This Month:

March Birds
March Birdsongs
Field Trips

If you have a Purple Martin house, it’s time to get it cleaned out from last year’s nesting. The Martins should be arriving soon. The North Carolina Wildlife calendar lists March 10 as the arrival day for the scouts. The females and subadults will arrive later. Their gurgling songs and swooping flight patterns and their reputation for eating mosquitoes and other flying insects makes the Martin one of the most attractive birds to have in your yard.

The Purple Martin is the largest North American swallow and the male is blue-black above and below and he is our only all-black swallow. The female is light-bellied and the throat and breast are grayish. It is a good idea to keep the holes in the houses covered until the Martins arrive because House Sparrows and Starlings, unfortunately, are attracted to the same housing. The Starling in flight may look like a Martin, but when it perches on your Martin house, if it has a yellow bill, it is a Starling. In the winter the Starling is heavily speckled and its bill is black, but in the spring, its feathers are iridescent and its black bill turns yellow.

Russell Lee in Janerio has one of the most successful colonies of Purple Martins in Pamlico County. From Oriental, look for his place on the right as you go to the ferry. You can see his houses all out in the open and when all his birds arrive, the air is filled with Martins flying in and out of his many apartments. Russell has added many whimsical touches such as swimming pools, television and church steeples to his houses. The Martins love it there and if you are interested in establishing a colony, he can give you much first hand information. You can also get your saws sharpened at his place while you enjoy his Martins.

Gourds are another housing alternative for Martins and you can get ready for next year by planting your gourd seeds the same time as sweet corn. The best Martin gourds are from the plant Lagenaria siceraria, commonly called "birdhouse" or "bottle" gourds.

For more detailed information on Purple Martins, visit the website of the Purple Martin Conservation Association (PMCA) at www.purplemartin.org

MARCH BIRDSONG

Spring is an exciting time as many migrants will be returning from Central America to the North Carolina Coast to breed. The Cardinal and Carolina Wren are competing now in the pre-dawn chorus to see who can sing the loudest. Pine Warblers started singing their musical trill in February. The Tufted Titmouse is singing "peter, peter, peter," and the Carolina Chickadee is singing his spring ditty, "fee-bee, fee-bay." We spotted a Common Loon in February at the Fish and Wildlife launch area in Oriental. Loons will sometimes give their yodeling calls before departing for their northern breeding grounds. Listen for the sharp whistling, "cheep, cheep" of the Ospreys as they return this month They will have a lot of rebuilding to do as many of their nests were destroyed by the hurricanes last fall.

FIELD TRIPS

The Oriental Birders will be going on a couple of field trips in March. We will be looking for spring migrants and learning to identify birds by song as well as sight . We usually meet on the second and fourth Wednesdays at 7:30 a.m. at the Wildlife Landing in Oriental but this is subject to change depending on weather conditions and other variables. If you are interested in joining our group, contact Liz Lathrop at harbinger@cconnect.net or 249-2646.