>> OH LOOK, THERE'S HEMANT.
>> ANDY AND JULIA BALINSKY ARE LANDLORDS IN AUSTIN.
>> IN JANUARY WE GET THESE HOUSING UNITS ALL READY.
WE'RE HERE!
>> TODAY THEY'RE CHECKING ON THE WELFARE OF SOME TENANTS.
>> HEY, HEMANT.
>> WITH THEIR FRIEND, HEMANT, THEY MANAGE A HOUSING COMPLEX.
>> WE HAVE TO CLEAN THEM OUT, WE HAVE TO PURCHASE
NEW STRUCTURES FROM TIME TO TIME, SOME MAINTENANCE.
>> BUT ALL THIS HAPPENS ON A SMALL SCALE.
THE THREE ARE LANDLORDS FOR A COLONY OF PURPLE MARTINS.
>> THEY ARE THE LARGEST NORTH AMERICAN SWALLOW...
A SUB-GROUP OF THAT FAMILY CALLED THE MARTINS,
WHICH ARE A TYPE OF SWALLOW.
>> HOWEVER, UNLIKE SOME SWALLOWS, WHICH RAISE YOUNG
IN HOUSES THEY CONSTRUCT THEMSELVES, PURPLE MARTINS
NEED EXISTING CAVITIES IN ORDER TO NEST.
SO THE BIRDS HAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY RELIANT ON PEOPLE
TO PROVIDE HOUSING.
IT'S A RELATIONSHIP THAT DATES BACK CENTURIES.
>> NATIVE AMERICANS PUT UP GOURDS, LONG LONG AGO,
AND THIS BIRD ASSOCIATES SAFETY WITH HUMANS.
HUMANS KEEP THE SNAKES AWAY.
>> THERE ARE FEWER SNAKES, AND HAWKS AND OWLS, SO THEY JUST
MORE OR LESS REFUSE TO NEST AWAY FROM HUMAN ACTIVITY.
>> LANDLORDS KNOW MANY WAYS TO DETER PREDATORS,
AND THEY ALSO KNOW HOW TO EVICT BAD NEIGHBORS.
>> JUST TAKE IT OUT.
>> WITHOUT SOME HELP, THE MARTINS WOULD BE RUN OUT OF
THEIR HOMES BY NON-NATIVE BIRDS LIKE HOUSE SPARROWS.
>> THEY'RE PRETTY NASTY.
THEY'LL GO IN AND PECK THE PURPLE MARTIN EGGS,
THEY'LL BE MEAN TO THE BABIES-- IT'S BAD NEWS.
SO WE DISCOURAGE THEM FROM BEING HERE, AND THAT'S
PART OF THE RESPONSIBILITY.
>> SPARROW NESTS ARE EASY TO SPOT, BUT NO ONE WANTS
TO EVICT BABIES...
>> NO EGGS.
>> ...SO LANDLORDS MUST REMOVE NESTS FREQUENTLY
DURING THE SPRING.
>> SO WE'RE DONE HERE....
>> WE LIVE 20 MINUTES AWAY, BUT WE DO TRY TO MAKE IT EVERY
FIVE DAYS IF AT ALL POSSIBLE.
>> PURPLE MARTINS ALSO DO SOME TRAVELING.
THEY SPEND WINTER IN SOUTH AMERICA, AND RETURN TO
NORTH AMERICA EACH SPRING TO BREED, REACHING TEXAS IN
LATE JANUARY AND FEBRUARY AND AS FAR NORTH AS CANADA BY MAY.
LANDLORDS LAY OUT THE WELCOME MAT BY OFFERING, CLEAN,
VACANT, SEMI-FURNISHED UNITS.
>> WE PUT A BED OF PINE NEEDLES IN EACH COMPARTMENT,
AND WHEN THE NESTING STARTS THE PURPLE MARTINS THEMSELVES
WILL BRING LEAVES.
>> AFTER THAT, THE REAL WORK BEGINS.
>> HOW MANY EGGS DID WE HAVE IN F?
>> WE PULL THEIR NESTS DOWN AND COUNT EGGS.
>> SEVEN, STILL SEVEN.
>> NATIVE BIRDS ARE PROTECTED BY FEDERAL AND STATE LAWS,
SO EGGS AND NESTLINGS SHOULD NOT BE HANDLED WITHOUT
PROPER TRAINING AND PERMITS.
BUT CAREFUL NEST CHECKS CAN BENEFIT PURPLE MARTINS.
>> SOME OF IT IS ACTUALLY DIRECTLY HELPING THE MARTINS,
LIKE SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO THROW OUT A ROTTEN EGG THAT COULD
BREAK AND BRING SOME DISEASE OR CHANGE OUT A NEST
THAT'S CRAWLING WITH MITES.
>> WE NOT ONLY HELP BIRDS IN RAISING THE FAMILY,
BUT ALSO WE HELP THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY TO GATHER DATA.
>> THE INFORMATION THESE AND MANY OTHER LANDLORDS COLLECT
IS PASSED ALONG TO THE PURPLE MARTIN CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION,
TO YIELD A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF SPECIES HEALTH
AND MANAGEMENT ACROSS ITS RANGE.
>> I'M NOT A SCIENTIST MYSELF, BUT THIS IS A CHANCE
TO BE A CITIZEN SCIENTIST.
>> ALRIGHT.
NOW WE LEAVE THEM ALONE.
AND THEY'RE COMING BACK.
>> CLEARLY, BEING A LANDLORD TAKES SOME WORK.
SO SINCE THE BIRDS PAY NO RENT, WHAT EXACTLY ARE THE DIVIDENDS?
(birds chirping)
>> LISTEN TO THE SONG!
IT'S JUST A MAGICAL SOUND.
>> THEY HAVE SO MANY DIFFERENT SOUNDS.
>> JUST UP THE ROAD, IN TEMPLE, ALLEN NEWMAN HAS BEEN ENJOYING
PURPLE MARTIN SONG FOR MORE THAN TWO DECADES.
>> I'VE BEEN A PURPLE MARTIN LANDLORD FOR 24 YEARS.
RIGHT NOW I HAVE 83 YOUNG ONES AND 54 ADULTS.
THEY'RE TALKING TO THEIR YOUNG-- THEY'RE TELLING THEM TO
KEEP THEIR HEADS DOWN AND BEHAVE.
(laughs)
THEY'RE A GOOD BIRD TO HAVE.
THEY DON'T GET ALL THE GROUND MOSQUITOES, BUT THEY GET A LOT
OF OTHER INSECTS AS THEY FEED.
>> I JUST ENJOY BEING AROUND THE BIRDS, AND IT'S REALLY NICE
SEEING ALL THAT NEW LIFE GENERATED YEAR AFTER YEAR.
>> BACK IN AUSTIN, THOSE EGGS HAVE YIELDED NEWBORN MARTINS.
>> WHEN THEY UNFOLD OUT OF THAT EGG, EVEN ON THE DAY THEY HATCH,
THEY DON'T SEEM TO FIT.
(laugh)
>> WITHIN A MONTH, EVEN THE TINIEST OF THESE HATCHLINGS
WILL BE LEARNING TO FLY.
BY SUMMER'S END, THE BIRDS WILL HEAD SOUTH.
BUT BEFORE THEY LEAVE, THE MARTINS PUT ON
AN IMPRESSIVE SHOW IN AUSTIN.
(music)
>> WHEN THE BABIES HAVE ALL FLEDGED, THE PURPLE MARTINS
FROM FURTHER NORTH OF HERE, CONGREGATE AT HIGHLAND MALL
FOR ABOUT A MONTH.
>> AMAZING!
>> THEY COME IN ON THE SAME TREES EVERY DAY.
>> IN JULY, PURPLE MARTINS CONVERGE NIGHTLY
ON A FEW TREES IN THIS NORTH AUSTIN PARKING LOT.
>> THEY'RE STARTING TO COME IN, LIKE, RIGHT NOW.
>> THIS IS A MAJOR PRE-MIGRATION ROOST FOR THE PURPLE MARTINS.
AFTER THEY'VE RAISED THEIR BABIES, THEY START GROUPING UP
INTO LARGE GROUPS IN PREPARATION FOR FLYING SOUTH,
TO SOUTH AMERICA.
>> THE COMMUNITY OF BIRDS ALSO DRAWS A COMMUNITY OF ONLOOKERS.
AT ITS PEAK, THE SPECTACLE RIVALS AUSTIN'S FAMED
BAT COLONY.
>> WE'VE HAD NUMEROUS PEOPLE TELL US THIS IS COOLER
THAN THE BATS.
IT'S SO BIG YOU CAN SEE IT ON DOPPLER RADAR.
>> PRETTY IMPRESSIVE.
>> THERE'S LAYERS UPON LAYERS OF THEM.
>> THOUGH ANDY, JULIA, AND HEMANT LOST SOME OF THEIR
MARTIN BABIES TO AN EXTREME JUNE HEAT WAVE,
THEIR CARING MANAGEMENT HELPED DOZENS MORE SURVIVE.
>> 172 BIRDS BASICALLY ARE OUT HERE, NEW BIRDS THIS YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THAT COLONY WE TOOK CARE OF,
SO WE DEFINITELY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR SOME PORTION OF THAT.
(music)
I'M SURE OUR BIRDS ARE AMONG THESE.
THOSE THREE, UH, THAT ONE, THE 700TH ONE FROM THE LEFT!
(laughs)
>> IT'S LIKE A HURRICANE OF BIRDS!
>> AND PERHAPS HERE TOO, ARE SOME FUTURE CARETAKERS...
>> MOM, THIS IS REALLY COOL.
>> TO HELP ENSURE THESE BIRDS WILL ALWAYS HAVE A PLACE
TO CALL HOME.
>> OH, WHOA!
THAT IS A LOT OF BIRDS.
THAT'S REALLY COOL!
(music)
(birds chattering)