First Season Purple Martin Site

by Cary
(Stephens City Va)

First year with Martins. I have 2 females one adult one sub adult and 1 adult male. They are nest building in side by side units of 12 unit house.

The Purple Martin Junior Choir

by Robert Mohler
(Fort Worth, Texas USA)

We have been Purple Martin landlords, here in Fort Worth, Texas, for the past seven years.

We are members of the Purple Martin Landlords of North Texas.

We have 28 compartments in our colony and last year fledged 98 young. We begin watching for their arrival in February and are sad in August when they depart for South America.

This is a photo I took several years ago of the hatchlings and of course, they all started to sing for me.

As of 01 March 2013, we have 10 ASY already here at our colony.

Happy Martin 2013 to all.

https://www.purplemartinlandlordsofnorthtexas.com

They are back for third year

by Neal Cardin
(Sonora, KY)

Our Purple Martins returned on March 27. We had a scout or two a couple of weeks ago and then nothing for several days.

Now there are at least four birds staying around the gourds we have hanging. They are poking their heads into the gourds and sitting on top of the timbers from which the gourds hang.

This is the third year for our colony. I think more are coming. They are just starting to settle into other sites where there have been colonies for several years.

Martin Magic

by Kris
(Melbourne, FL)

We have six gourds below a Martin house. We put it up last August after stumbling across a gourd farm on a trip from the mountians. The gourds were ready with the proper size holes already drilled.

We treated and painted according to standards and then waited!

It took until last August until today! Around 8 martins both male and female were cackling and flying all morning and two pairs began to nest today. Their sound is amazing.

Our house sits in the middle of our garden so hopefully they will consume the bugs bad for the garden!

We are so happy to welcome them to our home amongst our chickens, doggies, and garden!

Early Birds

by Dan
(Astoria Il)

Two years ago I relocated back to Illinois after spending several years in Kansas.

While living in the Sunflower State I discovered how much more martins prefer natural gourds over aluminum or plastic housing.

My first spring back I hung 12 gourds and had 9 pairs. And these were adult birds which left there established colonies to move into the gourds!

Last year I hung 23 gourds and had 20 pairs. I will never use aluminum houses again. If you are having trouble attracting Martins I suggest giving gourds a try. I use thick walled ones grown in the south.

Phantom Deer Meadows

by Joe Nesselhuf
(Paola, Kansas USA)

I have had a lifelong interest in purple martins as a neighbor had two nesting sites on long poles in our rural community of New Burlington north of Cincinnati, Ohio.

My mom and dad were city folks who purchased 5 acres early in their marriage and subsequently developed it into a small "farm" with a barn for livestock and chickens plus a very large vegetable garden and several fruit trees. I was the youngest of five children and have always loved the country

Four of the five of us went on to college to pursue professional careers but never lost our love for the country.

I moved to Kansas City to pursue a business career and there met and married a young lady (a real city girl) who encouraged me to pursue my passion for the country.

Though still interested in a suburban lifestyle closer to the city, we purchased a farm in Miami Cty, KS.

With the pleasant memory of martin watching in my youth but little knowledge of their nesting habits I raised my first martin house over 25 years ago in a woodsey area...and began to wait.

Now retired we built a modest "weekender" on the 110 acre site and I started reading about the birds and then discovered that my house(s) were misplaced.

This past winter I erected a martin house with more appealing features... great glide space close to a neighboring farmhouse with children. Now I know how much the birds love both open spaces and people. We have martins!!!

This winter I plan to erect a third house along an adjacent rural road close to an open pasture. Please advise on books I can purchase to learn more about expanding this rookery.

Waiting for 7 years

by Sara
(Homestead, Florida)

After having my 8 Huge plastic Gourds up for season after season for 7 years, with lots of lookers and no takers I finally only left up 2 Gourds.

Then this year 2012, 1 male and 3 females decide to keep looking and singing and have decided to stay!!!! I can't believe it.

I instantly put up 2 more Gourds and they liked it. I feel SOOO HAPPY, they are incredible little birds who sing & look beautiful.

It's worth the wait, never give up on our feathered friends!!!

From: Wild-Bird-Watching.com

It took 4 years to get our first pair and I remember that feeling all too well.

I kept a diary of that first bird and how he attracted his mate, their nest building, six eggs, and eventually six fledglings leaving the nest.

Every season since then, (now in our fifth season) I get excited when the first bird returns. There is something very special about getting Purple Martins and starting a colony.

Now comes the hard part, protecting them from predators. Rat snakes can climb anything so use bird netting around your pole to prevent them from climbing.

Make sure you trap or shoot any House Sparrows or Starlings that come around. If mites become an issue, use a half teaspoon of powder Seven sprinkled in the nest and tapped to the bottom of the nest.

Do weekly nest checks once they begin egg laying to watch for problems. Do these nest checks in the mid afternoon so that you do not disturb them in the morning. Never check during the evening.

Learn all you can by joining the forum at http://www.purplemartin.org it's free.

Read all you can and ask questions in the forum. It's easy to lose a colony if something goes wrong.

I wish you the very best in starting your Purple Martin Colony and you're right, Never Give Up.

Gene
wild-bird-watching