Bird Program

How has this idea enhanced your club's operation, etc.?

Mendham Golf & Tennis Club has developed a Bird Program to help our environmental impact, add fantastic life to our property and offer educational programs alongside the National Audubon Society.

Attracting swallows, specifically Purple Martins, Bluebirds and Barn Swallows has been one of the most beneficial programs at Mendham Golf & Tennis Club. In addition to their beauty, our members’ favorite benefit of our birds is their diet! They feed exclusively on flying insects such as beetles and mosquitos. When a member is playing golf or enjoying a meal on our patio they do not have to worry about being bitten by bugs or being pestered by a gnat.

Bug spray, citronella and pesticides are not a necessity at Mendham Golf & Tennis Club. Since our birds take care of flying insects, chemicals are not needed to keep them away.

To help attract Purple Martins we have installed a Purple Martins’ favorite natural cavity – type housing: gourds. We have 48 different gourds, which become summer homes to our martins. Bluebird and Barn Swallows prefer wooden nesting boxes. Our golf course has nesting box walking trails which members can gently observe nesting activity, clutches and their chatter.

We have become a certified Audubon Society sanctuary location. Because of our dedication to this wildlife, we are also one of 13 release sites for raptors who interfere with flight traffic at Newark Airport. Any raptor who attempts to unsafely nest at Newark Airport is trapped and release. We have been lucky to see some very exciting bird species

Each year we have a committee of members to help educate, enhance and promote our Bird Program. We host an annual golf tournament in August which proceeds go towards nest box upgrades, purchasing more gourds, etc.

How was this idea implemented, and what have been the club members' reactions?

Our Bird Program was implemented by our superintendent who prefers not to use pesticides unless otherwise necessary. Our members LOVE watching and listening to birds. It makes our course even more enjoyable and fairytale-like.