Backyard Birding: Purple Martins

Description

Presenters: Ken Wiersema and Dow Lambert Monday, July 8, 2024 (Part I) Lecture 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Rainshadow Hall at Dungeness River Nature Center Suggested donation: $5.00 *** (Part II) Field Trip 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Tide Flats adjacent to 3 Crabs Road, Sequim Limited to 12 participants. Registration and signed liability form required for the field trip to 3 Crabs. To register, please go to OPAS website/Events (see link). *** Our current Backyard Birding series ends with this extra program focused on North America’s largest swallow, the Purple Martin. As a result of habitat loss and nesting competition with human-introduced species, this bird is nearing “threatened” status in Washington State. Since 1998 the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society has dedicated work and resources to a project that provides safe and species-specific nesting cavities for Purple Martins to help them nest and reproduce successfully and to remain a part of our state’s vibrant array of birds. Part I of the program will be an indoor orientation, including background information on migration, nesting requirements, and diet as well as 20 years of local data on the Purple Martin’s progress in adapting to our human-made nesting cavities. Part II of the program will involve a field trip of a quarter-mile walk along the tide flats adjacent to 3 Crabs Road (for Google Maps-3 Crabs Road, Sequim go to OPAS website/Events link). We will show you the nesting colony of the birds, look inside their nest boxes to count eggs or young birds, and observe the behavior of the adult bird feeding their young and defending their nests. Please dress for the weather and wear waterproof shoes or boots that extend to mid-calf. Also, bring your binoculars and or your scopes for up-close views! We encourage participants to attend both the indoor class and the field trip segments. However, participants may choose to attend either the indoor or outdoor segment. Admission to the class is free. However, we suggest you consider a donation of $5.00 per person to support our ongoing education and bird conservation programs.