I’ve been derelict in my duty. I usually start reporting on the arrival in the States of Purple Martins by January or February at the latest. It’s March, and I haven’t mentioned the big purple swallows once. The birds have been steadily trekking back from their winter stay in South America for some time now.

You’ll be glad to know that they have been seen throughout our fair state with the first sighting being February 3 in Four Oaks NC.

Here’s a link to the map with arrival dates, places and names of observers:

http://purplemartin.org/scoutreport/

Once you get to the map, just click on a purple dot or a state and you will see all you need to know about who, what, and where of the Purple Martin’s return.