Purchase and Install a Purple Martin Colony

Want to join me in making a difference? The Nextgen Birders for Conservation are raising money to benefit Audubon Society of Northern Virginia , and any donation will help make an impact. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.

Purple martins are our largest swallows - beautiful, acrobatic birds that swoop and dive, eating flying insects that hover over the water.

Purple Martins are considered secondary cavity nesters—they do not excavate their own cavities such as woodpeckers. Instead they use cavities that are already created, either by other animals or in natural cavities of cliffs and rock formations. Traditionally Purple Martins nested in natural cavities such as old woodpecker holes, on rock ledges, or in dead trees. However, thousands of years ago, people began providing man-made housing for the Purple Martins in the form of dried, hollow gourds. Over time, the successful nesting of martins in these man-made homes, paired with the decline of natural cavities, led to a complete behavior shift within the eastern species.

Four Mile Run is a actually a 9.4-mile-long stream in Northern Virginia that starts near Interstate 66, at Gordon Avenue in Fairfax County and proceeds southeast through Falls Church to Arlington County in the U.S. state of Virginia. Most of the stretch is parkland and is paralleled by two paved non-motorized transport and recreational trails, the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Trail and the Four Mile Run Trail.

Through the Stretch Our Parks initiative, Audubon Society of Northern Virginia is partnering with parks and other stakeholders to expand the positive wildlife impacts of our area's green spaces. One park we are working with is Four Mile Run Park, in partnership with the Four Mile Run Conservatory Foundation. Four Mile Run will be a great location for a new Purple Martin colony. We plan to install the colony here:

This will be a great site because it's far enough from people, buildings, and tall trees but close enough that it will be convenient to monitor and manage.

Volunteers from Nextgen Birders for Conservation and Audubon Society of Northern Virginia will monitor and maintain the colony.

Funds will be used to purchase and install a colony from PurpleMartin.org , an organization dedicated to their conservation. This is a great resource with tons of info about these beautiful birds and how we can help them!

Cost breakdown:

Top 3 Highest Donors will be invited to help/witness the installation process (optional to attend). Watch the video below for a story about a Purple Martin Nest.