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When I first moved to Renfrew County back in the late 1970s, there were many Purple Martin colonies in the area, the largest being on Mountainview Road. However, since then, the Martin population has seriously declined, and I am not aware of any existing colonies now in our area. In fact, it is almost a bird watching highlight to spot a Martin in the County.
There are many factors for this decline, but the primary ones are the loss of summer habitat in South America and the fierce competition from House Sparrows and Starlings for nesting sites.
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Chloe Thompson is a SAIL High School student interning with WFSU as part of the Age of Nature project. She spent a semester getting to know Lake Elberta, and helped organize a cleanup there in March of 2021. Chloe closes out her internship with a look at fixing Lake Elberta’s garbage issue- in the long term.
In February of 2021, I had visited Lake Elberta for the very first time. Before then, to be honest, I probably had driven by it countless times, but never seemed to notice it until intentionally looking for it. The park was a truly beautiful place, filled with all sorts of wildlife and lively with visitors.
It still feels like winter in San Antonio, but purple martins are back
Calvin Finch, Gardening
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It is hard for many of us to fathom given the past week’s severe winter weather, but purple martins are back in San Antonio.Campwillowlake /Getty Images / iStockphotoShow MoreShow Less
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It is hard for many of us to fathom given the past week’s severe winter weather, but purple martins are back in San Antonio.jerryhopman /Getty Images / iStockphotoShow MoreShow Less
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It is hard for many of us to fathom given the past week’s severe winter weather, but purple martins are back in San Antonio.jerryhopman /Getty Images / iStockphotoShow MoreShow Less