KathieBogue, who lives on the waterfront at Dolphin Point in Oriental, found Marty last week under her deck standing squarely on both legs. She assumed he was a fledgling not yet able to fly and all his siblings and parents had abandoned him to fly South because there was not another Martin in sight.

In her own words …..”When I reached toward him, he opened his mouth as if to receive a nice dragonfly or or perhaps a wad of mosquitoes. When I put my body closer to him, he fluttered across the concrete to the grass. I picked him up and he gripped my finger and stayed in my hand even though I really was not restraining him in any way from flight. I sat holding the bird and blocking the wind for about 15 minutes and he seemed weak as he rested his head against my finger.”

Kathie’s maternal instincts clicked in at this point and she decided if she didn’t get some food into the little fellow, he would probably die. She started out with tiny pieces of hot dog. If offered to the tip of the

beak, he would hold it for about 30 seconds and then fling it away. The Martin, being of the swallow family, has a very wide mouth but not much beak.. They are designed to catch insects on the wing. The next time she offered the meat, Marty opened wide and she pushed the meat into the back of his mouth and he gobbled it down. Success!

After feasting on a some canned dog food and dusk approaching, Marty settled in to a nest of pine needles and dried leaves fashioned by his new mother “Kathiebird.” The next morning he was gone without a trace, but there were no feathers and no signs of a struggle, so we can only hope that Marty gathered his wits about him and fortified by the protein provided by Kathie, flew South to join the migrating flock.

After thinking about it, Kathie believes that Marty was just dazed from flying into the window just above the spot where she first saw him. She just hopes that he survives and feels good that she had a hand in his speedy recovery.

The resident birds who don’t migrate are starting over with their nesting so it’s a good time to look for Cardinals, Mockingbirds, Bluebirds, Titmouse, Chickadees and Nuthatches carrying food to nests. That’s the best way to locate a nest. And, of course, all these birds are cavity nesters except for Cardinals and Mockingbirds.

The Wood Thrush is singing his plaintive melody in early morning and late evening. Some say it is the sweetest song in the woods. Listen for a flute-like song.

The Barn Swallows and Cliff Swallows nest under the bridge at Oriental and Dawson’s Creek. This is a good observation point to note the differences in nest structures between the two swallows. Both use mud and straw but the Barn Swallow nest is open on the top and the Cliff Swallow nest is jug-like with a side entry. The birds are easily distinguished by observing their tails. The Barn Swallow tail is deeply forked and the Cliff Swallow is more squared off. Look them up in your field guide and then try to tell them apart as they fly their circle patterns around the bridge.

We will begin our field trips in September and will try for the first and third Wednesdays of the month, weather permitting, meeting at 7:30 at the Wildlife Ramp parking area in Oriental. Call me at 249-2646 or e-mail at harbinger@cconnect.net if you are interested in birding with our group.

There are no meetings and no fees. We’re just in it for our love of birds and desire to identify birds by sight and song. See you in September! 

Liz