Channel Title: Purple Martin Conservation Channel Description: The Purple Martin Conservation Association is the largest conservation organization devoted to Purple Martins, with over thirty years leading research projects that study and protect the species. This channel was created to share our knowledge and love of these unique birds. Travel with us through the Amazon, learn how to find a migratory roost using weather radar, and much more! We work with state-of-the-art research using geolocator and GPS data-loggers to collect invaluable information on migratory pathways. Our biologists also design and test products that allow people to become successful landlords that you can purchase from the PMCA Shop! There are many exciting things happening at the PMCA and many ways to get involved. We invite you to join our community! Together we can work to "ensure the future of Purple Martins." The Purple Martin Conservation Association is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization headquartered in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (USA). <video> Leveraging Social Platforms for Conservation Education—Maya Higa, Alveus Sanctuary Description: Leveraging Social Platforms for Conservation Education Maya Higa, Alveus Sanctuary https://www.alveussanctuary.org/ https://bio.link/mayahiga @mayahiga @AlveusSanctuary Conservation education is traditionally presented in person. Whether it is at zoos, school programs, special events, or even birthday parties - most of these educational programs are geared towards “IRL” experiences. Maya Higa has spent the last three years transferring traditional programs to a live online format using Twitch.tv. In this presentation, Maya will discuss her experience with various social media platforms as tools for teaching (Instagram, Twitter, Tiktok, YouTube, and Twitch). In this discussion, Maya will share advice on how to leverage each of these platforms to grow an audience that is interested in consuming education. With a common goal of spreading conservation messaging to as many minds as possible, we all need to tap into the power of social media. </video> <video> PMCA Live Q&A #2 Description: Today's topic is migration and the Scout-Arrival Study. </video> <video> Purple Martins and the concern of environmental mercury contamination Description: Purple Martins and the concern of environmental mercury contamination Jonathan Branco, University of Sao Paulo Purple Martins (Progne subis) are declining migratory birds that breed in North America and overwinter and complete their molt in South America. The eastern North American subspecies of Purple Martins (P. subis subis) comprises over 90% of all Purple Martins and overwinter and molt in the Amazon Basin. This region is high in mercury (Hg) contamination, which raises the possibility that observed declines in Purple Martins could be linked to Hg exposure. Exposure to Hg results in numerous and systemic negative health outcomes, including endocrine disruption. Corticosterone (CORT) is a primary modulator of the stress and metabolic axes of vertebrates; thus, it is important in meeting metabolic and other challenges of migration. Because feathers accumulate Hg and hormones while growing, quantification of Hg and CORT in provide an opportunity to retrospectively assess Hg exposure and adrenal activity of birds using minimally invasive methods. We evaluated interrelationships among total Hg (THg) and CORT concentrations in feathers that grew in the Amazon and body condition (mass, fat score) of these birds in North America. Concentration of THg in Purple Martin feathers ranged from 1.103 to 8.740 µg/g dw, levels associated with negative physiological impacts in other avian species. Concentrations of CORT did not correlate with THg concentration at the time of feather growth. However, we found evidence that THg concentration may negatively impact the ability of Purple Martins to accumulate fat, which could impair migratory performance and survivorship due to the high energy requirement of migration. This finding suggests potential carryover effects of Hg contamination at the wintering grounds in the Amazon to the summer breeding grounds in North America. </video> <video> PMCA Live Q&A #3 Description: Today's topics are: 🏘 Purple Martin housing 🐣 Nest checks 📋 Project MartinWatch 🐦Bird banding ✨ and more! </video> <video> A Purple Martin Nest Story: 2023 Nestcam Description: Watch as a nest of Purple Martins at the Purple Martin Conservation Association headquarters in Erie, PA progresses from eggs to fledglings. Our 2023 nestcam family enjoyed a successful breeding season after a rocky start in which most of our oldest resident breeding adults died of cold/starvation during an early spring winter storm. Luckily the nestcam parents arrived after the threat of cold weather had passed and set to work raising a brood of 6 nestlings despite the constant threat of aerial predators. The parents, four year old banded male #Z567 (nicknamed "Zip" after the zip tie that he brought to the nest) and his mate (nicknamed "Helen" after the character Elastigirl from 'The Incredibles' due to the rubber band she brought to the nest) successfully raised six nestlings to fledging and are all on their way to overwinter in the Brazilian Amazon. We hope to see them return in 2024! East of the Rocky Mountains, Purple Martins 100% rely on humans to provide nesting habitat. Learn more about Purple Martins and why they need our help at http://www.purplemartin.org This stream made possible thanks to a grant from the Tom Ridge Environmental Center Founation Soundtrack used in order of appearance: Ukulele Beach, Doug Maxwell Toy Piano, Wayne Jones Danger Snow, Dan Henig Watercolor Lilies, Aaron Kenny Glory Be, Patrick Patrikios </video> <video> It's Citizen Science Month! Description: Learn more about PMCA's Citizen Science projects at www.purplemartin.org/research </video> <video> PMCA Live Q&A #4 Description: Today's topics are: 🗺Purple Martin migration 🌳Winter habitat in Brazil 🏘When to add/change housing ⛄Winterizing ✨and more! </video> <video> PMCA LIve Q&A #1 (archived) Description: Today's topic is Purple Martin housing and nest checks. </video> <video> Banding 2024 Nestcam Babies Description: </video> <video> Uncovering the Mystery of Purple Martin Migration Description: Uncovering the Mystery of Purple Martin Migration Joe Siegrist, Purple Martin Conservation Association The Purple Martin is an aerial insectivore that is experiencing a significant long-term population decline. Much is known about its unique ecology during the breeding season in North America and its complete reliance on human provided nesting cavities for successful nesting. However, the remainder of the life cycle covering migration and overwintering in the Amazon Rainforest has remained a mystery. For the last 15 years, researchers at the Purple Martin Conservation Association in collaboration with international partners have characterized migration using light level geolocators and GPS dataloggers. This research set in motion a sequence of events that led researchers from the US and Canada to the rivers and jungles of Brazil, where they’d risk life, limb, and jail time to find a missing roost of a half million Purple Martins. Clips from: Rota do Sol: https://youtu.be/Bb-xD_BxQg8 Life of Birds: https://youtu.be/qHN2mfiPqL0 The Messenger: https://youtu.be/jTJCzn0UuUM 300,000 Purple Martins in the Amazon: https://youtu.be/bGy4F2AS4Vs </video> <video> Establishment of eastern Purple Martin colonies within privately owned working forests Description: Establishment of eastern Purple Martin colonies within privately owned working forests Dr. Daniel Greene, Weyerhaeuser Many long-distance avian migrants breeding within North America, including the Purple Martin (Progne subis), are entrenched in steep population declines. Loss of breeding habitat, including nesting areas are among the many reasons implicated in these declines. Today, 87% of the forested land throughout the southern U.S. is privately owned. Much of this area consists of working forests used for timber production that is managed under a sustainable forestry standard. These working forests cover nearly 12.15 million hectares within this region and contribute substantially to the conservation of native flora and fauna, including numerous imperiled species. With a shift of private lands management in promoting early successional conditions and open canopy conditions, we are evaluating the ability of managed provisioned housing erected within private working pine (Pinus spp.) forests to establish and maintain new colonies of eastern Purple Martins (P. s. subis). In January 2020, we deployed 9, 12-unit Purple Martin gourd racks throughout approximately 25,000 hectares of mostly contiguous, working forests in the Interior Flatwoods and Upper Coastal Plain geographic provinces of east-central Mississippi. These forests are predominately loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) with mature pine-hardwood or hardwood stands occur intermittently throughout the study area. We systematically selected 0 to 2-year-old clearcuts in areas of high landscape heterogeneity, streamside management zones, and with adjacent stands to be clearcut within three years that will serve as relocation sites when early successional conditions around gourd racks decline. In 2020, we first detected Purple Martins in July, had occupancy at 3 racks, and breeding at one rack. In 2021, we observed martins at 6 racks and had breeding at 5 racks. Martins are still arriving in 2022, but to date, we documented our earliest arrival on Feb 28, with occupancy at 7 racks, and breeding 6 racks. Increasing use of nest colonies within our study sites reflects positive adoption of colonies within this managed forest system. To our knowledge, these are the first martins fledged in a working forest within the range of P. s. subis, supporting evidence that working forests provide conservation opportunities for this species and other colonial-nesting, insectivorous birds. </video> <video> Tracking migration routes and overwintering locations of the Western Purple Martin Description: Tracking migration routes and overwintering locations of the Western Purple Martin Dr. Sarah Rockwell, Klamath Bird Observatory The unique western subspecies of Purple Martin (Progne subis arboricola) is roughly estimated at just 3,500 pairs, and is considered to be of conservation concern. Light-level geolocator studies have revealed that Western Purple Martins appear to use an entirely different overwintering area than the more abundant eastern subspecies (Fraser et al. 2012), but these data come from a small number of individuals breeding in British Columbia, and location data obtained from geolocators are imprecise. A better understanding of overwintering locations and migratory stopover sites used by Western Purple Martins, and potential threats originating during the non-breeding season, are key information gaps needed to target conservation actions. Our objectives are to obtain precise locations of roost sites used during migration and winter, and to use this information to identify international partners and potential conservation actions. In summer 2020, we captured seven Western Purple Martins breeding in coastal Oregon at night while they roosted in nest boxes, and fit them with lightweight archival GPS tags to track their movements. We recaptured one returning female with GPS locations taken through March 2021, including an extended fall stopover in Baja California and overwintering locations in southeastern Brazil. In summer 2021, we captured and GPS-tagged an additional eight martins; information from any returning tagged birds recaptured in summer 2022 will also be presented. </video> <video> Updating our knowledge of Purple Martin breeding ecology using nest cameras Description: Updating our knowledge of Purple Martin breeding ecology using nest cameras Dr. Heather Williams, University of Buffalo Much of our knowledge about breeding ecology martins (e.g. incubation and provisioning behavior) of purple comes from relatively dated observations of a relatively low number of individuals being observed from outside of nest boxes. The increased availability of nest cameras has revolutionized our ability to document and quantify these naturally cryptic events. We used artificial intelligence-based analyses to quantify incubation attentiveness and provisioning rate in the Purple Martin from nest camera video footage. By linking these behaviors to extrinsic and intrinsic predictors, we found that martins fine tune their incubation attentiveness with respect to temperature, and that provisioning behavior changes through the nestling period. </video> <video> It's Citizen Science Month! Description: Learn more about PMCA's Citizen Science projects at www.purplemartin.org/research </video> <video> Sounds of a Purple Martin colony Description: Enjoy the sights and sounds of a thriving Purple Martin colony as the birds build nests and compete for mates at a PMCA research colony in Erie, PA. Did you know, Purple Martins are 100% reliant on humans for nesting habitat? Learn how you can help at: http://www.purplemartin.org </video>

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Description

The Purple Martin Conservation Association is the largest conservation organization devoted to Purple Martins, with over thirty years leading research projects that study and protect the species.

This channel was created to share our knowledge and love of these unique birds. Travel with us through the Amazon, learn how to find a migratory roost using weather radar, and much more! We work with state-of-the-art research using geolocator and GPS data-loggers to collect invaluable information on migratory pathways. Our biologists also design and test products that allow people to become successful landlords that you can purchase from the PMCA Shop!

There are many exciting things happening at the PMCA and many ways to get involved. We invite you to join our community! Together we can work to "ensure the future of Purple Martins."

The Purple Martin Conservation Association is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization headquartered in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (USA).

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