Cautiously Optimistic

This morning I watched an SY male Purple Martin performing the "Claiming-Reclaiming Display." In the Stokes Purple Martin Book, they describe that behavior as "accompanied by song and involves the male leaving a nest hole, flying in a large circle, and returning to the hole in a steep dive punctuated with fluttering wings as he lands. He then quickly enters the hole, turns around, and sings from this position. It is done most frequently when male martins are trying to attract females to their territories." (pg. 36) I can't describe how happy I would be if I could get martins. They would have a good home here.

One reason I'm cautiously optimistic is this is the first time I've seen an SY male martin doing anything around the house. In the past, I would hear martins around it, but they were always ASY males with females just coming to check it out. So, combine the fact that this is an SY male (SY males are the ones that almost always establish a new colony) and he's doing the claiming-reclaiming display, I'm cautiously optimistic. I'll keep you updated.