Purple Martin 2024 Final Report

A female Purple Martin feeds its chick a Red Admiral butterfly. Photo by Frank Mantlik.

We had conducted our last nest check on July 12. At that time, 46 active nests held 157 total chicks and 16 total eggs. Also, we presumed 21 chicks had already fledged from the colony. We made a decision to discontinue further nest checks. With so many chicks nearing fledgling age, we didn’t want to unduly cause nestlings to prematurely jump out of their nests before they were ready to make their first flight. We continued to visually monitor the colony from afar, and larger nestlings were observed fledging, while younger ones continued to be fed by their parents during the ensuing weeks.

As of this writing, all the chicks have fledged, the gourds appear all empty and inactive, and virtually all our Purple Martins have left the area. They are on their southbound migration to wintering grounds in the Amazon basin of South America!

So, how did our season go?

Of the 71 available gourds, we had 48 active nests.
Maximum number of eggs: 223
Presumed number of chicks that successfully fledged: 194
Date gourds installed: March 29
First Purple Martin arrived at colony: April 9
Date first eggs laid (approximately): May 26
Date first eggs hatched (approximate): June 11
Date last chick fledged (approximate): August 9

Average number eggs/active nest: 4.6
Average number fledglings per active nest: 4.0

This was the most successful and productive season we have had at Milford Point since I have been involved with monitoring the colony.

What’s next?
We will schedule a date in the fall to remove the gourds, empty the old nests, scrub, disinfect, and dry them. Then we’ll store them for the winter, so they are ready to install next spring.

Connecticut Audubon staff, board members, and volunteers help to conduct a routine nest check of the Purple Martin gourds. Photo by Frank Mantlik.

Our team: Frank Mantlik, Stefan Martin, George Amato, Tom & Katherine Murray, Lori Romick, Bev Propen, Gilles Carter, Johann Heupel, and Matt Joyce. Additional interns were James Leone, Toni Cepalia, Gian Garcia, and Matt Colberg.

Lastly, we wish to thank all the fine folks who donated to this project by adopting one or more gourds. Your generosity has allowed us to continue to monitor this important colony. We hope you’ve enjoyed these reports and photographs, as we documented the nesting season. We’ll see you next spring!

Frank Mantlik
Purple Martin Team Captain
Coastal Center Advisory Board member