Purple range, purple range

Dr. Sarah Rockwell of the Klamath Bird Observatory will present “GPS-Tracking Western Purple Martins to Brazil and Back” at the Yachats Commons this Sunday, May 19.

Purple martins are only found at the coast from about April to August and, until recently, researchers had only a slight idea of where they spend the non-breeding months. From 2020 to 2022, the Klamath Bird Observatory’s research team captured adult martins nesting in coastal Oregon and outfitted them with lightweight GPS tags to track their movements.

These tags need a battery lightweight enough for a small songbird to carry safely and cannot transmit GPS data, only store it. To retrieve the tag and its valuable data, tagged birds must be found and recaptured after their year-long, round-trip migration.

Learn as Rockwell tells the fascinating story of how international collaboration and dedication succeeded in revealing new discoveries about these incredible, 8,000-mile journeys.

Sunday’s talk, presented by the Yachats Academy of Arts and Sciences, begins at 3 pm at the Yachats Commons, 441 Hwy. 101 N. Admission is by a suggested donation of $5. For more information, go to pollyplumb.org or yachatsacademy.org.