Chesco Webinar: Hosting Purple Martins As Pest Control

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — Becoming a landlord to Purple Martins can bring natural pest control to your yard and neighborhood, and an April 6 community webinar will teach the basics.

Volunteers at the Purple Martin Conservation Association (PMCA) are hosting a webinar on the basics of being a Purple Martin landlord. It begins April 6 at 7 p.m., and a second virtual webinar will continue the lessons on May 11, also at 7 p.m.

The group reported the purple martin colony at Kimberton Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has been flourishing the past two years with the help of the organizers of this event. One of America’s most well-loved songbirds, Purple Martins are native songbirds in the swallow family and, east of the Rocky Mountains, nest almost exclusively in human-supplied housing.

Although the numbers of Purple Martins have decreased significantly in Pennsylvania, successful “landlords” are the key to restoring their population.

The webinar to educate communities on providing habitat for the handy songbirds represents the efforts of the Purple Martin Conservation Association, Chester County Parks and Preservation, The Friends of Sprinton Manor Farm, and the PA Game Commission, along with the Chester County Library and is part of Longwood Gardens 8th Annual Community Read Program.

The webinar will provide information about the biology and history of purple martins, how to start a colony, how to choose housing for the birds, and even how to do nest checks, according to a news release.

Participants in the webinar will be eligible for a free drawing for a one-day family pass for four to Longwood Gardens.

Registration is required. Registration will close two hours before the webinar starts. A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants 2 hours before the program starts.

The link to register for the April 6 webinar at 7 p.m. is here.

The link to register for the May 11 webinar at 7 p.m. on going beyond the basics of being a Purple Martin landlord is here.