Sunday, May 27, 2012

Purple Martin Majesty

I finally had a chance to drop by the Purple Martin apartments in some better light. The weren't a lot of other birds around like the Loggerhead Shrikes I found the last time. I could hear the adult Martins chirping overhead and the view from the street looked promising.

Purple Martin

The parents were zipped by quickly so I tried for a few silhouette shots to use later on with...something. We shall see. They adults were still circling and not approaching the apartments. Suddenly, Blue Jays were calling alarms. I headed down to find the raptor they were yelling at. As I got closer, a Cooper's Hawk bolted out of the trees and headed down the street.

Purple Martin

They were still bothered by something. Fish Crows were bullying things nearby but eventually took off. One of the adult Martins was carrying a large insect. I found the transparent wings sections interesting but could not tell what it was yet.

Purple Martin

Once the hawk and crows took off one of the chicks poked its head back out of the front door kind of like, "Hey, what are you waiting for?"

Purple Martin

The female with the big bug began circling closer and closer. Looking like it is an orange insect.

Purple Martin

Moments later a male landed with a dragonfly in tow.

Purple Martin

The male fed the dragonfly to the young and then the female landed. I still had to look up the moth. Turns out to be a Pink-striped Oak Moth.

Purple Martin

The male grabbed a fecal sack from the home and flew off and the female prepared to feed the moth to the kids.

Purple Martin

Open wide!

Purple Martin

Mom shoves that bug all the way down.

Purple Martin

She also grabs more waste from the interior and flies it away before searching for more food.

Purple Martin

Think the chicks are full? I bet not. These two kept poking their heads out in wait for even more.

Purple Martin

Other homes were occupied but I had enough shots for now. A fun little sequence to add to my day. Might get to head back soon.

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