[wisb] Omaha's purple martin phenomenon

 From Maureen Gross
Mukwonago, Waukesha County


http://www.omaha.com/article/20100731/NEWS01/707319849 

 

Jul 31, 2010

*Purple martins swarm midtown*

By Nancy Gaarder <mailto:nancy.gaarder@xxxxxxx>
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER


JAMES R. BURNETT/THE WORLD-HERALD

*Thousands of purple martins and other birds will be gathering at the 
Nebraska Medical Center between 8 and 9 each night for the next couple 
of weeks. *

Unlike central Nebraska's internationally known gathering of sandhill 
cranes, the latest Midlands bird migration is a distinctly urban spectacle.

Which makes it that much easier to enjoy.

Approximately 12,500 purple martins are gathering nightly in one midtown 
Omaha block, preparing for what's typically a late-August departure for 
South America.

Eventually, their numbers could swell to 30,000 or more, if recent years 
are any indication.

"Not to diminish the sandhill cranes, but with purple martins, people 
are their allies," said Jim Ducey, an Omaha birding enthusiast.

Bird houses in many backyards have replaced lost habitat, and city 
environments offer some protection from martin predators.

Each night, the birds settle down to the same background music as their 
human counterparts:

A bit of percussion as a car rattles a manhole cover. The deep bass of a 
city bus accelerating up Farnam Street. The staccato 
thwack-thwack-thwack of a police helicopter.

It doesn't bother the birds at bit.

"None of these things can eat a purple martin, and they seem to have 
figured that out," said Greg Butcher, director of bird conservation for 
the National Audubon Society.

"It seems counter-intuitive, but these are birds that are really 
dependent upon people for their survival," Butcher said.

That familiarity with humans makes viewing the martin migration an 
intimate, accessible experience.

No disrespect to the hundreds of thousands of sandhill cranes that pass 
through Nebraska every year, but the martins have a lot to offer 
would-be bird watchers:

. Near-guaranteed viewing success. Crane watching can be hit or miss. 
Maybe the cranes will bed down in front of your blind, or maybe they'll 
pick spots miles away. These martins roost on only one block of 44th 
Street --- immediately south of Farnam Street.

. A convenient schedule. Unlike crane watching, there's no rising before 
dawn or missing supper. The time to see these little guys is at about 8 
p.m. In about an hour, you're done.

. Easy access. The Nebraska Medical Center has opened to bird watchers 
the parking lot next to the Clarkson Doctor's Building South. Park 
there, and you won't have to make the risky dash across Farnam.

Most of these martins have come from bird houses located within about 
100 miles.

Roosts such as this are scattered around the country, including Wichita, 
Kan., and Tulsa, Okla. Many are smaller, while some are much larger. The 
Omaha roost is classified as a significant one by the Purple Martin 
Conservation Society.

Butcher said the Omaha site offers a couple of things that martins want 
most in a roost: dense trees to hide them from predators and a dense 
stand of buildings to help keep predatory birds at bay. People searching 
for the site sometimes miss it because this nook of the medical center 
campus is so densely built up.

Like crane watching, the purple martin migration is a simple, low-key event.

"I like watching them dive, I don't know how they coordinate like they 
do," said Jane Alvarez, a nurse at the hospital. "But then, I like 
anything that has to do with animals or nature, so I'm easy to win over."

 

 



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