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39-531: The shoreline is mostly gently sloped and composed of broken limestone interspersed with smaller sections of aquatic shoreline vegetation or mudflats. Above the Chats Falls Dam is Lac des Chats . Below Britannia is a series of rapids and waterfalls culminating with the Chaudière Falls . Between the rapids and the falls, the river is not navigable. The lake was first known as Chaudière Lake by

78-443: A colony started, once established, the colony will persist as long as nesting sites are available. Martins have a very strong "site tenacity" and if they are successful in raising a brood, will often return to the same site to nest year after year. The human-avian relationship was in place even before the population crash in the 20th century; Cherokee were known to have hollowed out gourds and hung them on wooden snags and posts in

117-411: A gurgling and guttural courtship song, a dawn song, and even a subsong used at the end of the breeding season. Tapes of purple martin song are sold to attract martins to newly established birdhouses. The species of this genus are very closely related, and some view the purple martin, gray-breasted martin , caribbean martin , and southern martin , as a superspecies . Purple martins' breeding range

156-520: A result, this subspecies typically breeds in colonies located in proximity to people, even within cities and towns. This makes their distribution patchy, as they are usually absent from areas where no nest sites are provided. Western birds often make use of natural cavities such as old woodpecker holes in trees or saguaro cacti. The birds migrate to the Amazon basin in winter. Their winter range extends into Ecuador but does not seem to ascend far up

195-433: A significant portion of their diet. Purple martins (nominate form P. s. subis ) are considered synanthropic , meaning they have developed an association with humans over time and benefit from living in close proximity to them. Through years of generational imprinting and nesting the eastern species has made a complete transition from nesting in the wild to relying on human-provided nesting sites. Initially difficult to get

234-672: A slightly forked tail. Both male and female purple martins exhibit delayed plumage maturation , meaning it takes them two years before they acquire full adult plumage. Subadult females look similar to adult females minus the steel blue sheen and browner on the back. Subadult males look very much like females, but solid black feathers emerge on their chests in a blotchy, random pattern as they molt to their adult plumage. Purple martins are quite vocal. They are known to chirp, chortle, rattle, and croak. Their various calls are described as "throaty and rich" and can be rendered as tchew-wew , pew pew , choo , cher , zweet, and zwrack . The males have

273-448: A strategy of catching insects in the air during flight. The birds are agile hunters and eat a variety of winged insects. Rarely, they will come to the ground to eat insects. They usually fly relatively high, so, contrary to popular opinion, mosquitoes do not form a large part of their diet. Research published in 2015, however, does indicate that the purple martin feeds on invasive fire ants ( Solenopsis invicta ) and that they may make up

312-523: Is 57.9 metres above sea level. Current water levels can be found on the Ottawa River Levels website. Water levels fluctuate on Lac Deschênes approximately 0.9 m annually, with the high on average of 58.8 m occurring during the spring freshet and the low on average of 57.9 m occurring during September. Water levels are affected strictly by the flows being passed from upstream. Waters are slow flowing except immediately below

351-527: Is a passerine bird in the swallow family Hirundinidae . It is the largest swallow in North America. Despite its name, the purple martin is not truly purple. The dark blackish-blue feathers have an iridescent sheen caused by the diffraction of incident light giving them a bright blue to navy blue or deep purple appearance. In some light, they may even appear green in color. Being migratory, their breeding range extends from central Alberta down through

390-438: Is a misconception among many people regarding purple martin's temperament. Many people believe purple martins will defend their nesting sites against competitor species such as the house sparrow and European starling . However, both species are more aggressive and in most cases will instinctively fight to the death in order to obtain a nesting site. The house sparrow and European starling are known to kill adult martins, take over

429-411: Is assumed that the older birds arrive on the breeding grounds first to obtain better nesting sites. Older males typically migrate first and leave the overwintering sites in late December or early January, followed by older females. Younger birds (first yearlings) typically arrive at the breeding grounds up to two months later. Fall migration is also staggered, as birds head south when the breeding season

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468-444: Is complicated by the fact that artificial nest sites could be houses with many rooms, clustered gourds, or single gourds. The nest is made inside the cavity of such artificial structures and retains a somewhat flat appearance. The nest is a structure of primarily three levels: the first level acts as a foundation and is usually made up of twigs, mud, small pebbles, and in at least a few reported cases, small river mollusk shells were used;

507-675: Is home to five sailing clubs and one commercial marina. Britannia Yacht Club is the oldest, established in 1887. It is located at the eastern end of the lake near the Deschênes Rapids. Next is the Nepean Sailing Club established in 1979 but now the largest of the Ottawa area sailing clubs. It is located in Dick Bell Park on Carling Avenue in the former City of Nepean . The Lac Deschênes Sailing Club and

546-407: Is laid. Incubation lasts 15–16 days and the female is the main incubator, with some help from the male. Hatching occurs over the course of two to three days. Fledging, when the young leave the nest, occurs between 26 and 32 days after hatch day. Fledglings will continue to receive care from both parents for up to a month after fledging. Purple martins are insectivores , primarily feed by hawking ,

585-524: Is nesting. Three subspecies are recognised: With an average length of 20 cm (7.9 in) and a wingspan of up to 38 cm (15 in), the purple martin is the largest amongst the 90 odd species in the family Hirundinidae . Measurement ranges : Purple martins are sexually dimorphic . Adult males are entirely black with a glossy steel blue sheen, the only swallow in North America with such coloration. Adult females are dark on top with some steel blue sheen, and lighter underparts. Adults have

624-418: Is over. Some birds leave as early as July and others stay as late as October. Martins generally migrate over land, through Mexico and Central America . When not breeding, martins form large flocks and roost together in great numbers. This behavior begins just prior to the southern migration and continues on the wintering grounds. These flocks can be so large that when they take off from these roosts to forage,

663-404: Is required, as European starlings and house sparrows compete with martins as cavity-nesters, and will fight with martins over nest sites. Thus, unmonitored purple martin houses are often overtaken by more aggressive, non-native species. Purple martin proponents are motivated by the concern that the purple martin would likely vanish from eastern North America were it not for this assistance. There

702-443: Is throughout temperate North America. Their breeding habitat is open areas across eastern North America, and also some locations on the west coast from British Columbia to Mexico . Martins make their nests in cavities, either natural or artificial. In many places, humans put up real or artificial hollow gourds, or houses for martins, especially in the east, where purple martins are almost entirely dependent on such structures. As

741-840: The Andean foothills. There are multiple records of long-distance vagrancy for this species. The first record of this species in Europe was in Dún Laoghaire , Leinster , Ireland in 1839 or 1840. The species was recorded at least six other times in the British Isles in the 1800s, and there are more recent records from Scotland in 2004 and the Azores in 2004 and 2011. There is also a record of two birds from Stanley, Falkland Islands (Las Malvinas) in 2004, and multiple records from Alaska , including records from Saint Paul Island in

780-705: The Bering Sea and Fairbanks . Wintering in Brazil, Bolivia, and parts of Peru, purple martins migrate to North America in the spring to breed. Spring migration is somewhat staggered, with arrivals in southern areas such as Florida and Texas in January, but showing up in the northern United States in April and in Canada as late as May. The arrival date to the breeding grounds tends to correlate directly with age. It

819-522: The Hudson Bay area of Canada by James Isham . When in 1758 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the tenth edition , he placed the purple martin with swallows and swifts in the genus Hirundo . Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Hirundo subis and cited Edwards' work. The purple martin is now placed in the genus Progne that

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858-450: The IUCN , purple martins are experiencing a unique threat to their long-term survival. Nearly all eastern members of the species exclusively nest in artificial gourds and 'condo' units provided by human 'landlords', and this practice has been experiencing a steady decline. One study found that nearly 90% of landlords were 50 years of age or older and that younger generations were not exhibiting

897-771: The Kanata Sailing Club are the two smaller clubs consisting primarily of dinghy fleets. On the Quebec side of the lake is the Club de Voile Grande-Rivière located at the Aylmer Marina. Further upstream on the Ontario side is the Port of Call Marina. Numerous launch ramps exist on both sides of the lake. On the Ontario side, these are located at Fitzroy Harbour, Buckham's Bay, Port of Call Marina, Shirleys Bay , and

936-529: The Nepean Sailing Club. A small public dock exists at Pinhey's Point while the village of Quyon maintains much larger public dock facilities near the western end of the lake. Access between Ontario and Quebec across Lac Deschênes is provided by a ferry service between West Carleton and Quyon. Although a bridge has been proposed, it has not yet received approval. Canadian Hydrographic Service Chart 1550 - Britannia Bay to Chats Falls covers

975-414: The activity is detected on Doppler weather radar as rings. Referred to as roost rings , they start small and then get larger until the birds have spread out and the ring disappears. Males arrive in breeding sites before females and establish their territory . A territory can consist of several potential nest sites. After forming a pair, both the male and female inspect available nest sites. This process

1014-478: The bays. Ring-billed , herring and great black-backed gulls are abundant as well as various other waterfowl species. Large numbers of Canada geese and other waterbirds stop at the lake during their fall migration. Mallards have been seen particularly in the Shirleys Bay area. Red-throated loons , Arctic terns , and common terns have also been spotted. Moderate numbers of shorebirds concentrate in

1053-463: The dam at Chats Falls and again at Britannia Rapids. Although much of Lac Deschênes is relatively shallow, generally less than 9.0 m, there is a deep trough between Twelve Mile Island and Aylmer Island that reaches depths of 49 m. Numerous species of sport fish can be found in Lac Deschênes including black crappie , pickerel (walleye) , muskie , and pike . Catfish abound in many of

1092-669: The eastern United States. Subspecies breed in Baja California, Arizona, and New Mexico. Most make a brief stopover in the Yucatán Peninsula or Cuba during pre-breeding migration to North America and during post-breeding migration before reaching their overwintering site in South America. They are known for their speed, agility, and their characteristic mix of rapid, flapping, and gliding flight patterns. When approaching their nesting site, they will dive from

1131-640: The easternmost part (near the dam) lies in Ottawa , Ontario and in Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais Regional County Municipality, Quebec . This Ontario location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Quebec location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Ontario location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Purple martin The purple martin ( Progne subis )

1170-670: The first colonial settlers in the early 1800s. The original name of the village that became Aylmer was the Chaudière Farm Village, for the Chaudière Lake Farm created by Philemon Wright Jr. As the Francophone population of the area increased, it became more commonly known as lac-Deschênes. It is now officially known by the French name only. Lac Deschênes is used for recreational boating and sailing. It

1209-411: The muddier parts of the shoreline such as at Shirleys Bay and Andrew Hayden Park. A colony of purple martins makes their home at the Nepean Sailing Club. In August 2023, Jean-Pierre Caron, a resident of Aylmer, proposed the creation of a pedestrian bridge connecting Deschênes to Britannia. The bridge would be approximately 795 meters long and seven meters wide. The cost of a potential bridge would be in

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1248-427: The nest, and remove eggs or remaining young. Purple martins suffered a severe population crash in the 20th century widely linked to the release and spread of European starlings in North America. European starlings and house sparrows compete with martins for nest cavities. Where purple martins once gathered in the thousands, by the 1980s they had all but disappeared. Though classified as being of least concern by

1287-492: The pre-colonial era. They erected them so that the adult birds would build nests and then feed thousands of insects to their young each day that would otherwise be eating their crops. In 1808, Chickasaws and Choctaws were observed hanging gourds for martins on stripped saplings near their cabins, as African Americans were doing likewise on long canes on the banks of the Mississippi. Continual maintenance and protection

1326-446: The range of $ 45 to $ 70 million. An online survey received over 1,000 responses within the first couple weeks. Hull-Aylmer MP Greg Fergus stated the federal government is not close to funding the project, while residents in Ottawa have expressed environmental and traffic concerns. The National Capital Commission (NCC) stated they would consider the bridge plan in their 2024 evaluation of the circulation and interprovincial travel needs of

1365-828: The region. Lac des Chats Lac des Chats (English: Lake of Cats), commonly known as Chats Lake, is a lake on the Ottawa River which forms part of the boundary between the provinces of Ontario and Quebec ( Canada ). It is formed by the Chats Falls Dam and serves as the reservoir for the Chats Falls Generating Station . Most of the lake is located in Pontiac Regional County Municipality, Quebec , and in Renfrew County , Ontario, but

1404-420: The second level of the nest is made up of grasses, finer smaller twigs; the third level of construction composing the nest is a small compression usually lined with fresh green leaves where the eggs are laid. Purple martins are generally known to raise only a single brood. The average clutch size is four to six eggs per nest. Females lay one egg a day and incubation begins when the penultimate (second to last) egg

1443-504: The sky at great speeds with their wings tucked, just like the peregrine falcon does when hunting smaller birds. In 1750 the English naturalist George Edwards included an illustration and a description of the purple martin in the third volume of his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds . He used the English name "The Great American Martin". Edwards based his hand-coloured etching on a preserved specimen that had been brought to London from

1482-492: The whole of Lac Deschênes. The Canadian Coast Guard maintains lights and buoys on the lake, however local emergency services in Ottawa and Gatineau are responsible for providing search and rescue services within their respective city boundaries. The nearest Coast Guard radio is in Prescott (VHF Ch. 16 or cellular telephone *16) however dialling 911 is the most effective means of reaching local emergency services. Chart datum

1521-595: Was introduced in 1826 by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie . The genus name Progne is from Greek mythology . Progne or Procne ( Πρόκνη ), the daughter of King Pandion of Athens and wife of King Tereus of Thrace was transformed into a swallow. The specific epithet subis is Latin for a bird mentioned by the Roman author Nigidius Figulus that could break eagles' eggs. It may have been applied to this species because of its aggression toward birds of prey when it

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