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Purple Martin colony

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In 2018, we installed a purple martin nesting colony at the Field Station as part of the Osprey Nesting Platform and Habitat Enhancement Project.

Part of a metal pole in fresh cement in a hole in the ground.

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In 2018, we installed a purple martin nesting colony at the Field Station as part of the Osprey Nesting Platform and Habitat Enhancement Project.

A metal pole with a crank in the middle of a field.

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Brian Haas installing the gourd rack on the pole.

A person in a work suit and knit cap reaches over their head with a small wrench to assemble a metal frame on a pole. There is a vehicle behind them.

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Brian Haas installing the gourd rack on the pole.

A person in a work suit and knit cap reaches over their head to assemble a metal frame on a pole. There is a vehicle behind them.

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The finished nesting colony with twelve nesting gourds installed.

A metal pole with a ring of plastic bird houses at the top in a field by the waterfront.

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The finished nesting colony with twelve nesting gourds installed.

Twelve round bird houses in a ring around a pole, against a clear sky.

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In the spring, we set up decoys and played morning songs to attract subadult purple martins.

A metal pole with a ring of plastic bird houses at the top in a field by the waterfront. There are a few bird decoys on top of the nesting colony.

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Two nesting boxes for tree swallows. Tree swallows are territorial and help prevent nest competitors from taking over purple martin colonies.

Two bird houses on stakes in a field by the waterfront.

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Tree swallows successfully nested at a nesting box at the Field Station in 2019.

A bird house on a stake with a bird on top of it and one inside. The bird house is in a field by a fence with a pavilion and some buildings on the other side.

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There weren't any purple martins in 2019, but there were many tree swallows that nested nearby!

A metal pole with a ring of plastic bird houses at the top in a field. There are a few bird decoys but also several small birds with white bellies resting on it or flying nearby.

Great Lakes Center

Buffalo State • 1300 Elmwood Ave • Science and Mathematics Complex 319
Buffalo, NY 14222 • Phone: (716) 878-4329 • Fax: (716) 878-6644

greatlakes@buffalostate.edu

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