Early Bird: America's Beloved Purple Martins Return To Pennsylvania

In a sure sign that spring is not far behind, the first Purple Martins of the year have been spotted in Pennsylvania.

The birds were seen on March 10 in the small southern Pennsylvania city of Kirkwood by a Purple Martin enthusiast – one of many people throughout the eastern and central United States who track and report on the birds' annual migration on behalf of the Purple Martin Conservation Association.

"The Purple Martins arrival in Pennsylvania show the birds are making steady progress northward since they first made landfall in Florida two days after Christmas," said Joe Siegrist, presi...