This is my final image of the Purple Martins for the time being. My other birds are starting to feel neglected.

Thank you all for your kind comments re: the images of the Martins posted over the last little while. I was fortunate to get many shots of the adult Martins whilst their young were being banded. In yesterday's posting, I included a link to a video which more clearly explains and illustrates the banding process. This video was taken by a friend and it is well worth seeing if you have never experienced the banding of small birds before. This was my first time and I was most impressed both by the actual banding, the dedication of the people involved and by the video. In case you missed the video, I'm re-posting the link as follows: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6sulE6p2h8

In this final image a female Martin seems to be waving goodbye or giving a one-armed salute. Perhaps a fitting ending to this series of the Martin banding.