18th ANNUAL PURPLE MARTIN FIELD DAY

Date: Saturday, June 23, 2012
Main presentation begins at 10:00 a.m.
Please try to arrive before 10:00a.m.
Scheduled activities end by 2:00p.m.

Location: Louisa County, VA
(between Richmond and Charlottesville)

The 2011 event was a huge success with 100 attendees from four states!

Photo by Kathy Laine

This Field Day will be held at the farm of Mrs. Merle Wood and her son, Mr. Lance Wood. Establishing and maintaining a healthy Purple Martin colony can be difficult; see the most effective techniques and equipment available for successful martin attraction and management, and learn how to increase the size of an existing colony. The Wood family has expanded their colony from four pairs of Purple Martins in 1992 to more than 130 nesting pairs!

Photos by Kathy Laine

The featured speaker, Mr. Lance Wood, is an expert on birds and has published several Purple Martin articles in national publications. The following links are to PDF files which require Adobe Acrobat Reader to view them: Lessons from the Purple Martin Field Days Experiences and Innovations: One Landlord's Ideas Protecting Martin Housing From Windstorms

The 10:00am lecture will cover these topics:

• How to establish and increase a colony of Purple Martins
• Advantages and disadvantages of different types of martin housing
• Protecting martins from snakes, owls, raccoons, House Sparrows, Starlings, wind damage, lightning, etc.
• Adding starling-resistant entrance holes to martin gourds and houses

Following the 10:00am lecture:

• Mr. Lance Wood will lecture on how to grow and process natural gourds for Purple Martin nesting
• Mr. Ron Kingston will lead a nestbox trail tour to view bluebirds, tree swallows, kestrels, and barn owls

Predator Deterrence Display at 2010 Field Day; photo by Kathy Laine

Enjoy watching hundreds of these beautiful birds soaring and feeding their young while the instructor teaches!

No registration. Event is FREE, but donations will be appreciated to help cover expenses.

Bring: Lawn chairs, binoculars, notepad, camera, lunch (feel free to eat on the grounds). Drinks and snacks provided. The hosts request that guests do not bring pets.

For more information, contact (434) 962-8232 or kingston@cstone.net

Directions:

GPS coordinates for the intersection of Rte. 15 N and Rte. 640 E: 38.024805,-78.190525 Google Map
At the intersection, there will be MARTIN signs for directions; allow 15 minutes to reach the Field Day site.

From Richmond, VA: Follow I-64 West toward Charlottesville; take Exit 136 (Zion Crossroads); turn right onto Rte. 15 North and go about 3.6 miles; turn right onto E. Jack Jouett Rd. (Rte. 640) and follow the MARTINS signs to the Field Day site.

From Orange, VA: Follow Rte. 15 South to Boswells Tavern; go about 3 miles on Rte. 15 South; turn left (east) on E. Jack Jouett Rd. (Rte. 640) and follow the MARTINS signs to the Field Day site.

From Louisa, VA: Follow Rte. 22 West; turn left (south) on Rte. 613 (Poindexter Rd.); turn right on Rte. 695 (Hamilton Rd.) and follow the MARTINS signs to the Field Day site.

From South Boston, VA: Follow 360 East to Keysville, then take Rte.15 North to Farmville; follow signs (making turns) to stay on Rte. 15 North; cross I-64 at Zion Crossroads; from the LOWE’S/WAL-MART traffic light, go 3.4 miles on Rte. 15 North; turn right onto E. Jack Jouett Rd. (Rte. 640) and follow the MARTINS signs to the Field Day site.

From Charlottesville, VA: Follow I-64 East and take Exit 136 (Zion Crossroads); turn left onto Rte. 15 North; travel about 3.7 miles and turn right onto E. Jack Jouett Rd. (Rte. 640) and follow the MARTINS signs to the Field Day site.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT PURPLE MARTINS see: www.PurpleMartin.org

For other bird, wildlife and nature resources visit our links page.