Are you seeing purple martins? Nashville bird advocates want to know.

Purple martins are starting to return to Nashville during their annual migration from North America to South America, but it remains unclear where the popular songbirds will end up congregating this summer. 

In 2020, thousands of purple martins set up camp at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in downtown Nashville. The next year, even more birds returned, causing financial and logistical trouble for the Nashville Symphony. 

Last year, the symphony removed about 30 elm trees from its plaza, in a segment of downtown Nashville with just 8% canopy cover, and pruned another dozen city trees to dissuade the birds from their doorstep. (The symphony says it will eventually replace the lost trees and donate more than 100 trees to the city.) 

Nashville Symphony cuts trees in anticipation of purple martin invasion

Volunteers monitored the remaining trees every night last summer, and the Nature Conservancy hired a falconer to hang out at the plaza with a hawk — hoping that the creature would scare the small birds away, according to Laura Cook, the bird research coordinator at Warner Park Nature Center.

It worked. 

The purple martins ultimately formed a large roost, potentially just as large as the symphony site, near the pedestrian bridge on First Avenue. 

“I think everybody was pretty happy with that outcome,” Cook said. “It was a great spot. I hope they go back there this year.” 

The songbirds are expected to start showing up in greater numbers around town in the coming weeks, though the local roost probably won’t reach its peak until August. 

Anyone who spots purple martins is encouraged to reach out to Kim Bailey at [email protected]. 

Purple martins are only about eight inches long, with a wingspan of up to 15 inches, yet they are considered the largest swallow in North America. The birds are mostly blue, black and gray, but their iridescent coats can appear purple. 

Purple martin populations are on the decline, largely due to pesticide use. The species is expected to remain stable, as global temperatures rise. But the use of synthetic pesticides, which are derived from fossil fuels and cause climate change, is expected to increase, as warming disrupts agricultural systems and boosts many pest and insect populations. 

Since 2021, Cook has been helping track young purple martins that hatch at birdhouses in Warner Parks, Bell’s Bend and the Ellington Agricultural Center. 

She monitored one bird all the way to Costa Rica last year, and another tagged fledgling popped up in Pennsylvania last week. During the summers, she’s been observing their behavior around Nashville. 

“During the day, they’re foraging in a huge, huge area in Middle Tennessee,” Cook said, before returning to their Nashville roost at night.