While visiting EPCOT recently, we were lucky enough to be able to take some time and watch the Cast Members from the Disney’s Animals, Science and Environment team monitoring the Purple Martins nesting at the park. Animal care Cast Members are some of the best to talk to at Walt Disney World, and we were able to chat briefly with a Cast Member to better understand what they’re doing when they’re checking on the hotel-style nests.
Purple Martins at Walt Disney World
There are dozens of Purple Martin nesting hotels around Walt Disney World. Guests can find them at EPCOT (pictured below), Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course, and more!
Purple Martins arrive in the United States from Brazil sometime in January and they will stay here into August before flying back to Brazil for the winter months. Every year, Cast Members from the Disney’s Animals, Science and Environment team will prepare the nests to make it easier for the Purple Martins to feel at home. That said, there is still work to be done once the first Purple Martins arrive early in the year.
Cast Members will continuously monitor the hotels, first checking for early evidence of nesting such as the addition of materials outside of those provided during the initial setup of the housing. Then, as more Purple Martins arrive, Cast Members will check for tagged birds to better understand migration patterns and the overall health of the species (numbers are starting to dwindle). Then, the search for eggs and eventually baby Purple Martins gets underway – we’re at that stage right now.
Disney works with other organizations to tag and track the Purple Martins – including the use of simple leg tags or even more complicated backpack trackers for select birds to better understand migration patterns and choices made by the birds.
During their three-times-per-week check-ins, Cast Members will lower the hotels and open a side access hatch to log the progress.
Once the Cast Members are done, the hotels are cranked back up to a higher position, and the attentive parents come flooding back.
We were even lucky enough to spot a few recently hatched younglings!
So next time you spot these avocado-shaped birdhouses at Walt Disney World, keep an eye out for the seasonal residents! To learn more about Purple Martins at Walt Disney World, check out the migratory birds webpage on the Disney World website, or the Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom show on Disney+.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!