All Purple Martin landlords, whether they are aspiring or established, have a common goal—to help increase the population of Purple Martins each season. We protect ‘our’ birds as best we can, with guards against both ground and aerial predators, starling-resistant entrances, and weekly nest checks. Even with these safeguards, during the course of a martin season you may find a sick or injured martin, orphaned nest, or a fledgling on the ground. It can be difficult to determine whether a Purple Martin is truly in need of an intervention, or if their care is best left with the parents.
The PMCA recommends continuing weekly nest checks throughout the season, until the last nestling has fledged. With multi-cavity housing this may mean that you have one nest with eggs, next to a nest with young almost ready to fledge.
The plug & string method is one of the best ways to help prevent premature fledging during nest checks.
- Tie a length of string, long enough to reach the ground when the housing is fully raised, around a plug. The PMCA uses foam entrance plugs wrapped with a nylon string.
- Check your nest records before lowering the housing to determine which cavities should be plugged. Mark any cavity where the nestlings are 22 days or older.
- Once the housing is lowered, plug those marked cavities and continue with your nest check. Make sure the plug isn’t jammed in the entrance, or too loose.
- Once all cavities have been checked and recorded, raise the housing.
- Give the nestlings a few minutes to settle after the housing is raised and then gently pull the string to remove the plug.
This article was originally published in the Fall 2018 issue of The Purple Martin Update. To receive this quarterly magazine, become a member today!