 Saxonburg Golf Course,
Sarver, PA. This colony site
dates back to the 1960's. The exact year of colony site establishment is
unknown, but the original house was put up by the late Lloyd Getty, a long time resident of
the area and former Constable. This colony site is only a few miles
from Saxonburg, PA, which once hosted many, many martin colony sites.
Lloyd said that back in the 50's, "everybody in Saxonburg had martins." Up
until 2001, the housing consisted of one wooden house on a stationary pole.
The PMPA added a T-14 in 2002, and another in 2003.
A note about the history of martins in
Saxonburg |
 Moraine
State Park, North Shore, McDanels Launch, Portersville, PA.
This colony site was established in 1997 by the
Moraine Preservation Fund. Ken Kostka began managing the site in 1999,
and has replaced the old-fashioned wooden housing on stationary poles with
housing that could be raised and lowered for monitoring, nest replacements,
and banding. The housing consists of two modified Trio Castles, a
gourd rack, and a T-14. This is a 40 pair colony site. This parking
lot is usually full of cars! |
 Leo
Zeglin Dairy Farm, Mammoth, PA This site dates back to the mid
sixties. Leo's colony site survived Tropical Storm Agnes, that killed
off over 90% of western PA martins in 1972, wiping out many colony sites.
This site has been managed for several years by Jeff Hunt,
Director of the Purple Martin Preservation Alliance. Jeff has improved
much of the housing, added housing, controlled starlings & House
Sparrows, and banded all of the nestlings. |
 Butlers Golf Course,
Elizabeth, PA One of only two known colony sites in Allegheny
County. Jeff Hunt has managed this colony site of 10-12 nesting pairs
since 2001. The housing consists of Trio Musselmans and a Trio Castle. This
colony dates back to the 1960's, and was originally managed by Earl Schively
(deceased), a podiatrist from the Pittsburgh area. |
 Youghiogheny
Country Club, McKeesport, PA Consisting of approximately 20
nesting pairs, this is the only other colony site in Allegheny Co., and is
also located on a golf course. Jeff also manages this colony site.
This colony is only about one mile from the Butlers Golf Course colony.
Housing consists of Trio Musselmans. |
 Duke Snyder
Residence, Butler, PA Actually located closer to the small town of
Prospect, PA, (Butler Co.) this colony was established by the inventor of
the starling-proof Excluder entrance hole.
If you've ever
driven the country roads outside of Butler, PA and come across a couple of
martin houses with rather unusual-looking entrance holes, consider yourself
lucky, because you may have stumbled across the "Area 51" of SREH (starling
resistant entrance hole) experimentation - the home of John "Duke" Snyder.
On May 16th, 1987, Duke attracted his colony-founding pair of breeding
martins. For more about his story, go to the
Starling Excluder Article |
 Richard Wood's
Racetrack, Gastown, PA Managed by Duke Snyder of the PMPA, this is
the only active colony site in Armstrong Co, PA. The colony originally
consisted of a single unmodified Trio Castle with about eight nesting pairs.
Duke has left this house alone (aside from adding a pole guard and owl
guards), while adding a variety of new housing to the site, in an attempt to
help the martins increase their numbers in this part of the state. |