[TN-Bird] Purple Martins at dawn

From: Melinda Welton <weltonmj@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: tnbird <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2010 16:31:36 -0500
After seeing the spectacle of the Oldham Street Purple Martin Roost at
sunset last night (15th August 2010, Nashville, TN, Davidson Co.), I
couldn't resist going out to watch the birds wake-up.

When I arrived at 5:38 this morning (sunrise was at 6:06) the first birds
were leaving the roost, which stretches about 200 yards along the bank of
the interstate. More and more birds started streaming out of the bushes
until the last martins were in the air at 5:54. Most of the birds appeared
to go off towards the northwest in a long river of birds.

The female Cooper's Hawk came and sat on a street light at 5:50 and watched
the departing birds. Once they had all left, she jumped down to the ground
on a martin that was flopping about and had breakfast.

I drove around to the end of North 2nd Street on the other side of the roost
and found one stunned martin and a freshly dead one. Over the fence I could
see the remains of about 30 martins and one obviously injured bird. There
are 2 power lines that cross the parking lot in front of the roost and
apparently kill a few birds nightly and provide easy pick-ins for the hawk.
Within a few minutes the Cooper's showed up and dispatched the injured bird.

I believe this roost is continuing to build because my guess is that there
are far more than 40,000 martins now.

For all those interested, several of us, including Scott Somershoe and a
photographer from the Tennessean, will be gathering at the Oldham side of
the roost tonight in an attempt to get a better count. It's really hard to
count when you are overwhelmed by the spectacle of the event! We will be
gathering at 7pm on Oldham Street near North 1st Street. Wear long pants and
bring insect repellent.

Melinda Welton
Franklin, TN
Williamson Co.


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[TN-Bird] Purple Martins at dawn

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