The NC Purple Martin Society and the NC Museum of Natural Sciences are hosting a banding event next week at two of their Raleigh-area locations, where they maintain purple martin houses. Museum ornithologists will weigh, measure, and band the purple martin chicks. Learn how banding works, why we band birds, and get to see purple … More Watch Purple Martin Banding in Action!
SWC volunteers had a gorgeous low-humidity, partly-cloudy morning on June 11th working with residents of the Glenaire retirement community in Cary to install three new houses for brown-headed nuthatches. These small songbirds are typically found in mature pine forests with an open understory in the Southeastern United States. Fun fact: their high-pitched call is often … More Houses for Brown-Headed Nuthatches
Bird enthusiasts and members of the South Wake Conservationists (SWC) were treated to a delightful event on May 19th, 2024, at the Sugg Farm Purple Martin Colony in Holly Springs. The afternoon unfolded under the expert guidance of Courtney Rousseau, founder and president of the North Carolina Purple Martin Society (NCPMS). Courtney’s knowledge and passion … More Hatch Day at the Sugg Farm Purple Martin Colony!
David Mizejewski, naturalist with the National Wildlife Federation, will give a talk followed by a book signing in the Museum of Natural Sciences’ SECU Daily Planet Theater on May 22 at noon. Join David for a fun and informative talk on how to create a beautiful garden space that fits into the local ecosystem and … More Live at the Museum May 22 – David Mizejewski
It was wonderful (thankfully rain-free!) morning in Apex on May 18th, celebrating the grand opening of the sustainability-focused community garden, Simple Gifts Community Garden. SWC has partnered with the garden over the past year with a native plant sale, pollinator plantings, bluebird-house installations, and a purple martin house assembly installation. This garden uses environmentally-friendly methods … More Groovin’ at the Garden!
The South Wake Conservationists are taking a tour of Walnut Creek Wetland Park in Raleigh! Celia Lechtman serves as an Assistant Manager at the park and will guide us on the tour. Join us as we get to know this unique and important area! The physical and biological characteristics of freshwater wetlands, such as those … More Walnut Creek Wetland Park Tour
Engaging youth in nature is important work. Engaging youth in conservation is imperative work. Join the South Wake Conservationists as teacher Katie Thompson shares the amazing work her students are doing both inside and outside the classroom to address the challenges facing pollinators. Her students are letter writing pros, community outreach heroes and pollinator protectors … More Monarchs & Pollinators: Giving the Next Generation Wings & Wisdom
It was a beautiful day for the annual Holly Springs Wild About Nature festival, where SWC has participated for many years (formerly known as Turtle Fest and Bass Lake Day). Everyone dodged the cicadas that were all around and had a good time! We continued our 2024 theme of NC Mammals, with display materials and … More Engaging Holly Springs at Wild About Nature Festival
Be sure to register for this one and join us Sunday afternoon at Sugg Farm! This is a very special wildlife tour by our own Courtney Rousseau, and the purple martin colony at Sugg Farm is very active and fun to watch. Learn all about purple martins from Courtney, who is also president of the … More Join Us for a Nest Check at Sugg Farm Purple Martin Colony!
Mark your calendars for the official grand opening of the Simple Gifts Community Garden on Sat., May 18th, 10 AM-12 PM, at 3109 Tingen Rd., Apex, NC. This new garden not only produces an abundance of fresh, organic produce in a half-acre garden on YMCA of the Triangle land in Apex for local food banks, … More Wildlife-Friendly Community Garden Grand Opening
South Wake Conservationists 