In three days earlier this month, Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research admitted 57 young purple martins at its Wild Bird Clinic.
More than 85 percent of these fledglings were brought from the Middletown area after being found on the ground near their colonies. The birds were dehydrated and underweight, but had no external injuries or signs of toxin exposure.
The hot and dry weather may have played a significant role in this unexpected wave of admissions to the clinic, Tri-State Bird Rescue spokeswoman Rebecca Elzey said. Early July is when many martins fledge and young birds begin the process of becoming independent of their parents.
Within a week, they are on their own, feeding exclusively on flying insects caught during flight. It is likely that there was a decrease in the availability of these insects because of the recent extreme heat and drought conditions, Tri-State Bird officials said. As a result of this extreme, many fledgling martins may have had difficulty finding enough food and regulating their body temperature.
Recent storms should alleviate the insect shortage; however, Tri-State will be caring for these young birds until they are healthy and mature enough to be returned to the wild. This includes hand-feeding each bird an insect-rich diet of mealworms and feeder crickets hourly, from dawn until dusk, thereby providing the closest nutritional equivalent of their natural diet.
Fortunately, much of their foraging behavior is hardwired, although they will be given plenty of flight practice to develop coordination and endurance.
