Orlin has had a life long friendship with Purple Martin's. As a young boy I remember my father Alfred had a Purple Martin colony on the family farm. I still remember each Spring removing the door stops, a wooden shingle from the openings of the martin house when the martins arrived. In my retirement now, I once again have established a martin colony only a ? mile south from where my fathers colony was on our family farm. In the Spring of 2001 a pair of subadults arrived at my new colony site to once again establish a site on the family homestead. I have three Troyer T-14 wooden martin houses, a Ron Seekamp 6-unit house, and a gourd rack. My colony is healthy, growing from 1-pair in 2001 to 45-pair in 2007.

The photos included of Orlin's purple martin colony site in rural Young America, MN were taken by his son, Bob Schneewind.

This is an early spring photo of Orlin's purple martin colony site. Note the the ASY males and females guarding their nesting compartments or soon to be erected gourd.

This is a closer view of mate guarding and spring time nest compartment guarding. Note the ASY martins sitting closely by or at their nest compartment.

This is banding day at Orlin's colony site. Federal license banders' Mark Newstrom and Roger Everhart are banding nestling martins. The photo displays parent martins perched on a 60 ft. high TV antenna watching the banding process.

Photo left front is Mark Newstrom banding a martin, right front is Roger Everhart recording band number and martin physical data. Looking on in back center is Orlin, and back right is Orlin's son, Brian Schneewind.