Purple Martins
Hoy Audubon Society is proud to support a nest box program for Purple Martins in Kenosha and Racine at the following locations.
Purple Martin Report for 2026
Lakefront Conservation Initiative Recap
First, please thank our Hoy Purple Martin Monitoring Team:
- Coast Guard No./So. + Gateway House & Gourds: Helen Pugh, Bill Halliday, Jane Raymond
- Prairie School: Chris Glass, Caden Klamut, Helen Pugh
- Siena Center: Tammy Ruggaber, Jill Cervenka, Helen Pugh
- Racine Water Dept: Tom and Karen Gavahan
- Kenosha Water Dept: Marianne Giannis, Debby Eisel
- Back ups: Mike McConnell, Annie Shace
The spring was cold with delayed nesting. The loss of hatchlings was most evident at the Racine
Water Department. The smoke from Canada was concerning, but it didn’t linger long enough to
harm the nestlings.
Despite these challenges, we had a total of 605 eggs laid, 496 eggs hatched, and 466 chicks fledged. That is a nearly 24% increase in the number of Purple Martins fledged this year compared to last year!
Overall, the increase of fledglings is very encouraging. Hopefully another box will be set at Prairie School next Spring. This was only the 3rd season for Prairie’s box; it was 100% occupied, and it fledged more birds (64!) than any other box has done in our history!
Our team visits the sites once a week from mid-April to mid -August. We welcome trainees!
Helen Pugh
Purple Martin Report for 2025
Click here to view the summary in the Hoy Honker.
Purple Martin Report for 2024
The birds started nesting just a bit later (mid-May), and continued later. The new Prairie School Nest box was the last to start nesting and no eggs counted until May 29. However, it more than doubled the number fledged from 9 last year to 20, and tripled the number of nests from 2 to 6. The last monitoring checks were July 27 in Kenosha and July 30 in Racine. Overall, few losses occurred and fledging rates to eggs laid was good at 81%; hatchlings to fledglings was great at 97%! The exception being the Gateway Technical house that lost 9 eggs and 2 young for unexplained reasons in the first week of July (42 eggs laid and 27 fledged… 64%). We suspect House Sparrows.
Hoy’s total birds fledged: 2022 – 307; 2023 – 260; 2024 – 334! So, a very good year. The four boxes at the Racine Water Department fledged 204 of the total 334. We are looking to add a house at the Coast Guard Station as the current house was 100% full. Also, we are in the review process with Siena Center for an installation there.
Many thanks to the 2024 monitors: Marianne Giannis, Debby Eisel, Tom and Karen Gavahan, Chris Glass, Caden Klamut, Terry Ansel, and Jane Raymond. Their contributions of time and effort have really paid off with additional Purple Martins in Wisconsin! This conservation project is quite successful.
As we grow, new volunteers will be welcomed. Please talk with me about your interest in helping north America’s largest swallow.
Helen Pugh
Purple Martin Report for 2023
The spring started off cold, and so nesting was delayed a bit. During early nesting, we experienced very smoky skies. Unfortunately, I believe that contributed to a number of lost nests and birds. It appeared there was not enough insect food available for the birds to flourish. Martins will lay the most eggs they think they can successfully raise. If the situation changes, they will remove eggs or chicks – brood reduction.
Last year was a record year, but for all the issues; we persevered to another successful year. A few fewer fledglings, but not true disasters. The Racine Water Department with 4 boxes fledged 164; Gateway with one box and 8 gourds fledged 23; the Coast Guard box fledged 52, and Kenosha Water Department fledged 12.
The brightest spot of our year is certainly the newly installed Prairie School box. If you don’t know, a new
installation will be colonized by second year birds—those that were fledged last year and are returning from their first migration to South America. They arrive a bit later than the older birds. Three weeks after the house was raised this spring, we saw three investigating Martins! Regularly there were 6-7 Martins on site, and these first-time parents successfully raised 9 chicks. During mid August we saw 19 birds sitting on the house and in a nearby tree! I think they were awaiting the 9 chicks to fledge.
More good news about Prairie is that the Science Chair, Jean Weaver, and three of her students participated in monitoring during the school year. Afterward, new monitors Caden Klamut and Chris Glass finished their first season.
Thanks go to all Purple Martin Monitors: Karen and Tom Gavahan, Terry Ansel, Jane Raymond, Annie Shace, Debby Eisel, and Marianne Giannis. What a great team!
In summation we are wrapping up the season, saying farewell, and wishing safe travels to our Purple Martin parents and fledglings. It will be very quiet until we see them again next April.
article and photos by Helen Pugh
PRAIRIE SCHOOL
2-42 Campus Ct, Wind Point, WI 53402
Installed 2023. Can be viewed from Campus Court (north side of the Prairie School campus)
RACINE WATER DEPARTMENT
1 Barker Street, Racine, 53402
Looking South: We spaced the second pair of houses further away from the first pair than recommended.
We did this because we had only two monitors and wanted to reduce disturbance time.
The Water Department personnel installed these amazing supports for our posts. This was done because this site is located over concrete with only two feet of soil. We sunk the first pole just fine. The next year the second. That year, the spring winds took them almost down. We rigged up something to straighten them, and then the superintendent put his crew on it. We can plant as many of these as we want, but have been limited by the number of volunteer monitors.
COAST GUARD STATION
At the mouth of the Root River in Racine
It is within the Pugh Marina (Private) at 1001 Michigan Boulevard, Racine, 53402, but can be viewed from the public walkway across the river.
GATEWAY TECHNICAL RACINE
1001 S. Main Street, Racine (north side just off Lake Avenue)
GATEWAY TECHNICAL RACINE
1001 S. Main Street (south side of 11th Street at upper parking lot)
KENOSHA WATER DEPARTMENT
100 51st Place, Kenosha, WI 53140
