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I was invited to experience the unbelievable Purple Martin congregation at Bomb Island located on Lake Murray in South Carolina. Captain Zach Steinhauser was kind enough to take the Berd Nird & I out for an evening tour to experience this incredible natural phenomenon. For the few that do not know the Berd Nird she is a super cool & super funny social media influencer and fellow South Carolina Birder! Follow her on any social media outlet @the_berd_nird
Saturday afternoon began with text messages about the imminent rainy forecast slated to interrupt our planned evening adventure.
This was the last chance of the season for me to see this exciting Purple Martin display so I decided to take my chances and make the long drive up to Lake Murray from Charleston.
As I approached the Columbia area mother nature opened the skies with lightning and rain. The trip odds were diminishing but I continued forward and made it to Lexington, SC. I parked and pulled up my weather app to check out the radar and to my surprise a break in the thunderstorms was headed over Lake Murray! About ten minutes later, I received a message from Capt. Zach saying the trip is ON!
Arriving at the dock the stormy weather had subsided and a tranquil Lake Murray was ready for our evening adventure. We boarded Zach’s pontoon boat and head out with grand excitement. The first bird we encountered on the expedition was a mature Bald Eagle!
We were soon treated to very close looks at several Osprey that call this picturesque lake home.
Awaiting sunset we explored a peaceful cove with more Osprey, Herons, and a few songbirds.
Zach explained that the Purple Martins chose this particular island because it is the most remote island on Lake Murray. The Purple Martins congregate in these massive numbers at the end of the summer after leaving their nesting colonies. They gather in theses incredible flocks to eat, rest and socialize before they migrate to South America for the winter. This congregation of Purple Martins is estimated to exceed over One Million birds!
As the sun started to set the Purple Martins began to appear over the trees on Bomb Island. There were also large numbers of Red-winged Blackbirds moving across the sky and over the island.
As the sun moved closer to the horizon Purple Martins began to fill the sky! We We were surrounded by hundreds of thousands of birds! Words and pictures cannot truly describe this breathtaking display of nature.
We were in total awe while experiencing this amazing natural phenomenon in our home state of South Carolina. It was so impressive it felt like it should be narrated by David Attenborough.
The calm conditions and bright orange sun helped frame this exciting spectacle with amazing light and colors. As dusk crept closer silhouettes of the Purple Martins and Green Herons appeared on Bomb Island.
It was a magical evening enjoying this wonder of nature. This phenomenon occurs annually and this was the first time I was lucky enough to experience it! If you are interested in witnessing this incredible congregation of Purple Martins check out Zach’s website and stay tuned for tour openings in 2025. https://www.carolinasafarico.com/about
Also Capt. Zach has made a conservation film titled Purple Haze where he follows the Purple Martins all the way to there wintering range in South America!
Watch the Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dONZ7qBFNOU
Happy Birding!
Charles
I met Zach about 8 years ago in Alabama at a Martin conference and decided to go to Lake Murray where he took us to Bomb Island. He discussed the plans for his movie and I became an executive producer for it.