Purple Martin Association of the Dakotas

Get ready early to the Dakota landlords. Here in Iowa and a little further south the migration push north appears to be one of the earliest on record. The martins have been averaging about 10 days early this year. Just a heads up to be prepared a little sooner as they move toward the Dakotas. Last year, they arrived on April 1st at my location in Nevada, Iowa (central Iowa). This year it was March 24th.

Dave Duit

Thanks for the "heads-up" on the Purple Wave!
Congrats to your group on the new arrivals.

Our area is typically may 1 scout arrival, but have a BB n Robins back, so who knows?
Hope our members will hop-in and post any info. you may have about Scouts
and any P.M. experience or questions you'd like to share
We're open to all and any info reqarding these Beautiful Swallows.
It's an exiting time of the season, seeing all the birds return, N anticipating the arrival
of the first P.M. scouts!

Best o luck in this new season.

Jerome

My birds, in Larimore, ND, usually arrive around April 23. My earliest season started on April 14, and they have been as late as May 7 for arriving.

We hang the gourds on April 15. A couple years ago Wes had to shovel snow away from the rack so we could get to it. Another year he was mowing grass while I attached the gourds.

This year was more moderate. No grass to mow, but no snow or ice. I was wearing fleece and gloves.

Thanks Jerome and Caroline for the responses. I get extremely busy this time of year and fail to get back to the forum in a timely manner.
Martins are looking healthy on their arrival in Iowa and I expect that if the weather holds in a warm pattern that they will be do great as they arrive in the Dakotas. One of these years I need to come up and visit some of you. Take care and God Bless.

The Purple Martins are not here yet in GFK. It has been a slow start here, but everyone around me is going strong.

Perry, I thought it was odd you hadn't posted about PM arrivals yet. Your birds have always arrived before mine here in Larimore, and a couple of the Canadian landlords always have birds before me.

It feels so cold with the hard winds blowing. Even though it's warm enough for them to feed, I don't know how or if any insects are flying through this wind.

Even the Tree Swallows were getting blown off course while they were mobbing the south nest box.

I have had a few Iowa members contact me stating that their martin numbers seem to be lower this time of year than last season.
but, the weather was very good for a big colony growth last year. Hopefully the sy youngsters will prove us wrong and we will have a rebound in the population.