North America’s largest and probably most familiar swallow is the purple martin. The birds spend the winter in South America and return to eastern North America to nest. They’re almost entirely dependent on manmade structures to nest in, plastic or hollowed out natural gourds, large multi-room bird houses and other structures. The first arrivals from South America usually make it back to North Carolina by the first couple of weeks in March. One was spotted in Durham on February 12th. Visit the sight below for more information on these birds’ arrival dates in our area and their life history.
Hello we had 5 martins this spring. However they’ve disappeared. What with winds rains they left early.
We had clean houses so wondering if their was a problem this season.
It’s difficult to say why your martins have disappeared without knowing what part of the country you’re in, your local situation and conditions, potential for predation and more. There are many purple martin organizations with a wealth of knowledge about every aspect of purple martins’ lives, inside and out. A great place to start looking looking is here, Purple Martin FAQs from the Purple martin Conservation Association.
Good luck.