Flight to Purple Martin Festival via Waupun & Horicon Marsh
As purple martins have taken flight across two continents to spend springs and summers with us in Wisconsin, so too will we celebrate in the backyard of Marsh Haven Nature Center of their long journey there. Join us on June 18 to celebrate our 5th Purple Martin Festival near Waupun and the Horicon Marsh discussing everything relating to martins. Our family of feathered friends will delight us with first hand sightings and sounds of 30 pairs of melodious cheers. We will be in the land of international importance, located at the Marsh Haven Nature Center W10145 State Road 49 Waupun, WI 53963 just north of the Horicon Marsh. Activities for both youths and adults will be offered at Marsh Haven Nature Center with food and drink from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Numerous trails are available for walking, which wind through woods, prairie, and wetland habitats going by a 30-foot observation tower viewing the surrounding landscape. Talks, plenty of martins whether rain or shine, a silent auction and if the weather is truly cooperative, an up and personal view of martins showing the adults through banding and their nests.
Each year many Wisconsinites anticipate the return of purple martins making a 5,000-mile flight from South America to their backyard from April to the end of June. Purple martins are one of the earliest spring migrants. They are semi-dependent upon people to provide housing & security for their reproduction to be successful. Because of this close association with people, purple martins need proprietors to be educated to prevent Wisconsin’s sinking population.
Information is available online athttp://www.wisconsinpurplemartins.org/ from Wisconsin Purple Martin Association or Marsh Haven Nature Center http://www.marshhaven.com in Waupun.
Purple martins are the largest members of the swallow family weighing a little over 2.25 ounces with an overall length of 7-8 inches. Martins are colonial nesting, raising one brood per year laying up to eight eggs. They migrate over 10,000 miles yearly with an average adult life span of around 3-4 years. Once a colony has been established, they are true to returning to the exact spot of housing they established. Since 2013 in Wisconsin, purple martins are listed as a species of special concern. Annual surveys conducted for nearly 50 years have shown purple martins have declined 6.35% per year in Wisconsin while declining 2.48% per year within the most recent decade of information. Simply stated, all annual route surveys tallied went from 591 purple martins in 1971 to 21 in 2015. As we are into the breeding season, property owners need all the tools to secure their colonies and benefit from the mentors across Wisconsin.
“Purple martins bring an intimate connection with wildlife. They are like family members coming to Wisconsin for the spring and summer to visit our properties rewarding us with their friendship, melodious calls and sharing their ecological pursuits of reproductive prowess. When purple martins have migrated south we are left with memories and the longings for their return from South America,” said Dick Nikolai, a retired biologist with the state Department of Natural Resources”. He can be contacted atprairiechicken@att.net for further information.