new martin house at Forest Beach Migratory Preserve

With some great assistance from Dennis Kaehny and Tom Schaefer, a new martin house built by Whitefish Bay Eagle Scout Domi Lauko is now up at Forest Beach Migratory Preserve in northern Ozaukee County. Also devoting their time to this effort this weekend to put in the foundation were Carl Schwartz, Andrew Struck, and Mark Feider. Thanks to everyone for your help!

New martin houses are still planned for several other southeastern Wisconsin locations this year. Contact me if you'd like to help, or donate to a fund for parts, hardware and poles. (Bill Mueller, at iltlawas@earthlink.net )

looking for help with martin housing this April

We're looking for volunteeers to help us erect new and used martin housing in southeastern WI this April. If you are interested, contact me at iltlawas@earthlink.net

new construction for Purple Martins!

High school student Domi Lauko of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin decided he wanted to do something different for his Eagle Scout project. He met with us and made plans to provide us with several new houses. At the time, I did not realize that he really meant "several"! He then enlisted the aid of his fellow scouts to build a number of new martin houses (the photo shows a few of them stacked up in storage at the Urban Ecology Center in Milwaukee). We're finding sites for them and will install them this spring at various locations in southeastern Wisconsin. Thanks to Domi for a job well done. New martin colonies are hopefully not far off!

In 2010, if you would like to help our group install new martin houses and gourds; or collect, repair and refurbish older used houses (in good condition, only, please), contact me at iltlawas@earthlink.net

autumn martin news

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Over the coming months, we'll be working away at some equipment for next year's housing efforts. It will be months until we see a martin again here in Wisconsin, but although things have shifted gears, the Purple Martin Partners in southeastern Wisconsin will continue moving forward. If you would like to join us, contact Bill Mueller at iltlawas@earthlink.net at any time. We are gathering used martin houses or gourds in good condition when they are donated to us, and we have 5 new houses ready to go in spring of 2010!

since we're not seeing any martins now...

You might enjoy reading this fine article about martins in migration.

martin action in MN

See what an active Purple Martin group in Minnesota is up to here, at the East Central Minnesota Purple Martin Recovery organization. They're working hard on behalf of martins there!

donated housing

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Another excellent donated Purple Martin house came to us from Marilyn Bontly by way of the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center. This huge multi-apartment house (too big to fit in my car!) has not been used for some years, and will eventually go in one of the Milwaukee County parks with others we are currently refurbishing. Thanks much to Paul Andre who helped with a truck to move this one, and recent donations toward our martin housing effort from Pat Wilborn and others. We still need help with work on these houses, and the erection of new houses yet this year. Contact me if you would like to help: Bill Mueller, Conservation Chair, Wisconsin Society for Ornithology, e-mail iltlawas@earthlink.net