Purple Martin Forum

It's hard to tell by the pictures but an SREH needs to be fairly precise. If you there a a bit too large and they are not effective, a bit too small and martins can't get in. I can't tell from the angle of the picture but the entrances don't appear to be uniform in the angle of the arch (if that mak...

Someone smarter then me will chime in, however I have never had babies that are less then 2 weeks old jump (that I know of). I would think at 2 weeks or younger missing young are from a predator or SY male.

Most will tell you that Heath houses are less then ideal unless modifications are made. That's going to be up to you. The problem with a majority of the predator attacks is that there are no signs. Everything will be going fine one day and the next day a snake has wiped out a colony. Most housing sy...

In the past I have built. Here is what I learned this year after building a T14 for a friend of mine. When I built my 2nd T-14 last year the lumber cost for cedar was $215.00. This year the same material list was just under $400.00. With Covid and other issues building material prices have skyrocket...

It has definitely been hot in Indiana (and other areas) but I have not experienced any jumpers yet. When I have experience jumpers in the past it has been when they are a little older than mine are right now. The time's I've had jumpers they were pretty close to fledge age. How old were the ones tha...

The right wood can last a vary long time if taken care of. I'm not trying to change your mind, just letting you know it shouldn't be ruled out. I think the wood houses would also be able to keep temps stable better in the hot southern temps. My first T 14 was built from Hemlock which a friend of min...

The would be more vulnerable with multiple entrances, they typically nest in the back of the compartment away from the entrance to keep something from reach in and grabbing them. If there was an entrance at both ends the cavity would be very bright inside and I don't think they would use it. I also ...

I bought a AAA gourd rack 10 plus years ago and have had zero issues with it. At the time it was one of the lower priced gourds racks available when compared to the common/name brand racks you see. Like everything else the price has gone up some but if it is in your price range then I would go with ...

I have seen studies done before. For some reason I think some were scientific and some were members on here who did their own tests at home. I can't remember where they were posted at on here though. I just remember seeing some heat related results.

First of all to make sure you don't have your wording crossed up a little. (Or I am just reading it wrong :P ). ASY's are "after second year" they are adult martins that have returned for their second nesting season. SY birds are second year birds, they hatched last year and returned this year for t...

Yes you can get another lid ready if you want and that would be the best way to go. I’m not sure temps in the 90 s would be fatal to them at that age and they won’t be able to jump. They will definitely be more comfortable with ventilation though. There should also be some little raised areas on the...

Good to hear. I don't think I've ever had any show up this late. Definitely will give some people some hope.

At this time of year it is very unlikely that you would get martins to nest, especially at an un-established colony. If it were me I would change my focus to getting rid of the HOSP. What I do when nothing else will work is use a glue trap. In your situation I would get a piece of plastic (like a co...

Nest failure, depending on the cause does not always mean abandonment. If the parents are continuing to feed that is a good sign. I too suspect SY as the culprit. If it was a snake it would not have left that baby behind. I don't recall seeing what type of gourd the nest was in? Usually the Troyer's...

My martins seem to have a vary keen sense of what birds can harm them and which ones cannot. A large hawk like a red tail or a buzzard can cruise by and they pay no attention. If a coopers hawk or sharp shinned hawk get within eyesight they scatter and many of them will dive bomb those. They don't l...

Do you have a picture or link to exactly which trap you are talking about. I am guessing I know which one you are talking about but not certain. I went to youtube and searched for repeating sparrow trap and several different videos came up. You should be able to find one that matches your trap. I wi...

Sounds like you are coming along. I too have a couple T 14's. If you don't already have some the insert nest traps work great. I like to set my T14 up a month or so before martins start to arrive in our area. I leave everything blocked off except for the cavity with the insert trap. That time of yea...

The other thing to do is try to figure out what caused it to jump. If it is not old enough to fly they typically jump because of heat, mites, starving, etc. I would inspect the cavity for mites.

Thanks. I went out today and dug the hole. I decided to move back about 8 feet from the waters edge. I dug down 36 inches deep and never hit water and the soil was dry and very compact. It is a little further than originally planned from the water but when I explained to him the possible issues with...

If there are breaks in the rain, even for an hour or so, the martins will typically be able to get out and feed. I know during some severe weather, (tropical storms, hurricanes, etc.) you can get non stop rains for several days. Often times martins have to get to the third day without food in order ...