16 August 2015

Saturday Evening Appreciation of Roosting Martins

Any evening that a tasty cookie can be enjoyed while watching a bird spectacle, it is a good time. That was the case on Saturday evening, August 15th at the midtown martin roost.

There was a congregation of about 25,000 Purple Martins and a wonderful human crowd as well. It was a mix of bird watching amidst a community, with wonderful conversation.

People present included Loren and Babs, Justin, Bob and Tad, Nancy with her notebook and of course, Tisha with the cookies. There were members and leaders of the Omaha Youth Birding Group also present.

Also about was an animal that snagged the dead grackle and then moved along to eat the dead bird, which is the basics of the cycle of life. It moved so fast into the bushes to the east that no picture could be taken. Perhaps it was hungry.

There was also a pair of Peregrine Falcons seen on the scene. These are some sort of pictures, as taken during the time at the Nebraska Medical Center campus. It was certainly a grand evening, in many ways!

Not sure what the birds thought. So many Purple Martins which are the star attraction. Multitudes as well of starlings and grackles that also know this important bird place.

Yet there was death at the scene. These two images convey the reality which the Nebraska Medical Center is ignoring.

A smashed grackle beneath the walkway at the Nebraska Medical Center, midtown. August 15, 2015.

Smashed Purple Martin beneath the walkway at the Nebraska Medical Center, midtown. August 15, 2015.

The Nebraska Medical Center needs to take responsibility for the deaths of birds at their facilities. There is one word which is appropriate ... mitigation. If birds die, do something positive in response. They should purchase a martin house and have it placed at a place where adults can successfully raise young.



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