No man-made Purple Martin houses are necessary here in the Sonoran Desert. No siree. Instead, safe, cozy insulated cavities are ready and waiting thanks to previous excavations by Gila Woodpeckers and Gilded Flickers. In fact, the subspecies of Purple Martin found here in the Southwest, Progne subis hesperia, is not the gregarious social nester found east of the Rockies. Here there are no multi-chambered houses or clusters of gourds around homes. Here there are no Purple Martin “landlords” unless you happen to have a Saguaro in your yard and are lucky enough to find martins nesting in it.
First Purple Martin sighting of 2008 (6/6/08)
We began noticing martins arriving here in early June. Since June is a hot and dry month, martins delay nesting until the monsoon arrives, usually in early July. Then, as insects become abundant, nesting begins. Notice how pale the above female is — this is typical of the subspecies hesperia. They are also about 20% smaller than the nominate Purple Martin (Progne subis subis) of the East.
Not far from our house, on the edge of Tucson Mountain Park, we noticed a martin pair had taken up residence in one of the Saguaro cacti. We’ve watched the parents enter and exit the cavity bringing insects to their young.
Below a male brings food to the nestlings.
As the young grew, they became strong enough to sit at the entrance hole and wait for an adult to bring insects.
Feed me!
Male feeding a nestling
Don’t look over there — feed me! (Adult female)
As of August 11, the young have not yet fledged. We hope to see the whole family in the air soon.
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