Lessons from the Purple Martin Field Day

Last weekend I look a little road trip up to the northern part of my state (VA) to attend the 17th annual Purple Martin Field Day. It was my first time attending and despite the 2 hour, 45 minute drive I had a great time. It’s a small festival, but what it lacked in size it made up for in quality.

As a somewhat new Purple Martin landlord I’m always seeking to learn more about the hobby and meet people in the “business” that’s willing to share their knowledge and experience with beginners like myself. It’s a rewarding hobby but establishing and maintaining a healthy Purple Martin colony can be difficult, not to mention, very frustrating at times. That’s why it’s great to meet with individuals to discuss issues and realize that I’m not alone.

The featured speaker, Lance Wood, is an expert on Purple Martins and has published several articles about them in national publications. Mr. Wood has expanded his colony from four pairs of Purple Martins 20 years ago, to more than 130 nesting pairs today – wow! He shared his knowledge, techniques and best equipment available for successful martin attraction and management.

During the lectures we enjoyed watching hundreds of purple martins soaring overhead and feeding their young.

I won’t go into the detail on everything discussed, but if anyone reading this is considering, or would like to start their own purple martin colony the three basis things a person must have, according to Lance, is knowledge, some up-front funds to get started, and ‘moxie’; meaning the courage to do a few unpleasant things (like eliminating non-native competitive species like house sparrows and starlings).

As for the martins themselves, they require housing that’s erected in open spaces, away from tall trees and buildings but near human dwellings, quality housing that wont fail in strong winds, and adequate protection from predators such as owls, hawks, snakes and raccoons. Read more about the standards for Purple Martin Housing here and here.

Lance’s recommends natural gourds for purple martin housing, but if that’s not available, good quality plastic gourds will do fine. You can read about his thoughts on gourds here.

One of the best ways to get started and learn is to visit the Purple Martin Conservation Association (PMCA) and read some of the publications and other useful information on there site. PCMA also has a mentor program set up by region with contact information of experienced purple martin landlords in your area to help answer any questions you may have.

If you meet the basic requirements for purple martins, consider putting up houses for these birds. They are wonderful to have around and the effort is well worth it.

Also in attendance was Ron Kingston sharing his expertise on Eastern Bluebirds. Ron is best known for his invention of the Kingston Stove Pipe Baffle. If you have bluebird nesting box(s) in your yard be sure they’re protected from predators such as rat snakes and raccoons. Kingston Stove Pipe baffle is a great option and very easy to make. It will also work well on purple martin mounting poles.

Wild Birds Unlimited Giveaway Winner

I want to thank everyone who participated in my recent Wild Birds Unlimited Giveaway. I’m happy to announce that the winner was Julie G! Congrats Julie, and I hope you enjoy your new Medium Quick-Clean Finch Feeder – I know I have really enjoyed mine.

Julie blogs over at Nature’s Splendor. If you get a chance stop by her blog and check it out – she has some great stuff there!!

Wild Birds Unlimited Giveaway Reminder

For those that may have missed it, or just haven’t had the chance to participate, there’s still time to get your comments in on my Wild Birds Unlimited product giveaway. Whether you’re a regular reader of this blog or just happened to stop by, anyone can participate. A winner will be chosen on 5/20/11, so be sure to get your comments in before the end of the day on Thursday, 5/19.


Here is the link - http://www.birdsnsuch.com/2011/05/wbu-product-review-and-giveaway.html

May Flowers – Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

 It has been a few months since I last participated in Carol’s monthly Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day (GBBD), but I’m glad to finally be back! It’s not that I haven't wanted to participate, its just after moving into a new home 5 years ago with virtually no landscaping in place, its been tough coming up with blooms to show off each and every month. As many gardeners know, the challenges of adjusting to a new place can be overwhelming at times.

I have to admit that most of the struggles have been with myself, trying to figure out what goes where, what combinations work best, and what plants do best in semi-sandy topsoil in mostly full sun. I've spend the last couple years amending the soil in my garden beds by adding various organic matter to it. After some success’s and a few failures here and there, the garden is finally starting to come together. I still have a long ways to go and a lot to accomplish yet but that’s the fun part about gardening; right?

With that said, here are a few of my favorite blooms in the garden right now:

First is the ever so hardy native Blanket Flower (Gaillardia aristata). A hardy, drought tolerant perennial. It thrives in full sun in well-drained areas (perfect for my landscape). This plant will spread by reseeding if you allow the seed heads to completely dry prior to trimming.

Not far away is another care-free easy perennial to grow – Yarrow (Achillea millifolium).

Combined with the yarrow is some Dianthus (Dianthus caryophyllus) ‘carnation’.

This next one is quickly becoming a favorite ground cover of mine – ‘Cranesbill’. I’m not sure of the cultivar. I dug up a clump of it from my dad’s house a little over a year ago and it has begun to spread nicely in my garden bed.

One of my favorite combinations in my front-yard flower bed is the ‘Gold Mound’ Spirea mixed with my Knock-out roses.

Another view…similar shaded blooms with contrasting foliage.

Here’s a nice, easy to grow native shrub, Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica) 'Henry's Garnet'.

Below are the blooms of ‘Walker’s Low’ Catmint (2007 Perennial Plant of the Year).

This ‘Michael Dodge’ viburnum below was planted two years as a young 5” plant. This is the first year it has  bloomed. It produces bright golden berries in late summer. Mix this in the garden with the purple berries of the American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) and you’ll have a show-stopper for sure.

Lets not forget the blooms in the vegetable garden. Below are the blooms of my sugar snap peas. My daughter and I check these plants daily for the sweet edible pods they produce and usually eat them before they ever make it to the house.

Thanks for stopping by to view some of the blooms in my garden. If you want to see more be sure to visit Mays Dreams Gardens blog for this month’s Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.

Also, be sure to participate in my giveaway (see May 6th post below) for a chance to win any one product from Wild Birds Unlimited up to $50!!! Runs through May 20th!

WBU Product Review and Giveaway

Don’t you just love American Goldfinches? No matter how often you see them, the male’s bright yellow plumage this time of year is an instant head turner. Like most bird species, the female’s plumage is a bit less colorful than the males, but nevertheless they are always fun to have around the yard.



I’m excited to share that the bird feeder in this post is my new Wild Birds Unlimited Medium Quick-clean Finch Feeder. As you can see, the goldfinches wasted no time acclimating themselves to it. The seed is easily added from the removable top cover and the reinforced metal feed port makes it safe and easy for the finches to dine on the Nyjer (thistle) seed.



One of my favorite things about this feeder is how easy it is to take apart. Two buttons on either side release the base from the tube for emptying old food and providing a one, easy step method for quick cleaning.

Keeping your birdfeeders clean is a must, but can present problems because many bird feeders on the market today aren’t designed with that in mind. A feeder not properly cleaned often can become contaminated with droppings and moldy birdseed, creating a habitat for unwanted parasites and harmful bacteria.

Like many of Wild Bird Unlimited (WBU) products, it’s backed by a lifetime guarantee that includes squirrel and raccoon damage (which is known to happen from time to time).

WBU was gracious enough to let me try this feeder out in my backyard at no charge, and you too can also have one of these feeders for FREE or any other WBU product up to $50.00 (US only).

Yep, that’s right! WBU is has generously allowed me to make this offer to one of my lucky readers. To participate just browse their website or the product links below, pick out any one item $50.00 or less and let me know what you’ve picked out (including item number will help) by leaving it in the comments below this post (one comment per person). I will determine a winner via help from the website “Random Thing Picker” .

I will contact the winner to gather shipping information and pass it, along with what you have chosen, to my WBU contact and they will ship the product to you at no charge. A winner will be chosen on 5/20/11 so be sure to get your comment in by then!

You can choose this feeder or select from one of many of the other products and accessories that WBU offers. For you convenience I have added links to their products below. Have fun browsing and GOOD LUCK!

Binocular Strap
wild bird seed
thistle seed
nyjer seed
black oil sunflower seed
suet feeder
wild bird feeder
window bird feeders
birdacious
finch feeders

Other WBU Links:
Wild Birds Unlimited Newsletter
Wild Birds Facebook Page

Upcoming Events and a Contest

 Just a quick post to remind everyone that’s local or going to be in the VA/NC area during the 2nd week of May to stop over and visit the Great Dismal Swamp NWR for its 5th Annual Birding Festival. The event starts on Thursday the 12th of May thru Saturday the 14th. There will be guided bird and nature walks, bird banding demonstrations and various workshops. Saturday (14th) will be family fun day that will include children activities, live music, food and more. I’ve had a great time at this event in the past and looking forward to it again next month. Check out their website for more details.

The Dismal Swamp is a great place to bird this time of year. During the spring migration, thousands of warblers pass through the swamp on the way to their summer breeding grounds. Many birds, like the prothonotary warbler and American Redstart will stay and nest on the refuge. Although not that great, here’s a photo I took of a redstart last weekend in the Dismal Swamp:

I got a sneak preview last weekend, along with my Master Naturalist group, when we all went birding there with local birding expert Bob Ake. We had a nice encounter with two
Barred Owls who responded to Bobs call (by mouth) and some good looks at Prothonotary Warblers, American Redstarts, and a Belted Kingfisher to name a few. Bob is excellent at identifying birds by ear so he helped us identify a few singing birds like the Louisiana Waterthrush and the ever elusive Swainson's Warbler that was calling nearby, but unfortunately never showed itself.

And for another bit of upcoming news…

Birds ‘n Such, for the very first time, will be featuring a contest and giveaway sponsored by Wild Birds Unlimited. All the details will be available in my next post in a couple of days. STAY TUNED, you don’t want to miss it!

Website Updates

I'm currently in the process of making some design changes to the blog over the next few days, so if things look a little out of whack that's the reason.  Thanks for your patience!