What are Purple Martin “scouts” and where can I get arrival information?
The term “scout” is a misnomer carried over from earlier times when it was believed that adult martins would migrate back to North America, pick out a nesting site, and then travel back to South America to bring back other martins. “Scouts” actually are just the oldest martins that make the spring migration to their breeding grounds before the younger birds do. Subadult martins generally return to their breeding grounds 4 to 6 weeks after the adults return.
