The 31st annual Purple Martin Field Day will be held Saturday, June 27 at a private farm in Louisa County. Visitors are encouraged to arrive before 11 a.m., when door prizes will be drawn and presentations begin.

How do you attract Purple Martins? Lance Wood and other speakers will teach you how to get martins (or attract more martins) and manage them properly so you will not lose them. Which martin housing is the safest?—gourds or houses? Do martins in Virginia like gourds or houses better? Will martins eat all my mosquitoes? Come and find out! At this event on the farm of Purple Martin expert Lance Wood, you will learn the habitat martins require, and how to protect birds from snakes, hawks, owls, raccoons, starlings, House Sparrows, wind damage, and lightning. See this spectacular martin colony that has grown to more than 110 pairs! This kind of growth happens only with proper equipment, utilizing the best management techniques, and hard work by Purple Martin landlords (caretakers.) You can learn how to do it all!—free! Don’t miss the door prize drawings (including free gourds!) starting at 11:00 a.m. Bring your lunch and eat while you listen to presentations and watch dozens of Purple Martins feeding their nestlings!

After the main program, you can buy gourds/seeds and learn to grow gourds and modify them to create safe, long-lasting martin homes. You will receive free literature on martin attraction and management, and catalogs for high-quality martin equipment!

Events end by 3:00 p.m. Come and join the fun! No registration. The event is free, but donations are appreciated to help cover expenses.

Participants are encouraged to bring: lawn chairs, shoes for wet grass, binoculars, notepad, bag lunch/drink, and camera. Please do not bring pets—we will share ours with you!

For directions, photos & more information, visit: www.purplemartinfieldday. org Rain policy: Please check the website the morning of the event to be sure it will be held. Refresh web page often; if rain is predicted, we may need to cancel or post special instructions.)

Questions? Call or text Kathy at (434) 222-1831.