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Monthly Meeting of the Sussex Bird Club in Lewes
Monthly Meeting of the Sussex Bird Club
In looking ahead to 2020, on Sunday, January 12, 2020, the Sussex Bird Club will present a program on Purple Martins.
Joel Martin, a member of the Purple Martin Conservation Association, has been tending to Purple Martin colonies for
over 25 years. He will be speaking on his experiences with these remarkable birds.
Purple Martins are North America’s largest swallow. In their eastern range, they rely exclusively on
human-made nesting boxes. These gourd-shaped hanging structures are a familiar sight in many local
yards and farms. Practically no other wild animal in North America has such a close association with and
dependence upon humans. The diet of the Purple Martin is made up of flying insects, including
mosquitoes, dragon flies, wasps and flies, and they eat their weight in insects each day. During cold
weather when insects are not available, the Martins migrate as far south as South America. Many of us
eagerly await their return in the spring and delight in watching their aerial acrobatics as they snap up
airborne insects and fill the air with their cheerful songs.
Categories: Education | Organizations & Meetups | Outdoors & Recreation
