William B. Umstead Bridge Roost

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=100 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0418dfe1esnpes.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>Entrances By Sandy</B></FONT><B>     </B><B>|</B><B>    </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B> </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Entrances By Sandy"><U><B>home</B></U></A></FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="id183.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Premigratory Purple Martin Roosts: Poss"><U>Premigratory Purple Martin Roosts:  Possible Reasons For Them</U></A>   |   <B>William B. 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Umstead Bridge at Manns Harbor, NC.  This bridge is 2.8 miles long and crosses the Croatan Sound to the town of Manteo, NC.  Because this bridge is unprotected, many martins are killed each year.  Alisa Esposito, of Columbia, NC is heading an effort to get fencing put up to force the birds over the traffic, thus protecting them and preventing a traffic hazard.  If you are interested in helping, please send a letter voicing your opinion to:</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The Honorable Marc Basnight </B></div> <div> <B>2007 Legislative Building. </B></div> <div> <B>Raleigh, NC 27601-2808</B></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.purplemartinroost.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.purplemartinroost.com"><U><B>http://www.purplemartinroost.com</B></U></A><B>  </B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>A website created and maintained by Alisa Esposito about the Mann's Harbor (William B. Umstead) Bridge roost.</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="f1280e00.gif" border=0 width="640" height="480" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>This is a radar image, taken on 7/22/07, of the Manns Harbor roost, which is located south of Elizabeth City, NC.  It is the ring you see across the sound from Elizabeth City.  The ring are the birds dispersing in the morning.  Also, in this clip is two other possible roosts.  This image was captured from </B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#0000BF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="http://www.wunderground.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.wunderground.com"><U><B>Wunderground</B></U></A></FONT><B> which is a great weather site.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>A Statement by Lane Stout of Louisiana</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The William B. Umstead Bridge </B></div> <div> <B>and Purple Martins</B></div> <div> <B> </B></div> <div> <B>The Problem:</B></div> <div> As Purple Martins arrive at the bridge in the evenings and depart in the morning hundreds are killed in collisions with automobiles as they fly and swoop over traffic lanes. Warning signs placed at the bridge entrances warning motorist of the situation have done little to reduce martin deaths or potential automobile accidents and damage. Verification indicates hundreds have been killed this year on the Umstead Bridge already. This devastation has been occurring for many years and there is no reason to believe it will stop on it's own.</div> <div>  </div> <div> <B>The Biology:</B></div> <div> Each summer as Purple Martins begin their long journey to their wintering grounds in South America they join in large groups at night to sleep. The site where these gatherings occur is referred to as "a roost" and may contain thousands of individual birds. As natural habitat has been lost and man-made structures created many bridges across the nation now serve as preferred roosting sites by the Purple Martin. Purple Martins breed exclusively in North America and are almost totally dependant on man to supply housing for nesting.</div> <div>  </div> <div> <B>The Solution:</B></div> <div> The placement of deterrence fencing on guardrails on both sides of bridge traffic lanes will force the martins to fly up and over passing vehicles thus eliminating the majority of collisions. Martins instinctively prefer not to fly in confined areas and generally will not swoop down below the top of the fences on each side of the vehicle lanes. The fencing in no way detracts from their roosting habitat as they perch on beams and structure underneath the bridge. Deterrence fencing has been successfully implemented on bridges at other Purple Martin roost sites and is unobtrusive and virtually unnoticed by motorist. </div> <div>  </div> <div> <B>What Can You Do?</B></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Write your public officials and ask they support a project to install deterrence fencing on the segment of bridge where the martins roost. Educate others of the situation and invite them to visit <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.savethemartins.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.savethemartins.org"><U>www.savethemartins.org</U></A></FONT> to learn more</div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="74ef4770.jpg" border=0 width="500" height="375" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>The William B. Umstead Bridge at Manns Harbor, NC</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="740f4770.jpg" border=0 width="500" height="375" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>So far, only a sign has been put up to warn the motorists.</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Below are some video clips I shot on Aug 6, 2005 after the First Annual Purple Martin Roost Festival held inManteo.  You will notice a green tint to some of the videos as I was switching between regular and the Night Shot feature on my camcorder as it was getting very dark at the time these videos were taken.  Once you get to 10.wmv, pay real close attention to the sounds that are made.  It was quite deafening.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B> <a href="HTMLobj-2799/Umstead_Bridge_Roost_8605_2.wmv" target="_blank"><u>Umstead_Bridge_Roost_8605_2.wmv</u></a>  </B></div> <bR> <div> <B> <a href="HTMLobj-2800/Umstead_Bridge_Roost_8605_3.wmv" target="_blank"><u>Umstead_Bridge_Roost_8605_3.wmv</u></a>  </B></div> <bR> <div> <B> <a href="HTMLobj-2801/Umstead_Bridge_Roost_8605_4.wmv" target="_blank"><u>Umstead_Bridge_Roost_8605_4.wmv</u></a>  </B></div> <bR> <div> <B> <a href="HTMLobj-2802/Umstead_Bridge_Roost_8605_5.wmv" target="_blank"><u>Umstead_Bridge_Roost_8605_5.wmv</u></a>  </B></div> <bR> <div> <B> <a href="HTMLobj-2803/Umstead_Bridge_Roost_8605_6.wmv" target="_blank"><u>Umstead_Bridge_Roost_8605_6.wmv</u></a>  </B></div> <bR> <div> <B> <a href="HTMLobj-2804/Umstead_Bridge_Roost_8605_7.wmv" target="_blank"><u>Umstead_Bridge_Roost_8605_7.wmv</u></a>  </B></div> <bR> <div> <B> <a href="HTMLobj-2805/Umstead_Bridge_Roost_8605_8.wmv" target="_blank"><u>Umstead_Bridge_Roost_8605_8.wmv</u></a>  </B></div> <bR> <div> <B> <a href="HTMLobj-2806/Umstead_Bridge_Roost_8605_9.wmv" target="_blank"><u>Umstead_Bridge_Roost_8605_9.wmv</u></a>  </B></div> <bR> <div> <B> <a href="HTMLobj-2807/Umstead_Bridge_Roost_8605_10.wmv" target="_blank"><u>Umstead_Bridge_Roost_8605_10.wmv</u></a>  </B></div> <bR> <div> <B> <a href="HTMLobj-2808/Umstead_Bridge_Roost_8605_11.wmv" target="_blank"><u>Umstead_Bridge_Roost_8605_11.wmv</u></a>  </B></div> <bR> <div> <B> <a href="HTMLobj-2809/Umstead_Bridge_Roost_8605_12.wmv" target="_blank"><u>Umstead_Bridge_Roost_8605_12.wmv</u></a>  </B></div> <bR> <div> <B> <a href="HTMLobj-2810/Umstead_Bridge_Roost_8605_13.wmv" target="_blank"><u>Umstead_Bridge_Roost_8605_13.wmv</u></a>  </B></div> <bR> <div> <B> <a href="HTMLobj-2811/Umstead_Bridge_Roost_8605___14.wmv" target="_blank"><u>Umstead_Bridge_Roost_8605___14.wmv</u></a>  </B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Here is a copy of the letter I sent to Senator Marc Basnight.  Maybe it will encourage you or give you an idea of things to say when writing.  </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>3837 Old Wilson Road</B></div> <div> <B>Rocky Mount, NC 27801</B></div> <div> <B>July 8, 2004</B></div> <div> <B> </B></div> <div> <B>The Honorable Marc Basnight</B></div> <div> <B>2007 Legislative Building</B></div> <div> <B>Raleigh, NC 27601-2808</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Dear Honorable Marc Basnight,</B></div> <div> <B> </B></div> <div> <B>   As a North Carolinian, a nature lover, and a Purple Martin landlord, the mass destruction of Purple Martins at the Umstead Bridge, at Manns Harbor, is deplorable.  This roost site can be turned into a tourist attraction, and become a safe area for motorists, for years to come.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>  These magnificent birds fly to the United States annually, just to nest and raise their young.  After completing their nesting cycle, they gather in large roosts before flying back to Brazil to spend the winter.  One of the roost sites for North Carolina happens to be the Umstead Bridge.  Might I suggest that North Carolina follow Louisiana's lead exemplified by their Lake Pontchartrain site, and install protective fencing.  Here is a link to the Lake Pontchartrain website that you access to see what is going on down there. </B><A HREF=" http://www.gnofn.org/~swallow/welcome.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" http://www.gnofn.org/~swallow/welcome."><U><B> </B></U></A><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF=" http://www.gnofn.org/~swallow/welcome.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" http://www.gnofn.org/~swallow/welcome."><U><B>http://www.gnofn.org/~swallow/welcome.html</B></U></A></FONT><B>   The fencing forces the birds to fly over it, thus preventing their useless and untimely deaths.  At the same time, installation of the fencing, which detours the birds, will dramatically reduce the risk of injury to motorists.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>   I realize a fence on the bridge will cost money, but it will be money well spent.  Purple Martin landlords will travel great distances to see roosts.  This means tourism money for North Carolina, and most importantly, Manteo and Dare County.  I am sure that many will continue on to Nags Head and the Outer Banks after they visit the roost, which means even more money spent in North Carolina.  Just a few weeks ago, I was watching a television show on the building of the Lake Pontchartrain Bridge, and some time was spent talking about the fencing to protect the Purple Martins.  Hundreds of people visit this bridge annually to see the roost for themselves, and that means money spent in that area, as well as great press and public relations.  The Lake Pontchartrain roost receives much publicity.  Dare County could very well receive this same kind of press, and revenue, in years to come if this handled properly and handled NOW!!!</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Just to give you an idea of what a Purple Martin landlord will spend, I have over $2000.00 worth of housing in my yard.  Much of what I have, I built, meaning I spent the money here in North Carolina.  Some of the items I have, I bought from other places, which means the money went out of North Carolina, but regardless, it is money I spent just to have these birds nest in my yard.  There is a Purple MartinFest, held annually in Finger, TN, which is a very small town.  This year the event attracted over 500 guests that represented 20 states and 2 Canadian provinces.  I attend this festival annually.  Purple Martin landlords spend money and they want to see the birds as much as possible, which is why they will travel to an impressive roost such as the one at Umstead Bridge to get that last look before the birds migrate back to Brazil.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Respectfully yours,</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Alexander P. Bunn</B></div> <div> <B>APB</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>A Message From Tim Francis of Raleigh, NC</B></div> <div> <B>July 26, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Sandy, Linda, Alisa, Chris and I went to see first hand the devastation of PM's on July 25, 2004 at the William B. Umstead Bridge that spans the Croatan Sound between Manns Harbor and Manteo, NC. I have to say I had a great time with my bestest buddy Sandy and his wife Linda. We laughed and drank soft drinks for two hours and visited the toilets as well. We arrived at Chris & Alisa home and looked at her colony. Wonderful landlords if I may say so. Why both Chris and Alisa are wonderful landlords is the way they care and love their PM's. I also met Bob (inside joke).   I didn't know this but James Hill was going to join us at the bridge. Now the bridge: We arrived at the bridge between 7:30 pm and there were about 100. At 7:45 they started to come in by the thousands. They were so thick by 8:00 they formed a huge circle that in the shape of a vase probably 200' high and 100' wide, there were other groups doing the same to the left and others flying over the bridge from the east. There were large pockets of black moving across the water as well and the vase shape cloud moving. It was the most spectacular event I have seen to this point. I know there were between 45,000-80,000 Purple Martins in this roost. The roost in Raleigh, NC was estimated at about 2000-3000. Sandy and I were so excited smiling, joking when Chris began to drive across the bridge. I ran up and jumped in the car with Chris and Jamie.  About 1/4 we stopped and I jumped out of the van and straddled the guardrail to get a look up close and personal of the roost. Its was incredible thousands of PMs swirling   wings fluttering approx. 3'-4' from my face, looking for a spot. Remember this is a bridge railings 3 - 5' high cars and trucks traveling at speeds from 35-55. Now consider a PM flying over the railing to get a spot and meeting the trucks and cars. We drove and began to count tonight's victims the number 24 and another 37 this morning this happens every night. How many landlords would love to have a colony of 24 and 37 martins? I know 90% of us would. Speaking for myself and I think for Sandy I was joking and laughing last night to hide my true feelings. Last night I was driving home and I remembered the song "Tears of a Clown" by Smokey Robinson. Laughing on the outside but crying on the inside!!!!</B></div> <div> <B>We all need to support this effort NOW. We need to step up to the plate and get this fixed. Some of you know me but many more know Sandy. We are very much alike when we set our minds and hearts on something we will succeed. I met another couple as wacky and committed as we are. Don't sit on the sidelines and watch join us. We need you!!  Write letters to your Congressman, Senator local Audubon Society, Sierra Club, Local Birding Stores and tell them about this.   We may need financial help for legal services. Grass root organizations work. Remember elected officials work for you use your voting power. Now everyone in NC & Virginia we need your support. You need to get involved personally. We need to get out of our comfort zones and begin to take action. What better cause to fight for then the preservation of PM's. We need every PM landlord and Waiting landlord in NC & VA. to be involved. We need to begin to communicate and begin to form a strong group to succeed. Sandy and I spoke last year about beginning a NC PM Group and I believe this is the kick in the butt we needed. I hope you will see this project is not about Alisa, Chris, Sandy, Linda or me its about the birds we all love, its their cause. </B></div> <div> <B>If you live in NC or VA let us hear from you.</B></div> <div> <B>Email me, Tim Francis </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="mailto:tfrancis1@nc.rr.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:tfrancis1@nc.rr.com"><U><B>tfrancis1@nc.rr.com</B></U></A></FONT><B>, Sandy Bunn </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="mailto:sbunn1@cox.net" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:sbunn1@cox.net"><U><B>sbunn1@cox.net</B></U></A></FONT><B> or Alisa Esposito </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Times New Roman" ><A HREF="mailto:alisasart@earthlink.net" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:alisasart@earthlink.net"><U><B>alisasart@earthlink.net</B></U></A></FONT><B>.  Thank you for reading this.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>A Message From Alisa Esposito</B></div> <div> <B>July 27, 2004</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Well! We counted the birds--it was easy as pie! Packed shoulder to shoulder under the bridge along  every I-beam girder, cable and support structure. They were packed like this along a solid 50 spans of bridge, with another 10 spans (5 on either side) where they were roosting but half as thick. We figured 1800 birds per solidly packed span with the other ten spans running roughly half that to equal a WHOPPING total of 100,000+. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Jamie Hill said he thinks this was the first count of a roost that had ever been done to this degree of accuracy. :o)</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>YOU--all of you--EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE! at the meeting. You should all come to see this.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Phenomenal. Unbelievable. CRAZY. Breath-taking. Fantastic. Awe-inspiring. Exhilarating. What have I left out? I heard a few times some tight-lipped man's men saying in giddy tones with smiley faces "Man this is Impressive!" :o))))))))</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>100, 000+ birds coming in to roost in ~30 minutes will completely FLOOR YOU. It will freak--you--out. Put you in touch with the pulsating energy of the Universe kinda thing, you just can't help it! Whizzing all about the boat, chattering chirping buzzing--zinging over the water, "marching" in waves, in ribbons, singlemindedly focused on that bridge in pursuit of finding a seat, fighting and growling and chattering with their neighbors, flying off and back on, and up and over and back out over the water to return again. And all around you, and in front, and far into the distance, beyond the horizon, and they just KEEP COMING. They just keep COMING...Absolutely breath-taking. Unless you experience this you cannot even imagine the intensity. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>This roost holds such huge potential for outreach and education. Teaching people about the very real relationship between people and wildlife--how much these martins do absolutely need us as responsible stewards, and here, a cooperative solution (hopefully) for yet another level of protection for these migratory songbirds at their roost site. What a mind-blowing vehicle for human understanding of the natural world and the impact we all have on species generally --how THE DECISIONS WE MAKE--or CHOOSE NOT TO MAKE can effect just this one species on so many levels. The Purple Martin is such an extraordinary bird to speak generally for nature, for migratory birds, because we are so up-close and involved in their daily lives. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>A festival is definately on the horizon, and more....</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Besides that the meeting went fine. The NCWRC is going to be writing a recommendation to the DOT as well, and I see more media coverage is likely, AND the DOT is talking about the possibility of closing down the bridge during arrival and departure times, somewhat like at a railroad crossing. We are just in the rumbling, heard it throught the grapevine stages, but that is what they are leaning towards and it just may be do-able. Now we just have to focus on roost behavior as well as mortality, in order to get a solid understanding of roost times and how the birds are affected by weather and other factors, etc. We still do not know what the final decision will be. We still have not had a meeting with any of the engineers or the decision-makers--this has been a fairly-lower-level environmental supervisor who has been out to see. He will again make his recommendations for what he thinks is appropriate protective action based on our feild observations, but ultimately, the decision is made on a level I cannot speak to, and I know that letters to the DOT, and continued letters to Senator Marc Basnight, as well as letters to Stan White, Dare County Commisioner (also a DOT decision maker) will definatley have comtinued impact. I think this is being taken so seriously this year because of the Senators involvement, and he is probably keeping up his interest because of the letters he is recieving from all of you. So please don't stop now! Not until we have a solid plan, or at least something firm on the horizon.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>I see a meeting with the DOT is next. So, we will schedule that and I will keep you updated! </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Feeling very good about this right now. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Still have about 50 birds in dead from last night and this morning though, and two more injured. We found our first ASY male hit--all others have been hatch-year. Ran out of crickets for those in rehab and so did the bait shop--so hopefully the 1000 I ordered will be in soon.....</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Alisa~ :o))))))))</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>          </B><A HREF="id183.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Premigratory Purple Martin Roosts: Poss"><U><B> Previous Page</B></U></A><B>            </B><A HREF="mailto:sbunn1@suddenlink.net" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:sbunn1@suddenlink.net"><U><B>Contact Me</B></U></A><B>               </B><A HREF="id181.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Decatur Alabama Roost"><U><B>Next Page</B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>