MES Prairie Purple Martin Project
By Liz Herzmann, Wildlife Conservation Educator, Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area
Purple Martin photos courtesy of Jeff Bahls
There is exciting bird news at the MES prairie! The 4th grade students helped install a Purple Martin nesting structure, speaker and solar panel in April and updated all of the Tree Swallow nesting boxes. Purple Martins are a colony nesting species, which means they nest together in groups and only in human-made structures east of the Mississippi. Many times, it takes years and years to attract a new colony but…..success!
Students worked with Mrs. Liz Herzmann of the DNR every morning to monitor boxes, and on the morning of Friday, May 30, two Purple Martins were heard and seen! Over the next few days, they found friends, and we've now seen seven Purple Martins!
These are all young adults, which means they do not have their own colony yet and are looking for a new home. Luckily, they found one at MES! They have been seen “dating” by feeding each other food, showing off the best nesting material, inspecting future homes and singing their chirpy, gurgling songs! Pairs have been inspecting the gourds, and we’ve even found the start of two nests already! Nests are made of thick grass, then a layer of mud and finally green leaves before eggs are laid. We are anxiously waiting to see if we will have baby Purple Martins this summer!
Students also checked on their Tree Swallow boxes. We have a total of 8 eggs between two boxes. Tree Swallows build a nest of grass and then line it with feathers. Check out the photo of the Tree Swallow holding a feather. Students got to watch a “feather battle” as two swallows were fighting over this specific feather!
We are so excited to see what the future brings, and we thank all the 4th grade students and teachers - Mrs. Weiglein, Mrs. Scott and Mrs. Murack - for their support in taking learning outdoors!