The key to hosting a successful colony of Purple Martins is regular management. As you know, a gardener must constantly be pulling weeds, cultivating the soil, and dealing with problems as they arise and likewise, martin landlords need to constantly observe and manage their colonies to ensure that they flourish. There are many colony management techniques that have been developed and refined over the years that will allow the landlord to take charge of their colony and help it to be as productive as possible.

• KEEP GOOD WRITTEN RECORDS. Keep a diary of your martin colony each year. I have since 1978. Write down milestone dates such as when a new influx of arriving birds occurs. You will be surprised to compare your notes from year to year and see that many things happen at approximately the same time each season. Also record when your first martin hatches and problems with predators and your resolution to those problems, etc. You will be surprised how many times you will refer to your notes over the years.
• PRACTICE NEST REPLACEMENT TO CONTROL NEST PARASITES. If you have any doubt about using chemicals such as Sevin or Rotenone in martin nests then practice nest replacement, the most environmentally friendly way to ensure that young martins don't jump from the nests prematurely due to heavy infestations of nest parasites.
• EQUIP ALL MARTIN POLES WITH CLIMBING PREDATOR GUARDS. 'Nuff said. Anyone that loses martins to a climbing predator such as a snake or raccoon can thank themselves for bringing this tragedy on their colony. Climbing predators are easy to control with a properly installed guard.
• EQUIP APARTMENT-STYLE MARTIN HOUSING WITH OWL/CROW GUARDS. If you have an established colony of martins, please install owl guards. Whether you think so or not, YOU have an owl in your neighborhood that is highly aware of your colony. Refer to previous postings here on the forum for some details.
• PROVIDE EGGSHELLS/OYSTER SHELLS AND CONVENIENCE NESTING MATERIALS. Make it as easy on your colony as possible by providing these items. The eggshells/oyster shells provide calcium and grit and the convenience nesting material both inside the cavities before the martins return and on an elevated platform will allow the martins to easily find material for their nests, thereby reducing the stress on them which may result in larger clutches and healthier young martins.
• TRAP STARLINGS AND HOUSE SPARROWS. Speaking from experience, Starlings will KILL adult martins. They are more dangerous than House Sparrows but the sparrows are also very detrimental by tossing martin eggs from the houses and pecking young nestlings in the head until they die. Have you ever found martin eggs on the ground beneath your housing? Some might appear in perfect shape? You can bet that a House Sparrow is the culprit and will continue such behavior until they are shot or removed. Use the S&S Controller trap for Starlings (amazing!) and the SD-1 and ST-1 traps for House Sparrows.
• BE PREPARED FOR FALLOUTS AND INJURED BIRDS. I highly recommend the booklet "Purple Martin Rehabilitation Manual" written by Carlyle Rogillio from Louisiana. This contains great information on what to do to care for these martins. Timing is critical when dealing with injured martins or fallouts so have this manual handy at all times. Also, find out RIGHT NOW the name of a wild bird rehabilitator in your area and have their phone number handy in case of emergency. Martins typically need to be fed every 30 minutes or so and this is extremely difficult to do for those of us that work.
• ADD ACCESS DOORS AND RAIN CANOPIES TO ALL GOURDS. You would not believe how easy nests are to clean out at seasons end if you have access doors on your gourds. It makes so many parts of colony management easier on the landlord if you will just take the time and effort to install access doors on your gourds. Rain canopies serve at least three functions that I can think of: 1) keep rain from running into the entrance holes, 2) serve as a perching platform for male martins, and 3) may help to keep owls from reaching into gourds from above.
• USE LARGER, 7"X12" COMPARTMENTS WHEN BUILDING MARTIN HOUSING AND MODIFY EXISTING HOUSING IF THE COMPARTMENTS ARE 6"X6" OR 7"X7". Larger compartments are proving to be not only safer for martins, but larger and healthier broods are raised in the larger compartments. Trio, Heath, and Coates housing with unmodified cavities are very dangerous to martins as owls and hawks can easily reach all the way in to these compartments and extract the occupants, both adult and nestling martins. How sad when you can take steps to prevent this!!
• LEND A HELPING HAND TO THOSE GETTING STARTED WITH MARTINS IN YOUR AREA AND BEFRIEND ANOTHER LOCAL LANDLORD FOR MORAL SUPPORT. There are many folks in your community that might be willing to get started in the martin interest if only they had a mentor. Please reach out to those in your area and offer your services to help establish a new colony, offer advice, etc. Also, it really helps to have a few fellow landlord friends in your town that you can rely on for support in bad times. You can also share your ideas with this person and it makes it nice to have someone to talk to in person about your efforts with martins.

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