Twirl on, you and your satin blue.
Be water birds, be air birds.
Be these purple tumblers you are.
~ Carl Sandburg
Mr. Sandburg aptly described these beautiful tumblers called Purple Martins.
A few weeks ago, we had a pair of them scoping out the bird house.
They first noticed the 'house for rent' ad from the dock.
One of them stopped by to check out the view.
Another lookie loo made them feel a bit defensive about their potential territory.
Go away and leave us alone!
And sure enough, he did just that.
Mr. and Mrs. Martin seemed like they were going to lay claim to the house.
But along came trouble.
Curious as all get out, Rufous the Red decided to do a bit of exploring of his own.
Try as he may, he couldn't figure out what the fuss was all about and he abandoned his post in favour of finding a new stash of seeds left out for him on the deck.
In the end, neither Rufous nor the Martins took residence in the bird house. Instead, a pair of Starlings decided to call it home. We can hear the young ones squawking whenever Darling Starling brings them a new worm to eat. They should be ready to fledge sometime soon.
We're disappointed that the Purple Martins didn't set up shop. They are known to be great consumers of mosquitoes and we sure could have used their fine services. Still, it will be fun to see the wee starlings if they do stick around after they fledge.
❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀
And now, without further delay, here are the Posts of the Week. The icon below is yours for the taking if your blog post is named as a POTW.
***
A GOOD READ
Love Story
by Ursula
at Friko's World
Expletive Deleted
by Michelle
at House of Lime
In Memory Of...
by Stephen
at The Chubby Chatterbox
Beautiful
by Mimi
at MessyMimi's Meanderings
We Are Here Because of D-Day
by Cloudia
at Comfort Spiral
***
PHINE PHOTOGRAPHY
Mute Swan Cygnets
by Bob
at Birds and Nature in the Forest of Dean
Delicate Awareness
by Kerri
at A Little Piece of Me
Photo Essay of Kolkata Streets
by Indrani
at i Share
My Iris
by Tabor
at Room Without Walls
Afternoon at the Swamp
by Gail
at Louisiana Belle
Moonrise Over Syros
by Leah
at The Goat's Lunch Pail
***
JUST PLAIN ALL AROUND GOOD
Night Falls
by Linda
at From Roses to Rainbows
A Family Story or 2
by Gary
at Gary's Third Pottery Blog
It Started With a Sunrise
by Di
at Diane Cayton Hakey
A Spring Affair
by Glo
at Porcelain Rose
Viking Surprise
by Fiona
at Lady Fi
Timmy's
by Shammickite
at Rook's Nest
What's Going On Here?
by Gillian
at PS Whimsey - Behind the Brush
***
YOU'LL LAUGH
My Godzilla
by Johanna
at The Fifty Factor
The Woodpeckers are Such a Pain
by Jennifer
at Cottage Country Reflections
***
Please drop by their blogs for a visit and leave a kind comment if you have the time. Also, please feel free to add your own choices (for any blog except this one) for a specific blog post in the comments section below, where others can see them.
Thank you
58 comments:
maybe the purple martins will set up housekeeping next year.
Wait, they eat mosquitos? I'd like to order a few dozen truckloads, I'm hoping there's an online Martin wholesaler or something? Otherwise I may have to head north and kidnap yours!
Beautiful photos btw. :)
--Crabby
The purple martins really are such beautiful birds. I love to watch them in flight.
Love your little squirrel too, Hilary. Such clever little creatures they are! :-)
Love the picto-story of the potential tenants for your eye-catching bird house. Of course the ever curious squirrel had to wend its way in to the picture ...Purple martins would have been ideal occupants ~ watching their aeronautical displays while devouring mosquitoes, a plus. However, starlings it is!
Looking forward to clicking on to your posts of the week...and thank you so much for acknowledging my "Spring Affair". Much appreciated :)
cute little nosy varmint!
going to check out some blogs, now!
(your link to cloudia's fine post doesn't work.)
I love purple martins - we have them around here, but I've always identified them by the curve of their wings when they fly or peeking out of their houses in the evenings. I've never seen a close up. Thank you!
Also, thank you for selecting my poem for the Post of the Week award.
Lovely pics. The purple martins here want nothing to do with us.
Sigh.
Thanks for the POTW.
I didn't realize the purple martins look so much like tree swallows. Boy, I still have a lot to learn. These photos are so beautiful. And you always manage to tell a story with them; I like that. :)
Thank you SO much for including my post with such a fine group. I am so humbled and honored, Hilary.
What a masterful, pleasurable bird post (and Rufus too).
Thanks so much for including my D-Day post. I felt so strongly writing it; Still do.
Thanks SO much!
ALOHA from Honolulu
ComfortSpiral
=^..^= <3
Thank you, Hilary..... for including me in your POTW this week. Now, I need to go visit a few of these other fabulous bloggers and see their special POTW as well... xox
Really too bad about the martins, a pretty pair. Red is a rascal but cute.
Thank you for POW, I am surprised but delighted!
Your purple martins will be back next year with a few friends. Really play hard ball with the starlings. Squirrel proof the thing. Martins are valuable as you say.
They seem to really be enjoying the house.
They seem to really be enjoying the house.
I've heard of Purple Martins but I've never seen one...until now. And I always feel honored when I see my name on your blog. Thanks so much.
Lots of new bloggers for me to check out! Thanks, Hilary, and I do love those beautiful martins, :-)
What lovely bird shots! It looks heavenly by your lake.
And many thanks for the mention!
Ooooh, maybe those martins set up housekeeping nearby. I hope so. Meanwhile most people complain about starlings, but I'm glad that you are ok with them. They are quite amazing birds, although I'm not sure that they eat mosquitoes...but it would be great if they did. :-)
Must check out the blog offerings: lots of them this week! Thanks Hilary.
Theses flight shots are impressive.
I love the Martins or 'purple tumblers', very well Hilary, and thanks to put up my name on POTW, xxxxx.
smiles...come cool people on that list...
its cool that someone too up residence in the birdhouse...cool to be surrounded by all that life as well...smiles.
Maybe the Martin family decided to seek more privacy -- two invasions while they were still just scoping out the neighborhood may have been too much for them to take. Starlings are noisy enough themselves to discourage intruders.
Thanks for the post if the week! It's always an unexpected delight to find my name on your list!
Love your birdies :) and thanks for the shout out :)
These are beautiful captures!! I love purple martins. I hope they return :)
Maybe the tree swallows will return. Beautiful birds
Beautiful shots of beautiful birds (I remember my grandma saying that martins are very fussy about where they live; glad you have the starlings!). maybe next year...
How disappointing to get starlings instead of purple martens.
May you get your wish, soon. I was not aware of these birds before I read your post.
Woohoo Hilary, thanks for POTW award, when I see you, I'll treat you to a large double double, and maybe a Boston Creme too!
I had a large multi-apartment bird house at my last house, and was hoping for purple martins to set up home, actually any kind of martins would do..... but we had sparrows... many many generations of them over the 25 years that the birdhouse stood. And it's still there.....
Hope to get to my fellow POTW...but am soooo far behind this month, that I can only promise I read your fun martin story.
Daddy (88) has been trying to get purple martins to take up residence in his backyard for years.
The bluebirds will not hear of it.
They drive them away.
When I first saw your blog title, I was thinking you were going to post photos of tumbler pigeons. I got so excited, because we use to have homing pigeons and tumbling pigeons when I was a girl. Memories....
Sigh.
Sending you smiles and hugs...and I do hope that you have a beautiful week. Your photos are always magnificent to me. Always!
Classy captures of birds in flight! You take them so well.
Thank you for the honor! Your compliment on my photography is precious to me. :)
I've heard people say over my lifetime how picky martins are about which house they will nest in and how they can look exactly the same and one they will like and another they won't and people have tried moving the martin houses around the property...I think it is just hit and miss. And next year they might claim it, you never know. They are pretty, funny little birds. :)
Ah, I'm sorry the martins didn't pick your property. I keep intending to put up a martin house on ours. We have too many mosquitoes!! Congrats to the POTW!
That's neat: purple tumblers. I haven't heard of this before.
I love your photos and commentary. This is so much fun. We set things up, hope for something, and serendipity happens! We are kindred spirits, loving nature!
cheers
What a magnificent bird house. Very posh!
Glad that the house got taken eventually, even if it wasn't by the martins.
Good photos of all the happenings.
Maggie x
Nuts in May
Love this series of photos. I especially like the first one with the soft bokeh background.
Enjoyed seeing your pictures!
Sounds like your lovely bird house needs a second "guest house" for the Purple Martins (love that name!)
And "along came trouble..." Ha!
Thanks for the shout out, Hilary. I really appreciate it.
xo jj
You captured those tumbles beautifully in these images - and I can understand your disappointment that they wouldn't take refuge in your house for the season. The squirrel images are really fun.
love your POTW. Such a cool way to find new people.
Perusing the new posts and admiring your photographs. I've been mostly away - catching up with you is lovely on a rainy morning.
Great shots. Are squirrels fun to watch! Nice to see POTW is still around!
love rufus
Thanks for POTW! I've had people chuckle at my wood pecker! :-)
We've got some mosquitoes for them over here. Please, send them my way. :-)
What a fascinating post. What makes it even more compelling is that you captured the whole story on your camera.
Greetings from London.
Don't know if you know this very funny lady:
My nomination for POTW
http://murrbrewster.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-satellites-are-laughing.html
As always, you do us a great service by posting links to so much fine writing and photography. Thank you, Hilary!
I'm back! Boy, have I missed your photography. I especially love those crafty squirrels. They rarely fail to get what they're after.
Hilary,
These are amazing photos! And the poet sure did get it right. His well-crafted words must have been the product of careful observation. The two of you are a perfect match.
Being landlords can be a very daunting enterprise. But I hear that the couple that finally moved in have starling qualities.
;)
I've only seen purple martins in Virginia. Perhaps it is time for a bat box (and accompanying residents) with which to battle those mosquitoes? -- or do you have bats that far north?
I'm much too far behind in blog reading again. Whittling down from 252 unread posts... Life is hurtling by so quickly now.
Wow... its finally the pair of Starlings who got it. Like your titles and comments on each picture.
That is disappointing. Mosquito catchers can live rent free any day!
the purple martins are really beautiful birds!
the picture of your squirrel made me smile.
love those cute little guys!
big hugs~
What a lovely post! I just love your commentary. It is a pity about the Martins but I'm sure the little starlings will be super cute.
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