I posted several weeks ago that I had my first Purple Martin with a Geolocator attached to him, arrived back at my colony. The Martin was captured, the data from the Geolocator was download and extrapolated and the migration path is now on a map!

Banding Coalition of the Americas, Kyle Shepard and Emma Rhodes did all the work for this project. The have the proper permits and licenses. This information is mind boggling to me. Man has known for a long time that Purple Martins migrate from Brazil, the North America to nest, but we didn’t suspect that the bird would take one trek south, and a completely different route on his return, but that’s what he did.

He left my house last summer and his first stop was Louisiana. From there he crossed the Gulf of Mexico and landed in the Yucatán peninsula. From there he wandered down through Central America into the northern part of Brazil.

On his return, he “island hopped” on his way north, going between Jamaica and Haiti, then across Cuba, then back up through the peninsula of FL to arrive back on the same gourd rack, in my back yard, that he left from, last July.

Could you make that trip without a map or compass? I couldn’t. We think calling someone a ”bird brain” is a derogatory comment, but God instilled an intelligence into these creatures that we can’t or don’t, grasp.

The path on the left of the map is his southern migration, and the path on the right his his northern migration route.



[Linked Image]

Last edited by FurFlyin; 03/30/23 08:45 AM.
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14