PURPLE MARTIN ROOST RING DISCOVERED IN ROUND ROCK
The case of the half-million missing purple martins has been cracked.
Their disappearance from their normal roosting grounds in Austin caused a stir among Austin birders who wait to see them each summer before their migration to South America. Two weeks ago, the Travis Audubon Society said the birds were not coming into Austin in the same numbers they usually see this time of year and were still roosting in multiple places rather than in one large group.
Since then, concerned Central Texas birders have provided the American-Statesman a few tips on where they found smaller roosts of North America’s largest swallow.
A few birds were spotted flitting around Capital Plaza, said Shelia Hargis, president of the Texas Ornithological Society.
Virgil Limon, a man living in Niederwald on the Hays-Caldwell county line, said some of the purple martins were roosting in his porch. They put on a show for him every morning and evening, he said.
Jack Tyler, living in Point Venture, said he and his neighbors have had small roosts occupy their birdhouses, but most of them are long gone. His birdhouse holds up to 12 nests.
Tom Stephan, living in Austin, posted on Twitter that he saw them at the community garden off of Sunshine Drive in North Austin.
Most of the birds have left the smaller roosts and backyard birdhouses. About two weeks ago, some birders on a purple martin discussion board said they saw a large group in Round Rock on a radar.
Hargis confirmed suspicions that a roost ring of missing purple martins was in Round Rock. She said a roost was found in trees at a parking lot in the 2700 block of Parker Drive near Applebee’s. Some birds were spotted in a traffic circle nearby.
“They’ve moved a long ways away considering they’ve been in the area for more than 30 years,” Hargis said. “But we do now know where the roost is, and it’s amazing.”
Last week, Hargis and a few others went to Round Rock to see the birds firsthand. She said she saw the martins fly out at around 8:30 p.m. and estimated the roost to have 400,000 birds.
Travis Audubon Society’s Purple Martin Parties are expected to start up again Friday, but the society is still awaiting permission from the shopping center to throw the annual get-togethers. People anxious to see the roost before Friday can drive up to Round Rock to see the birds swooping around for themselves, Hargis said.
The best time to see the purple martins’ aerobatics is 30 to 45 minutes before sundown.