Caring For Our Environment

Beautiful Purple Martins Find A Home At Sunningdale

At Sunningdale, we have four birdhouses out on the course that can house up to twelve Purple Martin families. Our Purple Martin houses are metal, but you may see them elsewhere in wood or plastic.

 

The year of these pictures (2002) was a slow start for the Purple Martins, as the spring weather was cold enough that the bugs were not out and therefore there was little for the Martins to eat.  A lot of Martins starved to death in the area due to the lack of food.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Even though we got off to a slow start, we did finally see a few Purple Martin families growing.  For example, the house at hole 4 on the Robinson course has 9 little ones for 2 nests.
 

Four of these baby birds were just hatched during the July 8th week. If you happen to have a Purple Martin house or are thinking of getting one, remember to get the house out at the right time.  In this area, the
 

Purple Martins (scouts) seem to come around in late April. Approximately 3-4 weeks later the second year birds will come back. The second year birds are the ones you want to attract. If the house is put out too early then the Starlings and Sparrows will fill the house quickly. We look forward to attracting even more of these birds next year.

 

 

FACTS ABOUT
THE PURPLE MARTIN
 

  • Martins once nested in huge colonies, but their numbers have dropped dramatically.
  • Martins nest in natural cavities, gourds hollowed out by people, and martin houses built by people.
  • The oldest Purple Martin to be banded and later recaptured was 13 yrs and 9 mos old.
  • Many return to the same nesting site for the duration of their life.
  • Their diet consists entirely of flying insects. A juvenile purple martin can feed on 100 insects a day.
  • Martins will not eat from a bird feeder nor will they drink from a birdbath.
  • Purple Martins significantly increase agricultural yields, and greatly reduce the amounts of harmful pesticides needed for insect control.