A workshop on attracting Purple martins will be held Saturday, March 16, beginning at 9:00 A.M. at the CAM Iowa Clothing Center (1005 Nutmeg Ave.), 1.8 miles north of Kalona, Iowa and one mile east off Hwy 1 on Johnson-Washington Rd.
The Purple martin is among our most wanted songbirds since an active colony brings joy to everyone. Martin populations across North America have rebounded as people put up improved housing and learn proper monitoring techniques. Establishing a new colony is now a realistic possibility for many people in our area.
This year’s featured speaker is Brian Fitzjarrald of Griggsville, Illinois, who will present: “Purple Martins: From Passion to Obsession.” With long experience in maintaining a large colony in Griggsville, Fitzjarrald will cover all the bases on making a successful colony work.
Morning sessions will include Don Lund speaking on his seven years of monitoring an American Kestrel nest box trail in western Johnson County, Iowa. Don takes care of a very successful trail with over 20 nest boxes. He has an outstanding collection of kestrel photos and will cover details of the natural history of this interesting species. Chris Jones, retired University of Iowa hydrologist, and author of “The Swine Republic,” will give an insider’s description of Iowa’s water quality problems and what can be done about it.
The day concludes at 1:30 with door prizes and our always popular charity auction.
There will a $3.00 registration fee (children under 10 are free). Lunch is available at the workshop, with a free will offering to the CAM Center appreciated. Vendors are encouraged to set up displays of interest to program attendees.
For more information, or if you would like to reserve booth space, please contact Evan Gingerich, 2282 Johnson-Washington Rd SW, Kalona, IA 52247; 319-359-0997.