request for assistance with martin housing in southeast WI

If you are willing to help the Purple Martin Partners of southeastern Wisconsin by volunteering a few hours in August and September to help us put up new martin housing, or refurbish used housing, we'd be very glad to have your assistance. If you are interested but have no time to help, we also welcome any donations of cash for materials, and/or used martin housing or gourds in good condition. For more information or to volunteer, contact Bill Mueller, WSO Conservation Chair, 414-698-9108, or e-mail iltlawas@earthlink.net - Thanks in advance for any assistance or donation.

Purple Martin roosts

Purple Martin roosts are now forming in a number of areas in the Unites States. Roost behavior at the largest sites can be observed on NEXRAD. Since many Wisconsin birds are still at nesting sites, it may be a few weeks before any are forming here. But if you see what you think is a roost, you can learn more and report it at the PMCA Project Martin Roost site, here. Remember that PUMA is an early fall migrant, with most birds gone from Wisconsin before September.

new potential PUMA site at WI Humane Society in Milwaukee

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Our good friend Scott Diehl has installed the Purple Martin gourd assembly we provided at the Wisconsin Humane Society, on 45th and Wisconsin, in Milwaukee. Looks great, Scott! Now we'll wait and see if southbound juveniles inspect it next month, along with the other installations we've made this year.

At the Fond du Lac County location where I installed a martin house in May, adults have been coming over from another nearby active colony, perching on this new house, but not staying long. Maybe juveniles will check that one out in August, too. We'll see.

Purple Martin references and resources

Find some Purple Martin references and resources at any of these links:
http://purplemartin.org/update/StarlImpact.html
http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/JFO/v069n02/p0316-p0325.pdf
http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/projects/scp/assessments/purplemartin.pdf
http://www.purplemartinrecovery.org/Resources.html

I'll be gone for a while. Check back in a few weeks.

Purple Martin Partner news

Bill Holton and some of his monitoring partners have trapped starlings several times at the Grobschmidt Park house. No martins yet.

I have put up the house donated by Karen Johnson, on a rural FDL Co. site. I will be delivering the gourd and pole set to Scott Diehl at Wisconsin Humane this week. I gave the house donated by Marvin C. to a farmer who will paint it and put it up on his land, at the Sheb Co/FDL Co line.

Karen, Betsy, and other have continued to monitor the South Shore colony, which has approx 7 pairs. A House Sparrow pair attempted to nest, but it looks like they moved on, or were removed by the owner of this house.

I traveled to a number of areas in Fond du Lac, Calumet, and Sheboygan counties last Saturday, where I found colonies on Hwy MM in Sheb Co (only one pair), another off of Hwy HHH in Calumet Co near the west end of Charlesburg Swamp (3-4 pairs), a magnificent colony setup with multiple house near Hilbert (Manitowoc Co), which had many pairs last year, but no birds yet this year. An Amish farm on Hwy Q in FDL Co has a few pairs.

If you find others in southeastern WI, we'd like to hear about them.

a new Purple Martin house for Lakeshore State Park, Milwaukee harbor

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Thanks to the gentlemen pictured here for help in setting up a new martin house for Milwaukee's Lakeshore State Park. Thanks also to park manager Tom Kroeger for his assistance and support of this effort. Special thanks to Bill Holton, Owen Boyle, Paul Hunter, and Todd Wilson for work with drills, wrenches, locks, lifting the structure, etc. Without the efforts of all persons involved, we'd have had a lot more trouble and a lot less progress.

Now the next step is up to the martins! While working this evening in the Milwaukee Harbor, we were treated to near fly-bys from Barn Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, and Cliff Swallow - maybe they know this is meant for another swallow species - they came near and "checked it out", especially the rough-wings.

We all enjoyed the swallows in front of gorgeous evening clouds, and the martin house against the backdrop of the city.

Purple Martins in Lakeshore State Park?

We'll see. Today Bill Holton, park boss Tom Kroeger and I prepared the hole, and poured concrete for the base for the next martin house in this new, urban state park. More news as the next steps unfold. Want to help? Give me a call at 414-698-9108, or e-mail me at iltlawas@earthlink.net