This year our Purple Martin colony has 35 active nests out of 36 gourds, almost full capacity. As of this morning we have 159 eggs and 6 brand new hatchlings. This is our best year ever for egg totals and nest totals. We have not been able to get beyond 22-24 nests in past years. Our martins did not use the gourds with crescent shaped openings.This past winter we “revised” the 12 crescent shaped openings to circular openings and removed the outer “porches”. This change seems to have made all the difference. I’m wondering how the other colonies around the state are doing this year. And thank you Miley Bull for helping me start this colony with 24 gourds and to COA for giving the Friends of Sherwood Island grant money many years ago for 12 more gourds and the pole to add to the original 24 gourds that started our journey with these amazing birds. Tina Green Sherwood Island SP Purple Martin landlord Westport Sent from my iPhone

Hi Tina, The inland colonies had a delayed start due to the weather this spring but activity is picking up now! 668 eggs just in the Kent colonies so far and 34 young! Waiting on reports from five other colonies in or near Kent. The McKeon Farm in Ridgefield just reported another 195 eggs! At least six pairs now breeding at the Little Pond Boardwalk at White Memorial Conservation area. A sub-adult male color banded at Lake Waramaug State Park last summer was just photographed and reported from the Hop Meadow Country Club in Simsbury, CT. Cheers, Laurie and the Kent Land Trust Interns <https://www.ridgefieldct.gov/conservation-commission/pages/mckeon-farm> On Fri, Jun 13, 2025 at 12:36 PM Tina Green via CTBirds < ctbirds@lists.ctbirding.org> wrote: > This year our Purple Martin colony has 35 active nests out of 36 gourds, > almost full capacity. As of this morning we have 159 eggs and 6 brand new > hatchlings. This is our best year ever for egg totals and nest totals. We > have not been able to get beyond 22-24 nests in past years. Our martins > did not use the gourds with crescent shaped openings.This past winter we > “revised” the 12 crescent shaped openings to circular openings and removed > the outer “porches”. This change seems to have made all the difference. > I’m wondering how the other colonies around the state are doing this year. > > And thank you Miley Bull for helping me start this colony with 24 gourds > and to COA for giving the Friends of Sherwood Island grant money many years > ago for 12 more gourds and the pole to add to the original 24 gourds that > started our journey with these amazing birds. > > Tina Green > Sherwood Island SP > Purple Martin landlord > Westport > Sent from my iPhone > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via email, send an email with just "join" or > "leave" in the subject or body to: ctbirds-request@lists.ctbirding.org > > CTBirds, a service of Connecticut Ornithological Association - Bringing > birders together statewide. Please support COA: > https://www.ctbirding.org/join-us/ > > CTBirds is for the discussion of birds and birding in Connecticut. For > list rules and subscription information visit: > https://www.ctbirding.org/birds-birding/ct-birds-email-list/ -- [image: Marvelwood School Logo] Laurie Doss Science Department Chair Science Faculty 476 Skiff Mountain Road, Kent, CT 06757 (860) 927-0047 x1010 marvelwood.org <https://www.facebook.com/marvelwood> <https://www.instagram.com/marvelwood> <https://www.youtube.com/@MarvelwoodSchool> -- This message originates from The Marvelwood School. The information contained in this message may be privileged and confidential. If you are the intended recipient you must maintain this message in a secure and confidential manner. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately and destroy this message. Thank you.