterium has long been known as a pathogen of domestic turkeys and chickens, but it has been observed in House Finches since 1994. The disease has affected several other species, including American Goldfinch, Evening Grosbeak, and Purple Finch

If you detect a sick finch at your feeder the standard procedure is to take down your feeders for a few days to a week and give them a very thorough cleaning. Cleaning your feeders is always a good idea and is recommended it be done on a regular basis. Soap and hot water and a good brush are recommended for cleaning and Clorox wipes are very handy to give feeding ports a thorough cleaning.

Hummingbird Activity Slowly Building

Many of you are seeing much better activity at the hummingbird feeders in recent days. At my feeders I’ve seen a 50% increase compared to last week. I believe the peak for hummer activity is still coming in the weeks ahead so even if activity has been somewhat disappointing thus far there is still time to see a major surge well in to September during migration.