William Ebel is helping to monitor a colony of purple martins on “landlord” Julie Mattox’s ranch. Julie’s ranch has several gourd racks. Altogether, they add up to 92 nesting gourds! And each gourd is checked every four days during the breeding season. Julie really appreciates the help from William and other kids in the area. And the kids are proud to play an important role in this huge “community science project.”
You may be wondering, “What’s the big deal with these birds?” As with so many wildlife species, there are way fewer purple martins now than before. They need help! And they’re getting it, thanks to people like Julie Mattox and Joe Siegrist. Joe’s work allows him to share his love of martins with others. He teaches people how they, too, can help. He collects the information that Julie and other purple martin landlords send to him. And that helps him keep track of how the birds do during their breeding season. To help the population of purple martins Joe recommends planting native plants, using fewer chemicals, and putting up birdhouses. Watch the video here and visit purplemartin.org and click on the EDUCATION tab. If your school is in the right zone, offer to help host a new colony there. The martins—and Joe and Julie — will thank you!
Excerpt from National Wildlife Federation’s Ranger Rick Magazine NWF | Ranger Rick