Purple martins have returned to the Austin area

Grab your binoculars. Purple martins are back.

Why it matters: The large swallows — identified by their indigo feathers and long tapered wings — spend each summer in the Austin area as they prepare to migrate to South America.

• And where there are purple martins, there's a parking lot packed with visitors ready for a show.

Driving the news: The Travis Audubon's popular Purple Martin Party kicks off Friday in Round Rock and continues each Friday and Saturday through Aug. 3 to celebrate the swirling birds.

• The birds are still roosting at the La Frontera shopping center, but they're in a slightly different location than last year, according to Travis Audubon's Caley Zuzula.
• To get the best view, visitors should head to the corner of Sundance Parkway and Parker Drive, across the street from Applebee's. (Exact location here .)

How it works: After eating insects all day, hundreds of thousands of purple martins will make a swirling pattern in the air as they head into their roosting sites for the night.

• You'll start to see them trickle in around 8:30pm, as the sun begins to set.

What they're saying: As many as 100,000 purple martins will cram into just one tree for the night, Zuzula told Axios.

• "By the time they were gone, those trees were in rough shape," Zuzula said about last year's roosting site, near Old Navy at La Frontera.

What's next: You can catch the birds any day through August, but expect Amy's purple ice cream and sorbet at the final two weekends of the Purple Martin Parties.

Pro tip: Bring an umbrella or a hat. You'll get pooped on, but it's worth it .

The bottom line: It's already a spectacular show.

• "It looks like it's going to be really good this year," Zuzula said. "We already have so many birds."