Newspapers / The Brunswick beacon. / May 21, 1992, edition 1 / Page 48
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
THE PURPLE MARTIN THEORY Do Coastal Songbirds Take Credit Where Credit Isn't Due ? BY TERRY POPE From early spring to August, the twittering and graceful Hight of the purple martins along coastal North Carolina catch es the eye of bird lovers Hie blue-black birds build nests in dried gourds or manmade house -; suspended from tall poles. 'llie> are .1 friend to man. but tor years they may have taken credit for work they actually do not perform. They cat few mosquitoes around the home, some experts say. ll re mains a growing debate. "It's all a misunderstanding." said Rick Hickman. Brunswick County's Mosquito Control super visor. "While they arc beautiful birds, thev have been mislabeled." More vicious enemies of mos quitoes are dragonflics, damsel flies, bats and larvae eaters that thrive in standing water where mosquitoes hatch. Purple martins actually feed on the damsel flies and can some how gather three or more in its beak to feed its young. In Brunswick County this spring. "A dry winter has kept mosquitoes in check , but martins will get the credit . " -Rick Hickman, Brunswick Mosquito Control Supervisor the mosquito population is down but the purple martin population is higher than in previous years. Residents may gel the wrong im pression dial the birds have allevi ated the insect problem, said Hickman. "That would tend to indicate that purple martins have a really big im paei on the mosquito populaUon," said Hickman. "However, this year the dragonfly population is huge. The martins are here because the dragonflies are here." BRING YOUR FAMILY TO THE BEACH CAFE 3JeachT^qfe HOLDEN BEACH CAUSEWAY ? 842-551 5 Introducing..? ? Blackened Tuna * Grilled Salmon ? Polynesian Chicken with rice ? Steak 'n Seafood Combos ? All-you-can-eat Crab Legs\ ? Slow roasted Prime Rib , ? Chile menu, Senior * ,/; discounts and much more! m \ Featuring our famous ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT CALABASH SEAFOOD BUFFET twt dr Dinner OA! Completely remodeled for 1992! Less rain during January and February helped the dragonfly and disrupted the mosquito's life cycle. The largest rainfall occurred on Jan. 3. but the county has been relative ly dry since. For the most part, a dry winter has kepi mosquitoes in check. "Martins are going to get the credit." said Hickman. The birds average about seven inches in length and arrive in Bruaswick County from their win ter homes in early March. By mid August their nesting season is over and the martins gather in huge flocks to migrate South. They have become one of North America's most beloved birds and depend almost exclusively on hu mans lor housing. Hickman said native Indians first began attracting martins to keep crows and other predators away from their com crops. At first, Indians were successful in attracting mockingbirds, but that species is so aggressive about pro tecting their territory that only one or two would remain to stand guard over an entire field, leaving it open to an invasion of crows. Someone decided martins were better watchmen and the friendship with man has lasted through cen turies. "Someone also made that initial observation that when purple mar tins were here, fewer mosquitoes are around," said Hickman. Martins arc the largest member of the swallow family and trace patterns in the sky with their dare devil dives. They do cat other in sects that are pests to man and his crops. Still, some with a passion for purple martins cling to folklore which claims the birds can cat up to 2.< XX ) mosquitoes a day. Other ex ports claim mosquitoes comprise no more than 3 percent of the bird's regular diet. Around the turn of the century, a STAFF PHOTO BY TERRY POPE HOUSES LIKE this one built by students Greg Bland and Josh Baker of Seaside attract purple martins from early spring to Au gust. flock comprised of an estimated 2(X).(XX) martins was spotted at a favorite rcxisting site in Greens boro. But in August 1*)05. the granddaddy of all martin stories oc curred at Wrightsville Sound near Wilmington. In Liunl of the Golden River. Lewis Philip Hall recalls the story of Captain John Hanby, owner of the Atlantic View Hotel that once stood along the Wrightsville Sound. A flock grew in a grove of live Oilpaper Place Discount Blinds 20% OFF Silhouette wmdrw shadngs are so new and so special, you vmrt see Diem just anywhera Soft, sheer and aAenng perfect hght conlroi. they re the bggest advance ?i widow cowmgs (i years And they 're available in a M paieQe ol designer colors Beyond Shades. Beyond Blinds. Beyond Description. But dorit take our *wrd tor t See them lor yourself And find oul just how beauW a window ewemgeanbe Hunterflougtas SILHOUETTE' Window Shodngs Naar Wal-Mart next to Food U on 7746 N. King* Hwy., Myrtl* B?ach Northwood Plaza ? (803)44*-2M0 ? ill T i ftm? n oaks until it numbered around a million. Thousands were shot anil killed daily in an attempt to drive them away. Nature eventually drove litem South around August, when it was time to mierate. noted Hall. In spite of the captain's experi ence. "people living on the beach that year, from Carolina to Wrights ville. said there were not near as many mosquitoes that summer as usual, and they attributed it to the millions of martins in the area." Hall noted. Even health authorities adopted the myth, encouraging people to keep purple martins around the home to destroy the mosquitoes blamed for transmitting malarial fever, wrote Hall. There are a number of reasons why homeowners would want to at tract purple martins. However, if the number one rea son is to kill mosquitoes, residents would do best to attract bats in stead, said Hickman. But people are afraid of bats and believe that all carry rabies. "There are specificatioas for building a bat house," said Hick man. "Bats are out at exactly the right time to catch mosquitoes. They don't have to see. They have such acute seascs." However, Hickman has yet to meet anyone with a passion for mosquito-eating bats. The coastal songbird with the of ten debated reputation is still num ber one in the hearts of Brunswick County's homeowners.
May 21, 1992, edition 1
48
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75