Article
Birds brighten summer days; Martins delightful lodgers
BYLINE: LARRY HARTSTEIN
STAFF DATE: 09-18-2002
PUBLICATION: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution
EDITION: Home
SECTION: Gwinnett
PAGE: JJ.1
The fastest-growing group in Berkeley Lake isn't young married couples or empty
nesters. It's purple martins, who live on the lake's dam from March to August
each year. Residents have been cultivating the purple martin colony for five
years. Last weekend, in an annual inspection following the birds' departure for
winter, the bird lovers learned their colony had grown from 30 to more than 400.
"Our site is just so conducive, they're real happy there," said Nick Lore, a
consultant for financial institutions who began the community effort. Purple
martins, the largest members of the swallow family, like Berkeley Lake for
several reasons. They can choose from a variety of housing: 60 metal "condos"
and 44 natural and plastic gourds suspended on poles. The houses hang in an open
area that discourages raccoons and snakes from attacking. And the gourd openings
are so small that predatory birds, such as starlings, can't get in. "Once they
find a place like ours, they feel safe and comfortable," said Tom Kitchens, who
built the housing structures. So the purple martins return every year.
Amazingly, the mature ones always arrive on March 16 or 17. And many claim the
exact houses they inhabited a year earlier, residents report. "They have
incredible intelligence," Lore said. "I can't even get directions from my home
to downtown Atlanta. These are the cousins to the swallows of Capistrano, that
show up to the same place every year on the same date." Twenty adults and
children spent Saturday morning taking down the purple martin houses, which will
be cleaned and put up again in February. The residents found 90 houses had been
occupied this year, and discovered few unhatched or broken eggs. Unlike in past
years, they found no dead birds. Taking a conservative estimate of four
fledglings per purple martin pair, the residents figured that at least 400 birds
graced Berkeley Lake this year. More than 1 million people in North America put
up housing for purple martins, but many fail to attract the birds, according to
the Pennsylvania-based Purple Martin Conservation Association. Some people try
to attract the birds because they believe purple martins eat lots of mosquitoes.
While the birds migrate in search of flying insects, mosquitoes make up less
than 3 percent of their diet, according to the association. Martins are
"colorful, aerodynamic and great to watch," said the association's Casey Evans.
"And they're really tolerant of human presence." The bird gets its name from the
adult male, which is a glossy purple-black or steel-blue. Lore said the birds'
playfulness is their best trait. "They dance around the lake, and they'll buzz
you when you're on a boat. They know you're a friend," he said. "They're just
really wonderful creatures to have around our community." Photo A purple martin.
/ KENT JUSTUS / Special Photo A sign at Berkeley Lake. / CHARLOTTE B. TEAGLE /
Staff Photo Nick Lore began the purple martin habitat project. / CHARLOTTE
B.TEAGLE / Staff Photo Berkeley Lake residents check birdhouses to see how many
purple martins came to stay this summer. The martins live on the lake from March
to August each year. This year, an estimated 400 spent the summer. / CHARLOTTE
B. TEAGLE / Staff
Copyright © 2002 The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution
