The Story Never Ends: Go see the Purple Martins in Springs
Go see the Purple Martins at Mark's Harness Shop near Springs right now.
If you wait much longer, they will be gone from their summer home and onto the warmer climates of Brazil.
And, what's really convenient is that you can go to the back of the shop and watch the beautiful flyers and their many offspring from the back windows.
I recently did a story with Mark and Elizabeth Brenneman for the Daily American that appeared in last Friday's newspaper on the front page. But, like anything that is recreated in art, the story and photos never really did justice to the whole experience of being there in person.
At the end of June, my daughter and I had a wonderful visit with the Brennemans at their four Purple Martin houses and one gourd and it was something to remember. The birds were flying everywhere around us — not in a mean, get-out-of-here way, but in a peaceful gliding way that even a video couldn't have captured.
Mark and Elizabeth change out the nests shortly after the babies are born. Yes, I mean they actually wind down the house, open it, pull out the nests with the babies or the eggs inside and replace the bedding with new shavings and leaves. With their bare hands, they take the nestlings out and place them carefully into a basket and then replace them once the nest is cleaned. And, the mamas and papas never nosedive them or flail in the weeds like a Killdeer would if you ever get close to its nest.
As a matter of fact, the Purple Martins almost seem as if they instinctively know that someone is helping their babies stay clean and protected from mites and insects and perhaps a decaying sibling that never made it. Now, they do fly about as those nests are cleaned and while I was there, one parent actually stayed back in the cavity of the nest while the compartment was pulled out. So, it's not as if they are not protective parents. It's just that they are what I would consider a more domesticated bird since this particular species in the swallow family is well known for staying in cities at their apartment complexes.
In fact, at one time, Somerset was billed as the "Home of the Purple Martin," according to a 2017 article in the Laurel Messenger (published by Historical and Genealogical Society of Somerset County) and written by Ron Bruner. The Purple Martin house on the diamond in Somerset (which has been replaced several times and had different locations) has longevity in that community and is a story in itself, being the subject of countless newspaper articles throughout the decades and going back to 1908 when the first one was erected in the community.
And, it's funny how there was a bit of a feud between Somerset, and Griggsville, Illinois, over the title "Purple Martin Capital of the Nation" in the 1970s in newspaper articles, according to Bruner's writing. Alas, I guess Griggsville won the battle and has now become a tourist site of sorts for birdwatchers. But the Purple Martin house in Somerset still remains. However, I am unaware if there are any active colonies there.
For now, I encourage everyone to visit the thriving colony at Mark's Harness Shop. He believes there are over 100 birds flying around all summer and he had 57 active nests this season, which ultimately produced a few hundred more teenage flyers. Truly, it is a beautiful bird to watch and it's interesting that this colony has such dedicated human caretakers — a retired Amish couple living in the country near Springs.
This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Sandra Lepley column about the Purple Martins in Springs, PA
