In an effort to expand our purple martin colony at Lemon Creek Wildflower Preserve we are considering replacing some older materials, updating predator guards, and adding a new 24-gourd pole. Lemon Bay Conservancy volunteer Joe Gallagher has agreed to lead this effort and he is collaborating with Venice Area Audubon Society on the procedures that they use at their thriving colony located at the Venice Rookery. Before we purchase new materials, we need to ensure that we will have enough volunteers available to serve as martin stewards.
Joe would like to assemble two volunteer teams, with four people per team. All volunteers will receive training on nest management procedures. The two teams will alternate nest checking and maintenance cycles every five days. That means each team member will need to spend about one hour every 10 days. The martins can be expected to arrive in February and leave in July. Even if you will not be here that entire time, you can still volunteer for the period you’ll be here. If you’d like to participate, please contact Joe directly and let him know what time period you’ll be available. Joe’s email is jkg1109@gmail.com and his cell # is 610-420-4863.