John and Mary Kormendy Purple Martin Migration 2021 (Austin, Texas)
Every year starting in late July, Purple martins migrate from their breeding range in North America to their winter range in Mexico and central Amazonia (see eBird range map below). Along the way, they stop to forage. And, when they roost in the evening, they congregate in huge flocks. In 2021, there is a major roost at Capital Plaza, Austin. At maximum, we have heard number estimates that range from about 40,000 birds to 200,000 birds. Seeing them come in to roost, first circling the area, over and over, closer and closer, more and more birds tightly swarming, is an unforgettable spectacle. We were privileged to see it on August 3rd and 4th in ideal weather. It was truly marvellous. Many thanks to Victor Emanuel of Victor Emanuel Nature Tours for alerting us to this opportunity!
Range map of Purple martin (Progne subis) from eBird
At about 8:15 PM, martins are starting to gather, circling overhead.
Mary and martins, mid-evening approaching 8:30 PM on August 3, 2021
Starting to arrive from all directions in large numbers
Movie -- getting close to the climax on August 3, 2021
The movie is a big file -- 303 Mb -- so you may want to download it first and then watch it.
Movie -- close to the climax on August 4, 2021
The movie is a big file -- 107 Mb -- so you may want to download it first and then watch it. The camera is focused on birds that are high up, so the nearby birds are out of focus. Also, it is getting pretty dark, so there is a lot of motion blur.
Close to the maximum density of circling martins, August 3, 2021
Climax of the evening, August 3, 2021
By 8:30 - 8:40, the birds are starting to perch.
By about 8:45 PM, most of the birds are perched, still excited, still loudly chattering and interacting. By early August, most males have migrated; these are all female and young birds. Illumination is from an overhead light in the Capital Plaza parking lot.
A few males remain -- dark purple all over. (August 4, 2021)
Our bird pictures from around the world follow standard ecozones approximately but not exactly:
Birds from the USA and Canada: our house, Hornsby Bend and greater Austin, Texas, California, Hawaii, Canada,
Neotropic birds from Central America and the Caribbean: Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago
Neotropic birds from South America: Ecuador 2004, Ecuador 2017, Brazil.
Western palearctic birds: Europe: Germany, Finland, Norway, Europe: United Kingdom, Europe: Spain, the Canary Islands, Europe: Lesbos, Greece, Israel
Eastern palearctic birds: China
Birds from Africa: The Gambia, South Africa
Indo-Malayan birds from India: North-west (Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand) India: North-east (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya) India: Central (Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh)
Birds from Australia, New Zealand.
For our 2014 December trip to India, see this travelog.
For our 2016 May-June trip to India, see this travelog.
For our 2017 April trip to High Island, Texas, see this web site.
For our 2018 March trip to India, see this travelog.
For our 2018 May trip to China, see this travelog.
For our 2018 November trip to China, see this travelog.
For our 2019 April trip to High Island, Texas, see this web site.
For our 2019 July trip to China, see this web site.
For our 2021 April trip to High Island, Texas, see this web site.
For the 2021 August 3 & 4 migration of Purple martins through Austin, see the present web site.
For our 2021 December trip to Ecuador, see this web site.
For our 2022 January-February trip to Peru, see this web site.
For our 2022 July/August trip to Australia and Papua New Guinea, see this web site.
For our 2022 September trip to Bolivia, see this web site.
For our 2022 November-December pre-trip to Argentina (before our Antarctic cruise), see this web site.
For our 2022 November-December cruise to Antarctica, see this web site.
For our 2023 January birding in Chile, see this web site.
For our 2023 January-March cruise from Chile to Antarctica and around South America to Miami, FL, see this web site.
For our 2023 March-April birding in south Florida (after the Seabourn cruise), see this web site.
For our 2023 November-December birding to Sri Lanka, the Andaman Islands, and South India, see this web site.
For John's 2024 February-March birding in Colombia, see this web site.
For our 2024 May-June cruise from Iceland to Jan Mayen Island to and around the Svalbard Archipelago, see this web site.
For our 2024 June 25-30 stay in Paris, see this we site.