Subject: [Tweeters] An association of Purple Martins and Starlings
Date: Aug 28 07:49:42 2010
From: Kelly McAllister - mcallisters4 at comcast.net




Right now, there's a group of Purple Martins hanging out in the dead top of
a fir tree opposite the intersection of Foxhall Drive and Hawks Prairie
Road, north of Olympia. I suspect the birds that nest at Woodard Bay have
dispersed from there and may be staging here prior to migration... or
something like that. I hear them in the morning and evening. I saw nine at
one time on Thursday evening. Last evening there were sixteen, plus a couple
of Starlings. This morning they were making a lot of racket and, looking
over at the tree, I thought there were at least 20 in the snag top. But,
with the spotting scope, I saw the it was only 8 Purple Martins and ten
Starlings, all perched together in the short limbs at the top of the tree
like they were firm and fast friends.



I remember chasing reported radar images of large numbers of birds, hoping
to find a pre-migration Purple Martin roost. Instead, I found Starlings
going to roost on a transmission tower, the big erector set style. Now, I'm
wondering if Purple Martins and Starlings might actually roost together.



I just took another look and now the tree has about a dozen Purple Martins,
a dozen Tree Swallows, and only two Starlings. Maybe it's just a very
attractive perch tree and I'm getting carried away thinking these birds are
attracted to each other.



Kelly McAllister

Olympia, Washington