A big purple wave is on the way.

Doug Martin - PA · Thu Feb 21, 2019 3:24 pm

Winds across the Gulf favor migration for the next few days. Should be a lot of Purple Martins making landfall.

It's that time of the year and they are coming home in larger numbers now. Enjoy those new arrivals. Tennessee is due for some dots. But first the south sees them coming through.

Doug

jhcox · Thu Feb 21, 2019 5:40 pm

Your right Doug Tennessee is DUE some DOTS Where’s the DOTS. LOL

I’m tired of waiting and looking everyday for at dot in Tennessee and further south they just keep getting more purple. I’m not greedy I just want my share of the dots. Sorry guys I got alittle crazy there. Just can’t wait to see some martins and open up my housing. Good luck this year everyone. JHCox Heiskell TN. Go Vols

C.C.Martins · Thu Feb 21, 2019 5:43 pm

Amen to that!!! Had the one sighting early, had male and female come by a few times lately but weather stinks and havbt seen any, bring on the birds!

Dave Duit · Fri Feb 22, 2019 9:01 am

It is crazy to think that the martin can show up in southern Iowa as soon as a month. Tons of snow and cold weather now, but lots of melting will be on its way. Looking forward to another purple summer of martins.

PMDavid · Fri Feb 22, 2019 1:57 pm

Hey y’all. I hope your right about a big wave of birds riding the winds in. This is my first fully prepared season after being late and lots of visitors last year. My neighbor three houses down said his birds usually have gotten here about now while I’ve read so many “early” reports for this year? While I do know of a couple of birds in the local area. There are quite a good many all over here in Louisiana,and even some right here in central la. But his have not shown up yet and none exploring my house either. Maybe this will be the flight they show up in.......all this anticipation is exciting,yet it driving me nuts waiting to see what is gonna happen. Hoping the best for us all.

tor · Fri Feb 22, 2019 5:32 pm

The wave must have reached all the way into northern SC, because I had my first ones this morning. two males and a female. Actually 4 days later than last year. Let the fun begin.

Doug Martin - PA · Fri Feb 22, 2019 8:41 pm

If you look at this map it shows the current winds over the Gulf.

www.windy.com/?27.098,-96.833,5

Page forward and you will see that Saturday will be good for movement north.

Sunday is a problem for migration over the Gulf. Sometimes there is a wind shear or change before land. This has been happening quite a bit lately. A very tired bird if it has to battle those wind changes. Sometimes they don't make it. It is one of the perils of crossing the Gulf.

C.C.Martins · Sat Feb 23, 2019 11:41 am

Wave is right! Well have three males and a female now, i think one is the very early arrival, the males are trying to show her their choices one chose the house the other the natural gourds. She seems to prefer the gourd (after all my hard work on that house)

and the pair slipped right in and hung around inside a while. Been around all morning.
Took right to the crescents no issues. Off season i added internal porches to the tunnels, flush with the outer porch seems they approve.
Also have lots of barn swallows and swifts moving north, here they come! Love it when they dip low and check out the houses.
Thank God, been a rough week, going to enjoy this season.
John Barrow is clairvoyant, just yesterday he called for arrivals here, BAM here they are. John, if you read this tell me ill win the lotto and ill go buy tickets.
Best to all this season,
Tom

-=DKC=- · Sat Feb 23, 2019 1:37 pm

Yep, I'm in Corpus Christi as well and today I'm seeing flocks of Martins flying directly north above my house. None of my birds are back though.

C.C.Martins · Sat Feb 23, 2019 2:21 pm

DKC, Good!!! Well, wind is at their back now and yours will be swinging in soon, and act as if they were there the whole time. Lol
I was hoping you would read the post (i changed my handle from i heart birds to CC martins-must have been drinking that day). ll bet they are in the area now, 5 birds are visiting now and they intercepted a few out over the bay but didnt draw them in. Still only the one female.
Tom

-=DKC=- · Sat Feb 23, 2019 2:42 pm

C.C.Martins wrote: ↑
Sat Feb 23, 2019 2:21 pm
DKC, Good!!! Well, wind is at their back now and yours will be swinging in soon, and act as if they were there the whole time. Lol
I was hoping you would read the post (i changed my handle from i heart birds to CC martins-must have been drinking that day). ll bet they are in the area now, 5 birds are visiting now and they intercepted a few out over the bay but didnt draw them in. Still only the one female.
Tom

Seeing lots of hawks migrating today also. And I have my 2nd Gray Catbird of the year.

PMDavid · Sat Feb 23, 2019 6:29 pm

Well guess what? After I posted yesterday that neither my neighbor nor have seen birds and Doug posted about the wave on the southern wind,today my neighbor has two arrivals! So.. we may very well see several more come floatin in over the next few days

Good luck everyone!

dragonfly · Sat Feb 23, 2019 7:31 pm

i have a adult male today arrive also , 4 days earlier than last year , tried to report it but i’m not smart enough

jhcox · Sat Feb 23, 2019 9:31 pm

We have a purple dot in East Tennessee. It’s time to open those houses and gourds up. I haven’t seen anything myself but I’m going to keep looking. I’m loving it. JHCox Heiskell TN

gmmajor · Tue Feb 26, 2019 2:03 pm

No PMs here around upper Galveston Bay as of today. Seems like they are late, but I cannot find my notes from last year. Plenty of sparrows and starlings to shoot at.

Also no barn swallows yet either. They nest in our boat houses and under our fishing piers.

Chris B · Tue Feb 26, 2019 5:24 pm

TS who came in as a group the other day but no PMs yet. The other cool summer birds are here also. Robbins, jays, brown chesters.

Wx has been goofy and I expect them any day.

Doug Martin - PA · Tue Feb 26, 2019 7:10 pm

The word "big" in my post was probably a little strong. I think I have done that before in other years too. I thought about it later and "nice" would have sufficed. lol

There is still the majority of migration ahead of us. The "real big" waves come in in March and even April. But there should have been a good number of birds that came in last week in comparison to what came in previous to that.

Each wave gets a little strong now.

Doug

Chris B · Wed Feb 27, 2019 5:39 pm

It is strange that the 5 TS that came in seveeral days ago, and are still here... but where are the PMs?

I did see a light chested colored swallow looking like a female barely able to fly going over the house this afternoon, flapping not gliding. Not a TS. Can my first scout this year be a female?

Doug Martin - PA · Wed Feb 27, 2019 6:09 pm

Sure it can be a female Chris. No rules to which one shows up first.

When Martins first show up they can be very stealth. Especially in cold weather. They can go in to bed 2 hours before sunset and not come out first thing in the AM.

I often thought my birds left but they go inside their gourd and stay put quite a bit. Mostly this occurs in borderline weather. I only know this from lowering the housing. Sunny and 70-80 and they will be out and about.

In cold weather I have to coax them out to eat. (Whistle and call them).

Doug