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Purple martins taking flight in Portage Lakes area

7/5/2012 - South Side Leader
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By Maria Lindsay

New Franklin Cub Scout Pack No. 3118 helped at Buckeye Martinfest June 30. Shown above is Cub Scout Mike Markov, 9, inspecting a nest at the State Mill Road nesting site.
Shown above is a group of visitors at the event looking at a nest pole at the site.
Stow resident Zachary Habib carries a purple martin for inspection at the Buckeye Martinfest June 30.
Photos: Lew Stamp
PORTAGE LAKES — The Portage Lakes Purple Martin Association had lots of information and some good news to share with visitors at the Buckeye Martinfest June 30.

The annual event, which took place at the Kiwanis Civic Center on Portage Lakes Drive and a site on State Mill Road, is presented with help from Metro Parks, Serving Summit County and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ divisions of Wildlife and Parks and Recreation to share information on the value of attracting purple martins to the area, according to event officials.

A purple martin is shown above in flight as scrambled eggs are tossed into the air.
The association was formed in 2000 to attract purple martins to the Portage Lakes areas of Coventry, New Franklin and Green, according to association founder Larry Hunter. Association members do this by setting up gourds on poles, which serve as nests, to attract the birds.

Hunter reported this year’s efforts to attract the birds are breaking records.

“We have a record 166 nests with a total of about 800 eggs, and we are predicting we will be able to fledge 650 to 700 baby birds this year,” said Hunter. “We had no idea how big this effort would get when we started.”

Hunter said the association decided to attract and foster the birds due to their tendency to eat hundreds of thousands of mosquitos.

“One purple martin eats 30 pounds of bugs a day,” he said. “These birds just clobber the insects, and it really makes a difference because they eat mature, egg-laying bugs and females laden with eggs. The birds save people in Summit County $250,000 every year in various mosquito control measures. They also help to reduce [mosquito repellant] overspray into the lakes.”

Hunter said purple martins began arriving this year March 28, and the first egg was laid May 10. He said 120 after-second-year males out of 130 that left last year returned to the area.

“We are having a fantastic year. There are birds everywhere. We put up 35 poles with 12 gourds and only two nests are unoccupied,” he said.

More than 90 people came to Buckeye Martinfest and were able to see the birds in their habitat at the State Mill Road nesting site, located off Manchester Road, and participate in some of the group’s work to keep the birds healthy and happy, according to event officials. Among the activities was a feeding session that involved tossing scrambled eggs sprinkled with crushed eggshells (for calcium) into the air for the birds to feed on. According to Hunter, this helps the birds feed their young and develops healthy birds in preparation for the long flight south to Brazil and Venezuela beginning Aug. 1 through 31.

Buckeye Martinfest also offered visitors a chance to handle the baby birds, which were removed from nests and checked for parasites, and to help clean the nests, which were sprinkled with diatomaceous earth, which deters mites and fleas, according to Hunter.

In addition, crafts and games for youths, along with displays of information on the birds, were presented at the Kiwanis Civic Center. Hunter said this year’s event did not include a session to band the birds because their master bander recently moved to Maine, and they were unable to find a replacement.

Hunter said the association is continuing to work on having the Portage Lakes area declared as the purple martin capital of the state. The group also is considering an idea to focus on wood ducks to help the species prosper in the area next year.

As a fundraiser, the group offers boat rides through Portage Lakes to see the purple martins migratory roost. The sight includes a display of thousands of birds swirling en masse over its roost, which consists of a large group of reeds in the water. The birds start out flying high in the area and slowly lower themselves into the reeds to settle down for the night. Hunter added that the roost is one of the biggest in area and estimates it has about 10,000 birds.

The cost of the boat trip is $20 per person and is offered seven days a week, with eight people per night. To make a reservation for a boat trip to see the migratory roost, contact Hunter at 330-644-1540.

For more information about the group, visit members.tripod.com/sassyoh_4/por tagelakespurplemartins/index.html.

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