When folks start out discovering what purple martins are and trying to attract them they sometimes find "look-a-likes". In the following message, Joyce and her husband are so excited to have possible martin "renters" and at the same time end up taking care of a baby bird that was too weak to fly. They were so sure this was the year for the martins to make a home when they wrote a note detailing their experience, well, pretty sure...
Hello Purple Martin Central,
I thought you might like to hear of our experience with these precious birds last year. My husband made our martin condo & we didn't have to wait long for our "free renters". That very evening, just at dusk, two birds arrived. We were so excited for the quick response. The next morning, I settled on the porch swing to see how many neighbors they were going to have. Within 15 min., the two birds came flying out of one apartment. The one bird took flight. The other took off straight to a small oak tree. I told my husband to help it; I thought it had broken its wing. He retrieved the bird for me. It was very addled. I stroked its' head & knew its' neck was not broken. "He" just wanted to sleep in my hand. Every time I would touch his head, he would peck me. I found bugs & gave him water. I would lay him down & he would just fall over. After 4 hours, I decided he had to recover elsewhere; after all, he just wanted to sleep. Setting up a "special care unit' came easy for this RN. He rested for another 90 min. We came to the conclusion; they both must have stayed up ALL NIGHT. By the mess they left in the room, it was apparent they had a good time. Also, by the time daylight arrived, he didn't want to be touched anymore. Do you suppose we'll get this frisky couple back this year? Hope you enjoy the pictures. Your web site is GREAT!!!
Thanks, Joyce & Curtis Highsmith
By the time all is said and done the baby was/is not a martin, turns out to be a "bluebird". The baby was lucky to have Joyce nurse it back to health and Joyce, her husband, and I were all laughing because we thought it was a martin baby. That's ok because it proves another point on how much fun it is trying to attract and raise martins. They can be confused with other birds and at first it is hard to tell what bird is what so you're always thinking "that's a MARTIN, yep, I know it!" It gets much easier to pick out adult martins with time but babies are a little bit tougher. A person can still think that all babies look alike when taken by their natural innocence and fragileness, almost like a parental instinct we don't look at the details more at the wonderment of a life beginning. An obvious clue in this case is the breeding season for martins; babies hatch out once a year in the late summer months. That fact didn't even cross my mind when I saw the pictures, it's just so much fun to see your first martins and the Highsmiths' passed it right on to me!
Another "good" thing is the fact that, although Joyce and Curtis may be disappointed they don't have martins, they can be happy they have the blue birds. They have a wonderful color and a beautiful melody; the blue bird is a natural competitor with the martins for housing, may not sound good but it is. It tells of great chances of attracting martins! Bluebirds don't usually stick around when martins make a house a home. And they don't get into deathly fights for the most part over the housing or anything else. So all is well and looking good.
Thanks to Joyce & Curtis Highsmith for sending in the nice note and wonderful pictures!
