The Purple Martins of Lake Murray

This week I was very fortunate to receive an invite from one of my photography club members to join him on a visit to Lake Murray to see the annual Purple martin roost.

The man made lake was created in the 1920s to provide hydro electric power to the area, and is approximately 41 miles long, and covers 50,000 acres!

After flying north from over-wintering in South America, Purple Martins congregate in several areas in the US. Once fledged, the juveniles will join sub adult and adult Martins in a roost, of which the one on Bomb Island in Lake Murray is believed to be the biggest, with tens of thousands of them roosting at any one time!

The roost remains active for around six weeks, before the birds make the long trek back to South America.

Here at Lake Murray, the best time to view this spectacle is from late June to the beginning of August...so NOW!

Since my invite was due to one of the group cancelling at the last minute, I was very fortunate indeed to be able to join the outing. The only way to experience the full effect of the roost is by boat, so after arriving at the dock, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that our Captain was Zach Steinhauser, the videographer that created the film Purple Haze! Seriously!! Life's coincidences are truly astonishing sometimes!

So, to the boat and the short trip to Bomb Island! Of course the real spectacle is the sheer number of Purple Martins, however, along the way we stopped at several places to view a myriad of other birds that make the lake their home.

This included some Spotted Sandpipers that are 'unusual' for this time of year...so I posted my photos to eBird to confirm the sighting.

We also had many Osprey, and several Green Herons to add to the list!

But the real spectacle happens just after sunset. While there were hundreds of birds in the air around the island when we arrived, once the sun set, every single bird to to the sky! How could that small island hold so many birds was my thought, as first dozens, then hundreds took to the air and joined the congregation...

Capt Zach estimated that we were witnessing tens of thousands of Martins flying all around!

If you haven't been, Lake Murray is a couple of hours away from Charleston, and well worth the drive. Captain Zach is able to take a group of 6 on his boat, so get those friends together and make the trip. I'm sure you won't be disappointed and you'll be witnessing one of nature's wonders!
Here's Capt Zach's website