One of North America’s most beloved songbirds would have to be the purple martin. These birds dazzle the eyes with acrobatic aerial displays and please the ears with their tender songs. These birds nest in cavity type areas such as old woodpecker hollows and other natural cavities and do so quite well in the western portion of the continent. As we begin to move east past the Rocky Mountains, purple martins are not as independent as their western counterparts.
Today, the entire eastern race of purple martins are 100% depended on humans (yes, us!) for supplying them with nesting sites each and every year. Given these extraordinary circumstances, purple martin numbers in eastern North America have declined over the past number of years. In addition to being dependent on human beings, these birds also face competition from other species, suffer from the use of pesticides and have difficulty dealing with extreme weather.
At Gilligallou we recognize the threats to purple martins, as well as many other species of birds and, are constantly evaluating products and strategies to keep our feathered friends in health form. We always have and will continue to offer our clientele the very best in product selection, especially those products that are non-evasive and can actually take part in creating additional habitat for our favorite birds right in our backyard.
When we began our journey at Gilligallou, we set out to aid our customer base in transforming their backyards into an oasis for birds, and today, that vision could not be truer. As birders and conservationists, we not only must be abreast of the threats local bird species face but also must be able to accommodate and provide those birds with the tools or feed that they need not only to survive but to flourish. Stay tuned as once again, we begin to revamp our product offerings and go the extra mile in ensuring your backyard is so much more than just a place to hang your feeders.
As always, if you ever have any questions about design, feed, or other products, give us a call or leave it below in the comments section!