Purple Martin Forum

Hannah,
I use a 1-1/2” round steel pole for my 10 compartment cedar house with 4 gourds 15’ tall but it is schedule 80. I lower it 4’ or so when there are storm warnings, otherwise it has withstood 30 - 40 mph winds with no problems.

Are there no experienced landlords out there that have observed this behavior? Once again I am nearing the time to give up hope once again.

Your primary focus is on the male sparrow, you must eliminate him one way or another, the battle is not over until he is in the ash can. The same is true for any other male sparrow that makes a nuisance of himself.

Just curious. How long does it take SY birds at existing colonies to give up and stop fighting and causing trouble at full sites before they move on and start looking for a new site?

Jhcox
Yes I’ve tried all that plus green leaves and dummy eggs only thing I haven’t done is put up a vacancy sign because I’m sure they can’t read “ha ha”. They do have the ability to drive you crazy.

You might not want to keep all the compartments open or the the bad guys will drive you crazy. I know here in Iowa if they nest sometime in June or first week of July they still can raise a clutch.

One of the comments I hear made time and time again, “you don’t have martins, because you don’t have martins. “ Well now that you have, they should attract more. Good for you.

Get comfortable, it could be a long wait. I’ve been trying since 2012. Believe me, I’ve tried every reasonable trick in the book. It’s important to trap or shoot the bad guys, but if you have a serious looker stop all trapping. Last year I had a sy male that was really interested, until he got trapp...

Tim,
You might want to see if you can find some hand warmers to stick under the pine needles
Dave

Hello PHLDave- sure hope the Martin's find and stay at your place in 2020! Meanwhile you know you're welcome to help out again this season at PM Lake satellite site. I greatly appreciated your help last season! If you happen to be visiting early and spot an early arrival martin please let me know. ...

I only wish we could get the younger generation as excited about our Purple Martins, as some of them are on the environment and nature in general. My hopes are that those of us that are lucky enough to have colonies, can expose enough younger folks to these amazing creatures, to get them excited abo...

On CBS Sunday morning Harrison Ford made the comment that nature doesn’t need man, man needs nature. I know he meant well, but we all know that if man doesn’t remember nature, many species on this planet are in real trouble. Including our beloved Purple Martins that are so dependent on us.
Dave

I just heard mention of an easy mount system for a t-14 house that requires no bolts. The name of Hostetler was also mentioned as the inventor. I'm always interested in a better way of doing things. Maybe I can use this system for future houses I build. Can you fill me in on how it works, or someone...

A pellet enema is a sure cure for those starlings that are persistent. Sorry, i just had to say it!

Hi Gun, I hate to burst your bubble, but you may want to put your porches closer to the bottom of the entrance holes. I had to move mine up to keep the foxy starlings out. If you have them down to far they learn how to squat, wiggle and turn sideways to get in. If you put them almost at the bottom o...

sent you an email

Susan,
If you are going to go that route, try to find something with compartments closer to 12" deep.
Dave

Susan, Sounds like you have inherited a gold mine. My hopes are, some of us that live near by, can come to your aid. If they can get your system up to snuff, so that it's easy for you to take care of your wonderful colony, you'll have years of enjoyment. I'd give anything to be in your shoes. Take i...

I had the real pleasure of helping Tim with the colony several times last season, and look forward to it this year if he’ll have me. It was an amazing opportunity to gain some experience if the day comes when I am allowed to host my own colony at home.
Dave

Gun,
This design is very similar to the one I designed myself and build.

Dave