June 1, 2016

Wildlife Wednesday :: Birds in the Garden

Early in May a pair of Purple Martins began building a nest in our martin house.


It was amusing to watch Mrs. Martin try to fit a too-long stick through the apartment door. No matter how much she tilted it or how many times she flew circles around the house, it just wouldn't fit. Eventually she abandoned this nonsense, dropped the stick on the ground, and flew off to find more appropriate sized nesting material.

We love Purple Martins and have been fortunate to have nesting pairs every year since we first put a martin house in our backyard.


One of the keys to our success has to do with the placement of the bird house. There has to be plenty of clear flyway space, so the birds can circle the house as they approach it. If a tree or a building is in the flight zone, they won't even consider your house. Our oak tree has encroached into the flyway space over the past 20 years, but the martins still seem to have enough room to maneuver.

Beyond our control, but also a factor in attracting Purple Martins to our garden is the vacant field behind our fence. This is where the martins spend the day hunting for insects.


The power lines at the back and side of our yard, although unattractive, serve as good perches for the birds to keep an eye on the house and the field...or as in this photo, to keep an eye on the photographer.

As far as I can tell, we only have one pair of nesting Purple Martins this year, even though there are others that seem interested. We would definitely be more successful if there were fewer House Sparrows and European Starlings around. These non-native species will take over martin house apartments, destroy eggs, and kill nestlings.


We are using a martin house with starling-resistant holes and that helps a little. But keeping the sparrows away is impossible. My husband has diligently removed sparrow nests weekly, but they are quick to rebuild again. The last time he checked there were martin eggs in the lower left apartment where Mr. Martin is standing guard. We think they may have hatched, because we've seen both mom and dad flying in with food.


I have asked my husband to leave the nests alone now that there are eggs and possibly babies. My fear is that it will disrupt the balance of things and we'll do more harm than good. Well, according to the Purple Martin Conservation Association, it seems this is wrong thinking and as responsible Purple Martin landlords, we should continue our nest checks. Even after all these years, I have a lot to learn about caring for these birds.

There have been other birds in the garden too...


We've seen a lot of this Northern Cardinal. He and his mate have become regular visitors at our feeder. Cardinals are not rare birds, but they are rarely seen in our garden, so this is exciting!


Our next door neighbor watched the same cardinal pair that have been at our feeder construct a nest in a potted fir tree she has outside her kitchen window. I don't know what happened, but the nest was abandoned. I think they must have a nest somewhere else now, but we haven't found it.


Since we relocated the bird feeder to the center of the backyard under the oak tree, we've been feeding lots of Blue Jays, a bird our town is known for. It's the high school mascot and our police officers even wear a Blue Jay patch on their uniform. This pretty bird is feeling quite relaxed at our platform feeder as evidenced by the way it has lowered its crown.

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Today's post is my contribution to Wildlife Wednesday—a meme, hosted by Tina at My Gardener Says...that celebrates wildlife in the garden on the first Wednesday of every month.

16 comments:

  1. Tracy you have some nice birds in your garden, ironically both sparrows and starlings are down in numbers here in the UK, both bird species like to nest in colonies, do the Martins too? If they will nest individually then separate nest boxes might help, I do love your multi story bird house and the photos of the Martins are sweet, Frances

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    1. Yes, Frances, Purple Martins nest in colonies. I've seen three pairs of martins in the colony at our house, but only one has been successful in claiming a nesting space due to the competitive nature of the sparrows. If you need to replenish your supply of sparrows and starlings, I can send you a few. :)

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  2. Oh, I have bird envy!! I've always wanted Purple Martins, but don't have enough space for them. I'll enjoy yours, then. Really great photos, Tracy--the one with Mama Martin and the stick--darling and the one of Dad with his head cocked *just so*--really a terrific shot. I'm glad you're getting to enjoy the Cardinals,they're always a treat, aren't they? Blue Jays--I know lots of folks don't care for them, but I love them--so much personality. Thanks so much for joining in, it was a fun post.

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    1. Thanks, Tina. We look forward to the return of the Purple Martins every year and are lucky to live where we have open space for them. Cardinals are special because we rarely have them here. We are enjoying the pair that comes to our feeder. Blue Jays may have a bad reputation with some people, but I think for the most part it's undeserved...but as for sparrows and starlings...that's another story.

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  3. I learned a lot from this post. I've never seen a Purple Martin which makes me wonder if they come this far north - I doubt it. Your close ups are great and the Martins' expressions made me chuckle.

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    1. I checked the bird guide, Nancy, and Purple Martins are rare in Wyoming. It's not that they don't go north (some are in Canada), it's that their western range is spotty. And that's something I didn't know, so I learned something, too.

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  4. What a gorgeous looking bird the blue jay is, and what fabulous photos. The cardinal is very striking as well. We don't have these birds here in Australia, so it was interesting reading what birds you have around your home.

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    1. Thanks, Sue. Blue Jays are residents here year round. They are beautiful and fun to watch.

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  5. Those bird expressions, especially the Purple Martin on the wire, are precious! We have too many trees for Purple Martins so they're fun to see on your blog.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. I really liked the way that Purple Martin was looking right at me with his funny face.

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  6. Oh wow...I have never seen a purple martin up close and that first shot especially is AMAZING! We could never have them in out yard...way too many trees. I love to watch them fly...they almost look like bats. We have cardinals here years round but the always continue to be one of my faves :)

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    1. Yes, you definitely need space for martins, which we are lucky to have here. But that may be the very reason we don't have many cardinals—not enough trees. :)

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  7. Tracy I love all your birds especially the purple martins I don't see here.

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    1. Purple Martins are fun to watch. We checked the nest today and there are indeed babies! Pictures coming soon.

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Thank you for reading and taking time to comment. I am encouraged by your kind words!