The five purple martin bird hatchlings rescued from a fire pit at St. Michael’s Farm Preserve in Hopewell Township as they appeared in early July.
By Frank Mustac, Special Writer
Bird hatchlings saved from near-certain death will soon take flight for the first time thanks to life-saving measures taken at the Mercer County Wildlife Center in Titusville.
Five purple martins were nursed back to health after being rescued from a fire pit on July 5 at the St. Michael’s Farm Preserve in Hopewell Township.
According to Hopewell Township police, five birdhouses that had been erected by the preserve, located approximately 200 feet from the fire pit, were allegedly removed, taken to the pit and burned. Remains of baby birds were found in the remnants along with the live hatchlings that were rescued.
“Honestly, I don’t want to believe that anybody knew there were baby birds in those boxes when they threw them in the fire,” Diane Nickerson, director of the Mercer County Wildlife Center said. “I don’t know how naive that is, but that’s what I want to believe.”
Now, nearly a month after the hatchlings were rescued, Ms. Nickerson said the birds are “just learning to use those wings a little bit” after being moved to an indoor flight cage.
The purple martin gets its name from the look of their feathers.
“They get an iridescence to them, which looks purple when they’re out in the sunlight,” Ms. Nickerson said. “They’re very pretty birds.”
Before being placed in the indoor aviary cage, the quintet of baby purple martins had been kept in an incubator since their arrival at the animal hospital.
As they grow, Ms. Nickerson said the fledglings are fed upwards of 60 mealworms an hour for 12 hours a day by hand.
“We’ve trained a few people how to feed them because they are a little more difficult to feed than some of the other birds,” she said. “When they open their mouths, you just stuff the worms in.”
In the wild, purple martins are normally “aerial insectivores,” according to Ms. Nickerson, meaning they only catch and eat bugs while flying.
Soon the young birds will be moved to a more spacious outdoor aviary.
“They’ll be there for a week or two,” Ms. Nickerson said. “Then we’re going to locate a purple martin colony to release them into.”
Adult purple martins in the colony, she said, will likely feed the rescued birds if needed.
When it’s time for their first migration, Ms. Nickerson said the rescued birds will the follow the adults to a winter destination, which can be located in the southern part of the United States or as far away as South America.
As for what led the birds into the care of the Mercer County Wildlife Center in the first place, Lt. Christopher Kascik of the Hopewell Township Police Department said an investigation is currently ongoing.
“We are still hoping someone from the public comes forward eventually,” he said.
Anyone with information regarding the birdhouses should contact the Hopewell Township Police Department at 609-737-3100 or contact the anonymous tip line at 609-737-3100, ext. 517.
A hungry fledgling awaits its next meal at the Mercer Wildlife Preserve.
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