When the adult birds are returnng to the nest with food for the babies, do they return by visual sightings of the surrounding area's land marks?ie: Church Spires.large trees,creeks,ponds.structures etc or do they have a built in homing ability of sorts?
dick
PM's coming back to the nest with food or whatever..........
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Linda Reynolds
- Posts: 1308
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 8:33 pm
- Location: Adamsville, TN
Dick, if they can find their *home* when traveling from Brazil, I think they have an easier time finding their nest when they venture out for food. Somehow, they just KNOW where they live, and in what cavity they have young.
Ever-Grateful,
Linda
Linda
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Emil Pampell-Tx
- Posts: 6743
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 1:26 pm
- Location: Tx, Richmond (SW of Houston)
- Martin Colony History: First started in Gretna, La in 1969 with a small homemade house, have had martins ever since at 2 different homes in Texas
I think that they have a builtin homing ability of sorts. When you move a house in an open yard, the returning martins will hover over the exact spot where the old house used to be, that is what makes me think that they have a homing ability
PMCA Member, 250 gourds, 6 poles, 2traps
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Guest
I wonder if they have 360' panoramic snap shot like pictures in their minds of the places they bond to. At this place I love, there is a perspective and relation to all things here. Maybe magnatizim and snapshots. Sorry you asked yet? Haha.
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Guest
I have read that all birds use the magnetic field of the earth to find their path. To me this makes perfect sense. The poles never change.
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Courtney-NC
- Posts: 592
- Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2008 2:28 pm
- Location: Holly Springs, NC
- Martin Colony History: 2009-2015-Helped to manage Raleigh site, 36 cavities
2016- 33 pairs at Raleigh site, 1 pair at home site.
2017- 34 pairs at Raleigh site, 3 pairs + extra SYs at home site
2018- 33 pairs at Raleigh site, 5 pairs + extra SYs at home site
2019 - 32 pairs at Raleigh site, 7 pairs at home site, 2 pairs at new Holly Springs park site
I had a male bluebird one year return in the spring to the very spot where his nestbox was the previous year. I had moved it across the yard, yet he hovered over the spot where it was months ago.
-Courtney
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NC Purple Martin Society (PMCA affiliate)
http://www.ncpurplemartin.org
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NC Purple Martin Society (PMCA affiliate)
http://www.ncpurplemartin.org
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Guest
A martin landlord for over 50 years at Danville, WV sold his home to a business man to put a car wash there. They tore the home down & some of his neighbors were given his wooden martin houses. About 8 of them I believe. The following spring them martins came back & circle the exact site for several days. A few moved in to the original houses placed not to far away & some moved on. Its the strong homing instinct they have IMO.
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Guest
Hey Ronnie ,its been a while,,,,,,,,,how you doing.
I am not speaking of their migratory return,I'm talking about the short jaunts they make on their feeding forays for both themselves and babies in the present.
I'll try to give an example,when they are feverishly feeding and chasing insects they are most likely not paying any attention to where they are or have been,once they catch an insect they have to at that moment have a way to take then back to their colony location,,,,,,,,,,,,,,here's where it comes to a head,right now at this particular place and point.
We as humans use site recognition and/or surrounding land marks to return tp our homes because our intelligence allows that but does a PM have this ability or not,,,,,,something has to be guiding them.
dick
I am not speaking of their migratory return,I'm talking about the short jaunts they make on their feeding forays for both themselves and babies in the present.
I'll try to give an example,when they are feverishly feeding and chasing insects they are most likely not paying any attention to where they are or have been,once they catch an insect they have to at that moment have a way to take then back to their colony location,,,,,,,,,,,,,,here's where it comes to a head,right now at this particular place and point.
We as humans use site recognition and/or surrounding land marks to return tp our homes because our intelligence allows that but does a PM have this ability or not,,,,,,something has to be guiding them.
dick
Last edited by Guest on Tue May 18, 2010 9:45 am, edited 1 time in total.
I believe they have a very large Lady guideing them. MOTHER NATURE !
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~Ray~Gingerich
- Posts: 2122
- Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2004 10:24 pm
- Location: Delaware/Dover
another thing, birds have good eyesite, when they are way up there would be able to see their suroundings for many miles. They could be out of site to us on the ground with our eyes but up in the air with bird eyes it's a different story.
~Ray~ Gingerich
1999 1pair, 2006 2 pair, 2008 2 pair,
2009 23 pair, 2010 39 pair, 2011 67 pair,
2012 115 pair, 2013 160 pair,
2014 152 pair, 2015 174 pair, 2016 178 pair
2017 187 pair, 2018 200 pair, 2019 171pair
2020 233 pair
1999 1pair, 2006 2 pair, 2008 2 pair,
2009 23 pair, 2010 39 pair, 2011 67 pair,
2012 115 pair, 2013 160 pair,
2014 152 pair, 2015 174 pair, 2016 178 pair
2017 187 pair, 2018 200 pair, 2019 171pair
2020 233 pair
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Guest
Hey I agree. I never see them in the afternoon, but as soon as I go to do something around the house here they come! No sneaking around here, they must stay closer than we think. 
I have watched just-returned martins try to locate their old housing set up when it had been moved.
They would fly down repeatedly and circle exactly where the housing had been, about 15 feet off of the ground.
Then they would fly up high some distance, and dive back down following the exact same return path each time.
I got the impression that by circling back up, reorienting themselves, and coming back in on the exact same path, that they were lining themselves up with remembered landmarks and the appearance of our school from the air.
Mike Scully
They would fly down repeatedly and circle exactly where the housing had been, about 15 feet off of the ground.
Then they would fly up high some distance, and dive back down following the exact same return path each time.
I got the impression that by circling back up, reorienting themselves, and coming back in on the exact same path, that they were lining themselves up with remembered landmarks and the appearance of our school from the air.
Mike Scully