29th ANNUAL
PURPLE MARTIN FIELD DAY

Date: Saturday, June 22, 2024
Door prize give-away and presentations
begin at 11:00a.m. ET
Please arrive before 11:00a.m.
Scheduled activities end by 3:00p.m.

Location: Louisa County, VA
(between Richmond and Charlottesville)


RAIN POLICY:
PLEASE CHECK THIS PAGE THE MORNING OF THE EVENT,
TO BE SURE IT WILL BE HELD!
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(IF RAIN/STORMS ARE PREDICTED, WE MAY
NEED TO CANCEL OR POST SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS HERE.)

HEALTH PRECAUTIONS:

It is the personal responsibility of everyone who attends this event to take all needed precautions to protect themselves from COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, using masks and other precautions, as appropriate.

Photo by Kathy Laine
Photo by Kathy Laine

This Field Day will be held at the farm of Mrs. Merle Wood and her son, Mr. Lance Wood. Establishing and maintaining a healthy Purple Martin colony can be difficult; see the most effective techniques and equipment available for successful martin attraction and management, and learn how to increase the size of an existing colony. The Wood farm hosts a large colony of more than 70 pairs of martins! This kind of growth happens only with proper equipment, utilizing the best management techniques, and hard work by Purple Martin caretakers known as "landlords." YOU can learn how to do it all!—FREE!



Educational displays at Field Day (photo by Kathy Laine)

See video of the birds at their gourd nests.

The 11:00a.m. program by Mr. Lance Wood and other speakers will cover these topics:
  • How to ATTRACT Purple Martins and grow your colony
  • Advantages and disadvantages of different types of martin HOUSING
  • What martin housing is the SAFEST?—gourds or houses?
  • PROTECTING martins from snakes, owls, raccoons, House Sparrows, Starlings, wind damage, lightning, etc.
  • Adding Starling‑Resistant Entrance Holes (SREH's) to martin gourds and houses
  • Will martins eat all your MOSQUITOES?
Bring your lunch to eat while you listen to presentations, enjoying watching dozens of Purple Martins soaring and feeding their nestlings! After the main program, you can buy gourds/seeds, and learn to grow gourds and modify them to create safe, long‑lasting Purple Martin homes. You will receive free literature on martin attraction and management, and catalogs for high‑quality martin equipment! Come and join the fun!

Bring: Lawn chairs, binoculars, camera, notepad, bag lunch/drink, rain gear, and shoes for walking in wet grass. PLEASE DO NOT BRING PETS.

No registration. Event is FREE, but donations will be appreciated to help cover expenses.

For more information, please call Kathy at (434) 222-1831 (leave voicemail)

* * * * * * *
If you have questions about Purple Martins, please contact the PMCA at:
Purple Martin Conservation Association
301 Peninsula Drive, Suite 6
Erie, PA 16505
(814) 833‑7656
www.purplemartin.org

For other bird, wildlife and nature resources visit our LINKS page.