For sixteen years now, Purple Martin groupies in central Virginia have congregated each summer to hear about their favorite feathered friends.
Lance Wood leads the field day cheers. Orating from beneath shade trees with 120 nesting martin pairs as a backdrop, Mr. Wood explains the diligence required of humans looking to be successful purple martin landlords. In two hours he hit the highlights and answered every question from the lawn-chair crowd of veterans and wanna-be landlords.
My take-aways...passive landlords need not apply... bring ingenuity, fortitude, and commitment to be successful. Without attention to detail we humans are luring martins to their demise inside our carefully manufactured martin houses from predators like snakes, raccoons, and owls.
So it's not all fun and games at the PM field day, but the birds sure are fun to watch. Mark your calendars, June 25, 2011 for Purple Martin Field Day 17.
Yours in admiring successful landlords everywhere,
Kelly
