Purple Martin Forum

7th year trying and we've got a very dutiful pair of SY martins. 4 healthy babies. 1st nest replacement today and the kids got to hold the babies. They were pumped. The two year old didn't like the "scratchy claws", so no pic of him. Just thought I'd share....

Hi All, Excited to have an SY pair nesting at my site after an up and down couple of years. They are tending to 4 eggs scheduled to hatch this weekend. Hoping they can get this thing established. Question - does the male bring the female food while she is incubating eggs? I see him coming and going ...

I'm confused. I had a SY male hanging around for a couple weeks, and he seems to have bailed. Noticed another one checking out gourds/house compartments the last day or two. This morning, i witnessed what appeared to be a SY male bomb directly into the same gourd twice with green leaves in his beak....

My season that is.... Are there still SY's moving north in MN? I had a male SY stick around for about 10 days (dubbed Marty Jr. by my kids). He was very protective of the setup, stayed each night, and even brought some visitors. Haven't seen him the past couple of days so think he may have given up ...

MarkinMN - not planning to give up. I'm a duck hunter, so I know all about crazy hobbies. :lol: Just trying to get a sense of where others are at. I have four gourds and a four room Watersedge house. All crescent entrances. We live on a pond with completely open flyways. Sparrows controlled with a ....

Looking for some feedback on what you are seeing for numbers? How is the season going compared to previous years? I'm in my sixth year trying, and still don't have a strong foothold. Had a SY male hanging around for a month last summer, so was hoping he would return as an ASY and attract a mate. I k...

Thanks to all for the replies. We do have external speakers on the house, right below our bedroom. My wife was not pleased when I was blasting the dawn song at 5:30 am with the windows open. :???: I think I will give the magnet a try. I have power right below my pole, which is about 30 yards from th...

Hi All, Middle of winter here in MN, but looking ahead to green grass and hopefully purple martins. Haven't been able to establish a consistent colony, hoping this is the year. Looking for reviews from the experts on the Songbird Magnet. The reviews on Amazon are all over the map. Tips/tricks? Do's/...

Hi All,

We live on a pond and this year the Red Winged Blackbirds have taken a liking to perching on my martin set up. I finally have some SY activity at my site. The martins and blackbirds seem to co-exist OK, but should I be discouraging the blackbirds from sitting there?

RR - never received a PM. You can e-mail me @ jake@northlandkb.com if you would like.

I've got a couple of game cameras sitting around not being used. I could ship you one, but I'm way up in MN. I think you'd just need some new batteries. Probably 3-4 days transit. Let me know.

Hi All, Upgraded to a multipurpose pole and hub over the winter and will be installing things once the ground thaws here. Quick question - would it be a bad idea to mount a house (Watersedge 2 story) on one side of the hub and a feeding tray on the other side? I'll have the four gourds underneath. G...

phldave - I'll be using a square pole, so shouldn't have an issue with orientation - as long as I get it right the first time. GFB - looks like an incredibly sturdy system! Thanks for the pic. I assume you are using an eyebolt with a pulley at the top? If anyone has attempted to put the cable inside...

Hi All, Eagerly awaiting spring as we get pounded with another blizzard here in MN. :roll: I'm upgrading my setup this year. I've purchased the multipurpose pole (just the hub and parts) - I'll be sourcing the 2" aluminum pole from a local metal supply shop. Planning to go with a 16-18 foot pole. I'...

Hi All, Appears 2018 is over for me, except maybe some visitors, so I'm eyeing upgrades for next year. I currently have a Watersedge 4 room house mounted on a 12' telescoping pole. I think its the "birds choice heavy duty". It has thumbscrews, which are starting to become unreliable. I rigged it so ...

Thanks for the feedback. There were only about 10 of the blowfly larva, and none were attached to the babies. So based on your answer, I think that can be ruled out. So probably dehydration or body temp issues? Is there anything I could have done to prevent this? I guess I can only try and learn fro...

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My only nesting pair laid 5 eggs, all hatched. I was out of town, but my estimated hatch date was 6/27 or 6/28. I checked on the 30th and all was good...all 5 OK. Checked last night and only 4 were left, and only two were moving. Checked tonight and all 4 were dead. I've had sparrows poking around t...

Update - just returned from almost a week at the lake and all 5 eggs hatched!

Experts - think these are 2-3 days old? I was anticipating a hatch date of 6/27 or 6/28.