11/13/2023 0 Comments 2022 purple martin migration map![]() ![]() When fall ensues the river will provide support for other species’ migrations: ie. Children at the Purple Martin Spectacular But for a few weeks they are residents of the Maurice River marshes, and a cruise to enjoy the awe-inspiring numbers of aerial acrobats has become an August tradition. ![]() ![]() They will leave in large congregations, for migration in numbers has long been a strategy for success in many species. Purple martins feed for several weeks on the insect populations along the NJ Delaware Bayshore, building and storing fat that will fuel their trip to their wintering grounds in Brazil. There is a sense that a signal to drop in one fell swoop has been given with great authority. There they form a murmuration swirling in masses and then zeroing in on the marsh to bed down for the night. The area around the Mauricetown bridge is the location for North America’s largest martin migration staging area come mid-August on the tidal marshes adjacent to the Maurice River hundreds of thousands of martins congregate each evening at dusk. With the assistance of Cumberland County and Maurice River Township the Purple Martin Spectacular was launched. In 2002 Allen Jackson and CU Board member Leslie Ficcaglia spearheaded the creation of a festival to celebrate the annual migration of purple martins and their temporary staging along the Maurice River. The PMCA’s mission is educating martin enthusiasts in the proper techniques for managing this human-dependent species.The Migrational Staging of Purple Martins The PMCA serves as a centralized data-gathering and information source on the species, serving both the scientist and Purple Martin enthusiast. the Purple Martin Conservation Association is an international tax exempt, nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of the Purple Martin through scientific research, state of the art wildlife management techniques and public education. To follow along with the Purple Martins’ migration and learn more about how you can help ensure the future of Purple Martins, visit In addition, people interested in learning more about how to attract and care for Purple Martins can receive a free booklet by contacting the Purple Martin Conservation Association by emailing or calling 81.īased in Erie, Pa. “In return, they are rewarded with a family-like bond with the birds who return to the same colony year after year like clockwork.” ![]() “The landlords provide critical shelter for the martins,” Siegrist said. Siegrist says the very survival of the species is due in large part to scores of dedicated conservationists who invest their time, money and hearts into maintaining housing for the martins. Human-provided nest boxes are the only thing keeping the species alive east of the Rocky Mountains.” “Over the majority of the Purple Martins’ range, they are unable to nest naturally any longer. “The decline seems to be the combination of a few factors: nesting habitat loss, competing invasive species, decreasing prey availability, and climate change,” said Siegrist. Once widespread in rural America, this species, that eats billions of flying insects annually, has been disappearing at an alarming rate, experiencing a loss of one-third of its population over the last 50 years. The annual migration is a testament to the martins’ resilience as well as the unwavering dedication of thousands of ‘martin landlords’ who maintain multi-compartment nest ‘condos’ that are essential for the birds’ survival. North America’s largest species of swallow, Purple Martins winter in the rainforests of Brazil before making up to a 7000-mile migration north into the eastern United States and Canada. “Tracking the migration is not only fun, it also provides us with valuable information that helps inform our research and strengthen our efforts to make sure we’re doing everything possible to sustain the population of these amazing birds.” “The first Purple Martin arrivals of the season are always an exciting event,” said Joe Siegrist, President of the Purple Martin Conservation Association. The migration of these unique birds can be reported and tracked through a community science project called the Scout-Arrival Study. The birds were seen on March 1 in Rockport, Indiana by a Purple Martin enthusiast – one of many throughout the eastern and central United States who track and report on the birds’ annual migration on behalf of the Purple Martin Conservation Association. In a sure sign that spring is not far behind, the first Purple Martins of the year have been spotted in Indiana. ![]()
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