Simple Ecology on Wisconsin Purple Martins Along with 40 Years of Friendship

Name: Simple Ecology on Wisconsin Purple Martins Along with 40 Years of Friendship
Start: 2025-11-20T18:30:00-06:00
Location: Evergreen Retirement Community

Schedule

Thu, 20 Nov, 2025 at 06:30 pm

UTC-06:00

Location

Evergreen Retirement Community | Oshkosh, WI

Winnebago Audubon and Wild Ones Fox Valley Area Chapter always look forward to our joint program. The topic is Purple Martins presented by Dick Nikolai.
6:30 pm Social; 7:00 Program
Meeting on lower level in the Behnke Center.
To say Dick Nikolai has a passion for purple martins is an understatement. In his presentation he will provide background information on the ecology of this aerial insectivore while trying to explain human impacts for survival of its population. Involvement is through efforts of banding, research and observations of a life time hoping to turn around a declining population with its constricting occurrence in the landscape.
Dick earned a BS in Wildlife Management through UW-Stevens Point in 1973. Worked with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for over 39+ years in many capacities in the fields of fire control, parks, wildlife, forestry, and finished out his career as the Wildlife Biologist working in Outagamie, Brown, and Calumet counties. His excellence in the field of wildlife earned him both the Wildlife Technician and Wildlife Biologist of the year awards from his peers and many other accolades from other organizations. Public Land development increased on the infrastructure of public lands along with increases of acreage acquisitions for use in his areas of responsibility. His passion for several species has been at the forefront concerning monarch butterflies and purple martins. Habitat creation was part of his mainstay especially on the use of prairie restoration throughout Northeastern Wisconsin. Along with Dick’s passion for wildlife he increased his background by becoming a Master Bander through the Bird Banding Lab. In retirement, Dick continues to volunteer for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, city of Appleton, his church, and many other places that utilize his knowledge and expertise.