eNewsletter0106

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Purple Martin Voice

Volume 1(6)

Purple Martin Voice is an eNewsletter distributed by Purple Martin Association of the Dakotas. Issues feature the plights and triumphs of Purple Martins in the Dakotas.

Outdoor Martin Fest

Saturday, June 15, 2013
9:00 am - 3:00 pm
12345 396th Avenue
Columbia, SD 57433-7100

Your RSVP received before Wednesday, May 15, 2013 will make a difference towards our Outdoor Martin Fest Sponsorship award.

Join us for an informative day and discover how using geolocator technology allows scientists to help Purple Martins. Get answers to your questions about Purple Martins and connect with other beginner enthusiasts and experienced landlords. The only festival dedicated to Purple Martins in the Dakotas!

Research

In the last eNewsletter, we sidetracked with an early issue to bring you a special article written by Kathy Freeze about supplemental feeding. Only during inclement weather should anyone ever attempt feeding Purple Martins. Providing wild animals with a steady, human-supplied food source nearly always leads to problems for both the animals and humans.(1) We will now continue learning about Purple Martins deployed with geolocators from the Columbia, South Dakota breeding colony mentioned in Purple Martin Voice Volume 1(4).

Purple Martins from the Dakotas have now left their wintering roosts in Brazil. An after second year male (ASY-M) banded from the same Columbia, South Dakota breeding colony in 2011 with band number 2331-84523, began spring migration back to this Columbia colony from northern Brazil (Amazon River region) on April 8, 2012. This spring migration took three weeks with the ASY-M arriving back in Columbia on April 28, 2012. This ASY-M traveled 4,964 miles in 21 days averaging 236 miles per day.

The ASY-M left Columbia, South Dakota on July 28, 2011. He spent three weeks in what we think is a documented pre-migratory roost in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The fall migration took almost twice as long as the spring migration to complete. Leaving Sioux Falls, South Dakota on August 21, 2011, his migration took 40 days arriving in central western Brazil (Mato Grosso do Sul region) on September 29, 2011 traveling 5,408 miles averaging 135 miles per day. The total annual migration distance traveled for this ASY-M was 10,372 miles.

For more information on geolocator research, visit our Research page.

Literature Cited
1. http://www.paws.org/feeding-wildlife.html

Conservation

A few weeks ago we announced the addition of the Turtle River State Park Purple Martin Site to our North Red River Valley Purple Martin Project. We are excited to announce that our plan to enhance the Purple Martin housing was funded in full by the Friends of Turtle River (FOTR).

The original wooden Purple Martin house offered 8 units with the small 6”x6” compartment size. The wooden house mounted to a telescoping pole was heavy and difficult to maintain. We asked to replace the house with a new aluminum Purple Martin house mounted to the existing telescoping pole. The new housing was purchased, ready to be used, with the large 6”x12” compartment size and Starling-resistant entrance holes.

The existing aluminum house was modified to accommodate the large compartments and was equipped with Starling-resistant entrance holes. The existing doors were easily swapped out, and the old doors were reused as modified dividers.

Now the Turtle River State Park Purple Martin Site offers two nearly identical Pioneering Purple Martin housing systems. A single trapping system could be used with both of the houses being offered. Additionally, a Spare-O-Door live trapping system was purchased so that House Sparrows could be humanely eliminated. This was determined to be the most effective and safest method of controlling the nonnative site competitors within the park.

We want to extend our gratitude to FOTR for granting us the funding and opportunity to work in Turtle River State Park. Active since 2002, the FOTR group is an off-shoot of a former Friends of Recreation & Parks organization. We encourage anyone interested in joining FOTR to contact the park directly by including your name, home address, phone number and email address.

Calendar

June 8, 2013 11 am - 11:45 am Getting Started with Purple Martins
June 15, 2013 9 am - 3 pm Purple Martin Association of the Dakotas 2nd annual Outdoor Martin Fest

For more information on events, visit our Calendar page.

Announcement

Outdoor Martin Fest Sponsorship Received:
•ERVA / Nature House

If you, someone you know, or your company wants to sponsor the Outdoor Martin Fest, visit our Sponsor page.