Romantics wax poetic about the swallows that return to the mission at San Juan Capistrano each year. Swallows migrate 6,000 miles from Goya, Argentina to San Juan Capistrano in large groups. The town of San Juan Capistrano welcomes visitors from all parts of the world to witness the return of the swallows, a tradition that has been celebrated since the early 1930s.
Closer to home, Lake Murray and particularly a small 12 acre island in the middle of the lake is also home to an annual migration of purple martins, a large member of the swallow family.
During the day, purple martins busy themselves with feeding and hanging out around the shores of Lake Murray and surrounding areas. When evening comes, the birds retreat en masse to an island that locals refer to as Bomb Island to roost. Their numbers are so large that the swarms of birds darken the sky and are even visible on radar at nearby airports.
Bomb Island, which is also referred to as Lunch Island or Doolittle Island on most maps, received it’s name from WWII bomber pilots who would practice bomb runs in preparation for war in Japan. The Doolittle Raiders, led by Lieutenant Colonel James "Jimmy" Doolittle, flew the first air raid to strike the Japanese mainland during World War II. The attack was credited as proving the United States prowess in attacking the self-proclaimed “invulnerable” Japanese mainland and provided quick retribution for Pearl Harbor.
It is estimated that between ½ to ¾ million purple martins fly to Bomb Island by the end of each summer. The roosting begins during mid July and usually ends sometime in September when the birds fly to South America for the winter.
As each evening roost begins during the summer, area visitors and residents often anchor in the vicinity of Bomb Island, which is only accessible by boat, to enjoy the multitude of circling birds as they come to roost. The area has been designated as an official bird sanctuary by the SCDNR and the Columbia Audubon Society and no trespassing is allowed on the island during the summer when birds roost.
To a lesser extent, purple martins have also been known to roost around several area South Carolina lakes, however, no roosting sites en masse are as popular as that on Lake Murray. For this reason, many area lake residents provide purple martin housing to attract the birds so they can enjoy seeing the birds. Providing purple martins with housing structures above docks and lake lots is a common activity for area lake residents.
One of the most important steps in attracting purple martins is choosing the right location for your martin housing. Martins prefer housing that is placed in open areas with clear flyways. Choose the center of the largest open spot available, at least 40-60 feet from trees and within 100 feet of human housing. In the southern half of their breeding range, martins may accept housing that is placed closer to tree coverage, but open areas, such as on the end of a boat dock or other extension over open water, are always best.
For more information on purple martins, visit www.purplemartin.org.
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Phillip Gentry is the host of “Upstate Outdoors,” broadcast from noon to 2 p.m. Saturdays on 106.3 WORD FM. You can also stream the show live or on podcast at 989word.radio.com
