Wednesday, July 1, 2020

The Purple Martins


This is the Purple Martin nesting station the hubs and I stumbled upon
on Shore Road in Spring Lake Heights.

The Purple Martin is the largest swallow in North America.
Despite their name, 
Purple Martins are not really purple * rats * but rather a bright to deep blue color.






I was happy to see this sign, we stayed back quite a bit and I used the zoom lens on my camera.



- Most of these images are of females or immatures -






Purple Martin condominium... 


This is a female...


this one is a male, the male has more blue!

They are known for their 
speed, agility, and characteristic mix of rapid flapping and gliding in flight.
When approaching their nesting site, 
they will dive from the sky at great speeds, with their wings tucked back.

Happy July 1st, where in the world did June go?

14 comments:

eileeninmd said...

Hello Debbie,
Happy July to you! The Purple Martins are beautiful. They do have a great nesting station. Great series of photos, I love the closeups. Enjoy your day and the week ahead.

DeniseinVA said...

Happy 1st of July to you Debbie. Those martin photos are fantastic!

Marie Smith said...

Wonderful! What a fantastic find.

I saw bank swallows yesterday. It is impossible for me to capture them in flight. Have you ever been able to photograph flying swallows Debbie?

Debbie said...

hi marie...i am not able to capture "anything" in flight, i am not sure why!! i have made so many attempts, i have tried really hard, but i always come up short!!

Conniecrafter said...

Oh that is cool and it sure looks like the birds are getting great use out of that set up they have for them, nice that they have a good place to land as they are passing through. Love their blue heads, isn't it funny the names they are given. How fun to always explore and find something new not to far from home :)

Karen said...

What a great find! Terrific shots!

Rian said...

Debbie, I do so love your pics! You are an excellent photographer. Thanks so much for sharing with us.

Ruth Hiebert said...

I can attest to their speed and unpredictable movements . I tried without much success to capture them in flight, earlier this spring.You got some great shots.

LeAnn said...

I love that a nesting place is there for them. I enjoyed learning about this bird and seeing what they look like. I must say I have learned so much from you about birds.
Blessings and hugs!

Lowcarb team member said...

A lovely post about the Purple Martins.
Happy July Wishes to you :)

All the best Jan

Judy said...

My Mother got the specific plans and built a Purple Martin house, Daddy put it up high on a pole.
They are known for eating their weight in mosquitoes.

The Furry Gnome said...

That is QUITE the Purple Martin hotel! I've never actually seen one.

Linda said...

That's quite a condo! I love watching purple martins.

Brian King said...

These are great! We have Purple Martins in the state, but we don't see them where we live. I've always like seeing the condo's people put up for them!