Yesterday's Big News

A fellow Purple Martin "landlord" emailed Friday. His friend in Buxton, ND, saw her first Purple Martin of the 2012 season on the 13th!

Buxton is 50+ miles south and west from me! It may still be a couple of weeks before they wander up and over to this town. It seems that the landlords just north of Winnipeg consistently see the arrival of PMs before we do, but...they're getting close.

It's been raining and the low-mid 40s since Thursday evening. I couldn't risk "my" birds coming in and not finding the gourds up, so Wes and I put on boots, gloves, rain gear, and hats, and wired on most of the gourds. Yes, the wind was howling; it was 46 degrees, and raining, but the neighbors did need some entertainment.

Today's Big News

A second Grand Forks PM landlord emailed today...he had an ASY (After Second Year = fully mature, breeding age) female show up at his place this afternoon!

He's south and east of me by 30+ miles.

I'm so glad the gourds are now hung and waiting. Taking global warning into consideration, I may have to move my "Get all the gourds up by April 15" rule back to about April 5.

Tomorrow's Big News

...Stay tuned for further developments! Now I'm off to put a few finishing touches on the rack.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Purple Martin Conservation Association