The Rotary Club of Akron had the pleasure of listening to Kay Lukac, President, and Co-Founder of the Portage Lakes Purple Martin Association, during our Tuesday, March 28, 2023, Club meeting. View the meeting by clicking here.
The Portage Lakes Purple Martin Association is an organization dedicated to helping the Purple Martins feed, breed, and interact with the environment to the best of their bird ability. The 501 c 3 Non=Profit organization is happy to have them in Portage Lakes. and do their best to make them feel welcome.Many groups help the Association in meeting their objectives. The Association has a large number of gourd homes maintained by their members. Some of the volunteers’ duties include:
- feeding the birds when the weather is inclement and the birds are unable to fend for themselves.
- band them when appropriate.
- A number of other activities and lectures throughout the year.
Benefits for members include opportunities to help the Association educate the public about the Purple Martins of the Portage Lakes, what they do for us and how we encourage public enjoyment of these beautiful birds.
The Purple Martins flock to the Portage Lakes area every Spring. They make their 7,000-mile flight from Brazil and arrive in the Portage Lakes area from the middle of March until June. The Purple Martins return within 50 miles from their birth location each year. Each year the Purple Martins lay an average of 4-7 eggs. The volunteers assist with feeding the baby birds with a supplemental meal of scrambled eggs with crushed egg shells. The Purple Martins eat their food in flight.
The Purple Martins are beneficial to the Portage Lakes area. Each day the Purple Martins eat around 100 lbs. of insects daily.
For 23 years, Kay has "done it all", from building equipment to location finding. She is always recruiting volunteers, feeders, and members to help with record keeping.
Kay has formulated many educational programs for students and the community and continues to teach the programs.
The Association started with 2 pairs of birds and now have a colony of hundreds with over 660 gourds spread out around the lakes.
Last year the Association fledged 1,459 new babies and now have added twilight Pontoon rides to the roost sites as part of the major fund raising efforts.
The Portage Lakes area is the only location in Ohio that has seen an overall increase in the Purple Martin population, mostly because of the efforts of the Purple Martin Association and their numerous members and volunteers.
To learn more about the Portage Lakes Purple Martin Association, check out Kay’s presentation and their website at www.portagelakespurplemartins.com. The Association is always looking for volunteers to assist in a variety of ways.
Yours in Service -
Terry Dalton
Akron Club Secretary and Scholarship Chair
