Purple Martin Forum

"Rubber Mats" In gourds used 10+ years, I've replaced 1 or 2, each year, during the last 2 or 3 years in horizontal gourds.

Don, The Dellinger article did run in the last (summer) Update. You might call PMCA and see about getting a copy of the article. They should accomodate you if they can. Thanks for your help in monitoring the Houston roosts.

Jacquie, I am away from the house right now and do not have access to photos. I believe Louise has photos, and if she sees this post she might be able to post those. In a previous post in May, 2014, Louise posted, "In the spring Update, which most members have received by now, there's a how-to artic...

I think one of the keys of doing nest checks with older nestlings on a gourd rack is to work very quietly, and to lower the system slowly and smoothly to minimize any jerking motion in the rack. As stated checks are best done by two people; one to gently lower the system, the other to insert plugs a...

One thought that I would throw out for those wanting to feed in a desperate situation is to thaw out frozen crickets, or other insects or pieces of egg, and scatter them on a nearby roof. In cold temperatures, martins, during a break in wet or windy weather will often gather on a rooftop seeking hea...

Bumping a favorite thread: (2017 note: I wrote this thread about a week ago, making it 7-10 days into 2d half, at posting) During the past week we have observed fairly heavy arrivals of new birds; both ASYs in the 2 year old class and a start of subadult (yearling) arrivals. My systems are functiona...

You Bet!! I missed you a lot, for too long. Welcome back!! I sent you a notification through this system. I have not done that before, and don't know how you will look for it. Let us know how you are doing!

Mary, I agree with Courtney that your culprit is probably a woodpecker. I do not think a starling can eat away an entrance, but have had to replace nearly three dozen tunnels at one of my colonies, due to woodpeckers, or a certain female woodpecker, hammering out holes in them. They will knock out t...

Hi Friends, Last Saturday, Jan. 21, Louise Chambers' and my Sandia colony had 8 Troyer gourds installed for any early arrivals. I was adding 24 additional Troyer gourds to complete our set up, when a female martin circled overhead for about 30 minutes ,loudly heralding her arrival. Returning this we...

One final comment about this lingering non-problem, at least from the standpoint of martin occupancy. My take on why the gourds are misaligned in these photos. Each photo includes a rack featuring a dutton lainson (DL) winch that come stock with many large gourd systems. Several of us have discarded...

Anthony, I would love to see pictures of the tilting gourds of which you complain. I have used Troyer HGs since they first were released in 2001. Terry Washburn and I worked with the Troyers to modify the original entrance from its position at the very peak in 2002. In the early days I hung the gour...

Hello Brett, It sounds as though you have a fabulous science program started. As far as locating folks involved in hosting martins, I suggest you click on the "Research" tab at the top of the page and go to the Scout Arrival Study. On that page you can click on the preferred year, the state desired ...

Terry Washburn was developing tunnels and sharing in an active forum or two beginning around 1997-98. Troyer came out with their horizontal gourd in 2000 or 2001. The first gourd discouraged martin occupancy because the crescent entrance was placed right at the top of the neck of the gourd intending...

John Evans,
My apologies for calling you by the wrong first name. I have a good friend and my leasing agent who I spoke to yesterday, named Dave Evans. I focused on the reply and not your name. Again my apologies.

Dave, Based on your post, and not knowing what observations you made, or seeing nest check data, I think you are witnessing occupancy of a gourd by another pair and not a second brood. Possibly the original parents abandoned their cavity after their brood fledged, and did not attempt to bring young ...

Marcus, It is not uncommon during the peak of fledging activities in highly concentrated colonies, or late in the season, for hatch year birds that have become separated from their family group or that were inadequately trained to find food, to attempt to enter, and often do enter, remaining occupie...

Hi Sharon, We have had the opposite effect at our bird sanctuary at Sandia. We've been feeding a roadrunner "Roadie", for about 4-5 months. He follows us around, sits at a table on the porch, comes into the barn with us. We usually feed him stew meat on a trailer between the barn and the house. At t...

Beautiful work, Tim; something to be proud of. If any costs are not covered please let us know.

TimG, Most of my martins have fledged over the past 2 or 3 weeks at both of my colonies. I have conducted regular nestchecks during that period. I have only gourd systems--two levels with no more than 8 gourds per level. I plug all compartments with nestlings over 22 days old, and have had to plug 5...

Ron, I don't find anything unusual about finding new eggs 3 days after you did a nest check and found over 300. Have you done regular nest checks throughout the season and in past years? The new ones seem pretty much in sync with the those you found 3 days earlier. I do find it remarkable that you f...