The Purple Martin Tower on the Prairie attracted about 40 pairs of Purple Martins to nest at this unique windmill nest site this spring and summer (photos by Paul Konrad). A food-begging nestling is representative of the current activities around the windmill mega-birdhouse. Purple Martin landlords all remark about how much they enjoy the sounds of a martin nesting colony, along with watching their seemingly effortless flights.

It’s a one of a kind bird nesting tower, an antique windmill on a rural landscape fitted with 53 durable plastic gourds used by Purple Martins for nesting. It’s an impressive structure and an equally impressive idea that’s been turned into a unique active nesting site for Purple Martins, where about 40 pairs are active daily raising a brood of nestlings. Considering this awesome Martin Tower was initiated in the mid-1990s, there have been thousands of Purple Martins produced from this windmill on the prairie.

This week we have passed the reins of this Backyard Birding article over to our editor, Paul Konrad, who informed us about the Martin Nesting Tower, and we wanted to share this inspiring short story with our readers through his photos and brief description. In addition to the introductory paragraph, Paul wrote: Although I share a few photographs here, it’s really necessary to see the size of this expansive “birdhouse,” and appreciate the number of Purple Martins benefitting from the 3 decades of use by generations of martins.

Large, tall, and impressive when you are close, the Purple Martin Nesting Tower surprisingly blends into the surrounding landscape, partly because it is located a few hundred yards from the nearest rural road, not far from a dozen rows of planted trees that now average about the same elevation as the ole windmill. Even if you see the tower, it looks like a somewhat damaged windmill that was used during another generation when the location was an active farmstead.

The creation of the Martin Tower is supported by ample habitat with native grass covering a number of acres surrounding the tower, plus to the north are the rows of very healthy deciduous and coniferous trees. Flying insects are abundant across the region, but there is no question that this prime habitat is the best that Purple Martins could hope for when foraging on the wing. At the heart of this mega-birdhousing project is Bob, a retired wildlife biologist and land manager who is obviously still active in his lifelong interest in birds and other wildlife. Bob is an easy-going birder whose enthusiasm elevates immediately when you bring up Purple Martins.

Because each of the 53 molded plastic nesting gourds is taken down after the martins migrate south, then repositioned on the windmill’s metal structure each spring, Bob needs the assistance of a friend to install the gourds and help maintain the site during the nesting season. It’s a big job annually, but well worth everything it takes to make it successful considering the impact for Purple Martin nesting production at the tower site. While the Purple Martin Nesting Tower may not be a Guinness world record, it is surely an amazing effort on behalf of Purple Martins!

While we all applaud the efforts of Bob and his most helpful friend, there are thousands of dedicated Purple Martin landlords who should likewise be proud of their efforts each year. There are also many, many more birders who provide nest boxes and birdhouses for cavity nesting birds ranging from bluebirds to screech owls, wrens and chickadees to Wood Ducks and American Kestrels. Each nest site represents an important step that supports the conservation of the 88 cavity nesting birds found in North America. As we approach the end of the cavity nesting season, Thanks to everyone who provides and maintains one or more nest boxes, and to all the Purple Martin landlords! We hope it’s been a productive and enjoyable season for you.

While providing a Purple Martin story this week, we also want to share a new article that you can read at the All About Birds website: The "Purple Passion" of North America's Purple Martin Landlords | All About Birds All About Birds

You can also learn more about Purple Martins and the efforts of the Purple Martin Conservation Association at Purple Martin Conservation Association

Share your backyard birding experiences and photos with The Birding Wire at editorstbw2@gmail.com