The Missouri Department of Conservation will hold a community Purple Martin workshop for landowners who are interested in learning about attracting and keeping them.
The meeting is 6 p.m. May 13 at 6726 S. U.S. 63 in the Natural Resources Conservation Service building conference room just behind Steve’s Tire and ARPCO Pump in Houston.
Organizers said Purple Martins are among the most endearing of Missouri’s birds. Their cheerful calls, graceful flight and habit of colonizing and returning to a landlord’s setup of houses or gourds year after year make them one of the most enchanting of bird species.
Martins eat flying insects, which they catch in flight. Their diet is diverse, including dragonflies, damselflies, flies, midges, mayflies, Japanese beetles, June bugs, grasshoppers, cicadas, bees, wasps and flying ants.
Special speaker and Purple Martin expert Kathy Freeze is the guest speaker. She is a member of the Purple Martin Conservation Association (PMCA) and writes a newsletter called Ozark Purple Martin Newsletter. Organizers said she is extremely knowledgeable and a great speaker.
Seating is limited to the first 20 people making a reservation, and a light supper will be served.
Call 800-8798-8894, ext. 3, Â to make a reservation.