![]() ![]() Other times they are fluttering above in a perfect arc. Tails flared, letting the air do the work of holding them up, they silently alight on a landing in front of a gourd. Sometimes you will see them coasting toward the gourds from a distance, coming in for a landing. Some birds stay with the gourds, while others fly off, circling above to forage, as yet others return. The colony at SoFo is one of eight on the South Fork and it’s full of intrigue and activity. Females have dark gray wings and head, a white belly, and sooty gray collars and throats. If the light hits them right, or if you’re close enough, you can separate the deep purple feathers on their head and shoulders from the black feathers of their wings. The males are uniformly dark and appear simply black when seen in flight against the sky. He even noted that “The Indians of the South encouraged the birds to come about their fields by putting up gourds for their accommodation.” John Bull, in “Birds of New York State,” wrote, “In prehistoric times the purple martin undoubtedly bred in hollow trees.” Gilbert Pearson published “Birds of America,” martins were almost exclusively dependent on man-made housing. In the eastern United States, purple martins rely completely on humans for their housing needs.Īs long ago as 1936, when T. “Thirty-one have active nests with eggs or are busy building nests and I expect will have eggs,” said Mr. He also reports all its data to the Purple Martin Association.” Because of his stewardship, the colony has thrived. “He came to us 10 years ago when the colony was first starting and said he’d love to help ensure its success. ![]() “We’re very fortunate that John volunteers his time to monitor the colony,” said Frank Quevedo, the executive director at SoFo. I slept on the couch in front of this big picture window and just outside the window was this purple martin colony and it was just a source of endless interest,” he said. “My grandfather had colonies on the shore of Lake Huron and I used to spend my summers with him. “I’ve been a purple martin fan since basically age 1,” said John Shemilt, the steward for the purple martin gourds behind the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton. ![]()
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