Disney Welcomes Purple Martins For Their 2024 Nesting Season
You may not know this, but the Walt Disney World golf courses have been certified by Audubon International as Cooperative Wildlife Sanctuaries.
Interestingly, the golf courses have also been an integral part of a multi-site program in Central Florida to provide nesting infrastructure for Purple Martins. Every year, they stop by as they migrate north from South America.
Photo: Disney Parks Blog
The goal of the program is to understand the migration and nesting habits of Purple Martins and reverse their decline in Central Florida.
How The Program Works
As part of Disney’s commitment to the program, they have previously installed Purple Martin nesting facilities at Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course and throughout Walt Disney World.
Photo: Disney
The birds begin to nest upon arrival, and conservation from Disney’s Animal Kingdom performs scheduled checks of nests. They also periodically check the birds, monitor the progress of the new arrivals, and count the eggs.
Some of the Purple Martins are also tagged with GPS transmitters and other identification tags.
Photo: Disney
Different Central Florida locations use their own color bands to enable future research on where Purple Martins go and where they return.
Once the breeding cycle is complete and the newly hatched Purple Martins are mature enough to fly, they begin their migration back to South America.
Photo: Disney
2023 Was a Record Year
During the 2023 migration season, there were roughly 300 nesting attempts around Walt Disney World, and over 1,1000 chicks hatched. That number was a record for the program.
Photo: Santa Barbara Independent
So, next time you play a round at Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course, keep your eyes open. You may just spot some Purple Martins.
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