Cicada Invasion In North Central GA

[birdman in buckhead]

Greetings Fellow Landlords,

Feeding hatchlings should be an easy task for parent birds this year in my area because of the invasion of cicadas. If you have not read or heard about it, there's a link below that explains it. PM eggs should begin hatching in about one week, and from what I've heard the cicadas will be around for at least another month. There are hundreds of thousands of the protein rich insects that are the perfect size for feeding young purple martins, and they are EVERYWHERE! I've seen some land on the PM housing. The only potential problem I see is that most cicadas don't fly as high as the martins like to feed. There are bugs in tree tops that are about the right height, but if the PM's get wise to the fact the bugs are everywhere then there should be a feeding frenzy!

https://youtu.be/eOrhYv9uxqA?si=nKTlagGriqvrGjY0

[Martintown33]

Hi bird man.. here is SE Louisiana, last season, we had an explosion of what is locally called “love bugs”.. they seemed to fly in an area about 20 feet and lower to the ground. Myself and several other landlords saw their martins flying low, 20 to 15 feet off the ground, swarming in and feasting on this buffet.. I think if your martins find the cicadas they will fly low to feast on them… it’s a great show to watch that’s for sure!
Rob

[scottfreidhof]

I'm envious - you are in for a show for sure. Your adult martins are feeding on them already. I realize that the average foraging height is 100 feet but martins catch bugs where the bugs are. Because the cicadas are a large insect, the nestlings will have to reach a certain size before the adults start feeding cicadas to them. It was 2008 when the 17-year cicada hatch last occurred at my house. For fun I would catch the newly emerged cicadas in the lawn and toss them into the air. More often than not one of the martins would swoop low and catch it just above me. Next year 2025 is going to be a lot of fun when those amazing insects fill my yard and feed the birds! I want a periodical cicada that hatches every three years!!

[Jones4381]

nature's pruners no doubt. wish they were a wee bit quieter. Always enjoyed fishing with them too. I'm sure the Martins will appreciate the ample supply of food this season.

[Dave Duit]

With that many bugs, maybe all the landlords should consider catching and freezing them for later years supplement feeding.

[birdman in buckhead]

First batch of eggs hatched on Monday, but they are too small to eat cicadas unless the parent birds tear them up into smaller pieces. The adults have certainly caught on to the easy food source. They are flying/feeding much lower than in years past and getting very close to the trees where the cicadas are flying around. Although I have not actually witnessed a PM eat a cicada, I'm almost certain that they are. I thought about catching and freezing some, but decided to wait a while to see if the cicadas are still here when the hatchlings start to fledge.

[birdman in buckhead]

All of the cicadas are now gone. The adults all die after breeding, but before dying the female lays 400 - 600 eggs in holes she dug in tree branches. In a few weeks the eggs hatch and the "nymphs" fall to the ground. They burrow underground and attach to tree roots, then 13 - 17 years later, they emerge from the ground to mate and start the cycle all over again.

My first hatchlings are now starting to fledge. Maybe the first and second clutches were fed cicadas before the bugs all died. I never froze any, but luckily we are having a nice summer so far with plenty of other insects the adult martins catch to feed their young.

[Roymg]

I didnt think any bird would eat a love bug. Nastiest critter in existence. Id have to see that happen. No love bugs here but maybe on the interstate.

[savagedo]

Been porch watching my martins feast on them in southern Ohio. They also decimated my carpenter bees . I’ve seen them fly as low as about 10 feet off the ground snatching them.

[Mstan]

Martins being a blessing. That’s nice

[Thomas Maddox]

I didnt think any bird would eat a love bug. Nastiest critter in existence. Id have to see that happen. No love bugs here but maybe on the interstate.

I ate a love bug in high school on a dare. It was the nastiest thing I've ever tasted. Dumb kid