Purple Martins Headline MartinFest 2018
Join the Wisconsin Purple Martin Association on June 30 to celebrate our free 7th Purple Martin Festival near Waupun at the north end of the Horicon Marsh at Marsh Haven Nature Center discussing all things relating to martins. As purple martins have flown across two continents to spend their spring and summer with us in Wisconsin, so too will we celebrate their return in the backyard of Marsh Haven Nature Center. This family of aerial insectivores will delight us with first hand sightings and chatter coming from over 30 pairs of harmonious birds. Location is in the land of international importance, at the Marsh Haven Nature Center W10145 State Road 49 Waupun, WI 53963. Food and drink will be available and all proceeds will benefit the purple martin colony at the location. Activities for both youths and adults will be offered at Marsh Haven Nature Center from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Enjoy the numerous trails available for walking through woods, prairie, and wetland habitats that include a 30-foot observation tower. Talks presented about martins will be on ecology, their housing, how to attract them and preventing nest competition. Whether the day is rainy or sunny, a live camera showing of purple martin activity will be ongoing at the nature center. A martin-housing vendor will be available outside along with free brochures & related martin information. Inside a silent auction will benefit the Wisconsin Purple Martin Association in their activities throughout the year. If the weather is truly cooperative, a close up view of adult martins will be shown with their nests while banding.
Purple martins make a 4,000-5,000-mile flight from South America to Wisconsin from early April to the end of June. They are one of the earliest spring migrants. Most notably, 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 managers to be educated to prevent Wisconsin’s sinking purple martin population.
Information is available online at http://www.wisconsinpurplemartins.org/ from Wisconsin Purple Martin Association or Marsh Haven Nature Center http://www.marshhaven.org 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 nesters, raising one brood per year laying up to eight eggs. Aerial insectivores like purple martins, chimney swifts and barn swallows are on the decline and all need man related housing for their survival. Average purple martin adult life span is around 3-4 years with the oldest known surviving martin attaining over 13 years of age. Once a colony has successfully reproduced fledging young at a site, they are true to returning to that housing. 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 6.84% per year (1966-2015) in Wisconsin while declining 7.67% per year within the most recent decade (2005-2015) 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 managers need all the tools to secure their colonies and benefit from the mentors across Wisconsin. Erratic weather for spring 2018 has created some challenges for established colonies (April snowstorm or ice storm depending on where in Wisconsin, cool weather, severe storms, record setting hot weather and a cyclic weather pattern). This means more energy demands for purple martins and possible survival issues for the adults, their eggs and now their young.
“Purple martins and their colonies are the pride and prize of Neotropical Migrants coming to North America in our yards. They are like our own family visiting for the spring and summer bringing a constant concert of song and antics for us to enjoy. Without their friendly connection, there is an absence of value of the natural world,” said Dick Nikolai, a retired biologist with the state Department of Natural Resources”. He can be contacted at prairiechicken@att.net for further information.