Griggsville, Illinois: Purple Martin Capital of the Nation
RoadsideAmerica.com Team Field Report
- Address:
- Purple Martin Blvd, Griggsville, IL
- Directions:
- I-72 exit 35, then north three miles into town.
- Hours:
- Birds migratory; April they return. (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
- Phone:
- 217-833-2412
- RA Rates:
- Worth a Detour
Results 1 to 5 of 5...
In Griggsville, signs claim that Purple Martins eat 2,000 mosquitoes a day... and they live in luxury bird condo high-rises in town.
Roadsideamerica.com Report...Visitor Tips and News About Purple Martin Capital of the Nation
Reports and tips from RoadsideAmerica.com visitors and Roadside America mobile tipsters. Some tips may not be verified. Submit your own tip.
Cute town! Drove by and sadly all the houses were plugged up. Hopefully next time we come by we will see the birds.
[Stefane, 08/06/2021]
There are bird houses all over Griggsville, with the residents of these condos flying everywhere!
[Eliza, 10/19/2015]Visited Griggsville to see all the purple martins. As seen on your site about Griggsville, there should have been, hundreds.... four hour drive to witness this... There has not been many purple martins in Griggsville for three or four years or more, according to a resident of Griggsville. The tower with all the martin houses, is real nice, but the holes on all the houses, but maybe, four or five, are all closed off. Griggsville is not the Purple Martin Capital, of Illinois. I have about as many in my back yard. We seen, thirty or forty there. Please change your site on Griggsville, before somebody else wastes a trip.
[Gary Phillips, 07/27/2011]We appreciate the update. Sorry the flock had moved on; we can't vouch for their current neighborhood preferences. The apartment tower is still interesting, and Griggsville still makes the civic claim. We could re-title it as the "Purple Martin Ghost Town."
Worth the trip, never seen a bird house apartment complex. No birds were there (August 10th); the lady at city hall said they just left recently. And return in April. Seems weird, she said they fly to Brazil, so I guess that's why...
[Nick F., 08/10/2010]Nearby Offbeat Places
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Unfortunately summer is not a prime time for Purple Martin nesting, and there have been reports in recent years that Griggsville has been lax in clearing the sparrow nests out of its Purple Martin houses.