Purple Martin Forum

Hi Travis,
Congrats on the jump in numbers. Across the US I have heard there was a general increase in numbers at colonies. My colony went from 54 pair to 60 pair this year.

Hi MY FYN, It can take years before a martin pair might make a nest and have nestlings. I waited 6 years until my first pair, other landlords wait even longer. I suggest going on this website under the "Purple Martins" heading and pull down to "attracting". There you will see a great deal of info on...

As for the house sparrows, I advise shooting and trapping then euthenize the sparrow. Nest pulling will only infuriate the sparrow and cause sparrow revenge on the martins and their babies.

If the nestlings are old enough they may be doing this on their own. Once hatchling start poking their heads out the entrances for food, the next step is they can start exploring compartments to each side. This is nothing to be alarmed about. But, if they are pink little babies and you are sure the ...

1 inch pvc elbows will not hurt the gourds. Simply plug the holes with swimming pool noodle foam pieces in the early part of the season when they arrive in your area.

Hi Mike,
Congrats on starting your new colony. The only suggestion I have would be to read as much information as you can about martins and how to best take care of them. Everything you need to know can be found on this website; look in the links section and FAQ section. Best of luck my friend.

Hi everyone, To assist the young babies in beating the heat wave, I suggest soaking your crickets in water first. The parents will readily feed these soaked water crickets to their young. The add moisture will assist in keep the babies hydrated. Normally, the insects that are naturally foraged by pa...

I put in 1 inch PVC elbows 2/3rds the way up from the back of the gourd. Face the elbow openings downward. In the cold spring when they arrive, I simply use pieces of swimming pool noodles to plug the openings of the PVC elbows. Once it warms back up, pull the plugs.

HI Dave,
That is great news to hear about the 4th of July babies. Congrats and continue with the good work.

I agree with flyin-lowe, With nest building near the back, an additional exit would expose them to predators. It is good to consider new advancements, but sometimes we need to look at all aspects of what is good and bad about the idea. I have done some reseach at my own colony with extremely deep co...

Hello and welcome. I always suggest to new landlords to read as much information as possible on this website. Knowledge is a life saver when taking care of a martin colony.

Hi Diane,
The lethergy is probably due to the heat and humidty we have had over the last few days here in Iowa.

There is no set distance. Just make it easily seen and high enough off the ground from predators. My feeding tray is about 20 feet from my colony.

Hi Vmorg,
I would not use cardboard boxes for the reasons mentioned previously. But, they do sell PVC / plastic inexpensive nesting boxes online that meet the needs for martins.

Hi Poidog, There reason the adults are not taking to supplement feeding is a matter of need and timing. Martins usually do not go after supplement food until they feel hunger. At this time, they simply are not in need of supplement food. The parents are busy feeding their babies now and they are fin...

Hi Diane,
I feel so much better knowing that this baby has a great chance of weathering the storm. It looks much better now that you have taken those steps to help him heal. A feel good thread.

Hi Diane, I'm by no means an avian rehabilitator nor vet, so this is just my thoughts. I wouldn't want to harm the baby any more than its current condition. So, I think that is would be ok to simply use a little mild soap like dawn with some water and lightly rub the rear. Then, clean it off with cl...

Hi Bill, As mentioned by Ed, if there are no bird mites there is no reason to do a nest change. Do keep in mind that you should not do nest checks after the babies have reached 20 days of age; they may try to fledge too early if you do checks after 20 days of age. I suggest continuing to do weekly c...

I wanted to be the first to congratulate you. That is a long wait and it finally came true. I hope that they all fldge and a few make it back to your newly started colony. I have been praying for you all these years to get some martins. Nice picture too.
Dave Duit

Congrats flmike. Just keep in mid to NOT do nest checks on babies 20 days or older, as they may jump / try to fledge too early. It is good to do checks up to around the 20 day mark.