Effort afoot to boost numbers of purple martins in WMass

SPRINGFIELD — Since 1912, The Allen Bird Club in Springfield has been starting its meetings with excited members telling the group about rare sightings of special birds — the veery, scarlet tanager or the saw-whet owl.

But in its most recent gathering at the city’s science museum last week, the featured speaker discussed “repopulating” purple martins in the Pioneer Valley.

“They are not a rare bird. There are probably 8 million in the U.S.,” said ornithologist Mary McKitrick, during an interview with The Republican. “They’re considered a species of least concern.”

The club doesn’t just bring people together to discuss birds on the precipice. The group hatches stories of resilience, like that of the purple martins, which survived a cataclysmic natural disaster more than a century ago.

“In the early 1900s, there was a severe cold spell, cold and rainy, which is very tough on all (insect-eating) birds. They all recovered eventually from this very cold period in the northeastern U.S.,” said McKitrick.

The birds have flocked to eastern Massachusetts because of a concerted effort by the Audubon Society to create habitats for the martins. This largest member of the swallow family prefers living in crevices, so the society and private individuals have provided hollowed out gourds, according to McKitrick.

The birds have been slow to return to Western Massachusetts because a similar effort to provide housing doesn’t exist and the bird’s natural habitat is being decimated.

“They rely on artificial nest sites now. A lot of their original habitat is gone because of logging. They nested in tree cavities,” said the ornithologist.

McKitrick is trying to establish a breeding population of purple martins at the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge Fort River Division in Hadley. She claims some progress in attracting the species, but battles the bird’s predators, who are attracted to a nearby barn.

“House sparrows and starlings love barns. These gourds are situated right between the barn and a little marsh, and everybody loves to roost on the gourds,” she said.

The federal government shutdown in Washington, D.C., has temporarily frozen operations at the refuge. But work to reinvigorate martins and other birds continues among members of this 113-year-old bird club, which claims to be the oldest group in Massachusetts “devoted to the study of birds.”

“Conservation is important,” said the club’s field trip chairperson, Janice Zepko. “Maybe it’s because I hang around with birders, but I do think it’s taken seriously, and I hope more people become involved. That’s part of our mission: to make people aware of birds and wildlife.”

The adult male martin is “a glossy blue-black color while females are blue-black above and lighter gray brown below. The female is further distinguished by a gray collar and forehead,” as described by the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.

Beyond the bird’s unique coloring, McKitrick is also enchanted by the sound martins make.

“I’ve always loved purple martins. My grandparents had a cottage on Lake Huron, and the neighbors had a martin house. They just they have this cheerful burbling,” she said.

The resurrection of martins has come with deep engagement from bird lovers, who align with the swallows to defend against their predators.

“They are now in competition with invasive species, like European starlings and house sparrows. They can go in and kill nestlings and adults. They will puncture eggs, and they are a scourge,” said McKitrick.

While martins number in the millions, they rely heavily on people like the Allen Cub birders to survive.

“They nest almost exclusively in man-made birdhouses or gourds provided by people, especially in eastern North America,” according to the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.

“You have to manage them, to make sure that non-martins don’t move in because lots of small birds love to nest in gourds,” said McKitrick.

Conservationists who talk about natural selection may not be welcome in a group directly promoting a species it embraces. And in a nation divided by politics, birding can be a bastion of cooperation.

“It’s a way to be good stewards of our planet without bickering about it. Let’s just get the job done,” said Gail Howe, a four-year member of the club. “Bringing awareness to the public on the importance of conservation and habitats for all creatures, especially birds, is important.”

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