Continuing our partnership with Simple Gifts Community Garden, we were happy to install a new purple Martin house assembly at the garden, just in time for nesting season. These amazing birds are just coming in from Brazil for the spring and early summer, as part of their annual migration. They are the largest cavity-nesting swallow species. and they eat nothing but insects caught high in the air “on the wing.” With the destruction of much of their natural habitat, since colonization and development by settlers in North America, they are now dependent on man to provide housing for them.
Courtney, Luke, and Monty worked together to assemble the housing structure, prepare the inside of the gourds for nesting, and hoist it into place at 14 feet tall. It fit perfectly into the ground sleeve, cemented into place by Carl at the garden on Monday, which allows the assembly to be easily removed and safely stored during the off-season. Once the bluebirds have adopted the bluebird houses we installed nearby a few months ago, we will pull the tape off the entrance holes and invite the purple martins in. One bluebird house already has a new nest in it, so just waiting for the first egg to confirm the lease and invite the purple martins to come!
Many thanks for the generous sponsorship of this project by the NC Purple Martin Society, as well as the North Carolina Wildlife Federation.
South Wake Conservationists 