Purple Martin Forum

I did not find dead birds on the ground. The dead babies in the gourds seemed normal. I always have a few dead right up until fledgling. Most fledged . My colony always increased by a few birds every year. I start the season with clean gourds and I pre nest with wheat straw as I done every year. I u...

I have lost my colony. Last year I had 40+ birds and this year 0. This is my 7th year and every year I pick up a few more birds than the year before. I never suspected that the birds were under duress last year. I sit with and watch them twice a day, every morning and evening and everything seemed n...

I have 48 gourds on 2 poles. About this time of year i open 2 up on each pole. if another bird starts a nest i close that gourd and open another on a different side of the pole. I keep doing this until my martins start to come. As the martins come I keep opening a few more until I open all of them. ...

I have gourds. I placed a 4x4 post about 4' from the pole and mounted my winch on it so when I lower my rack its not coming down on me. I also mounted a pulley on the steel post so my cable can make a 90* turn to go to the winch. This works very well.

I have used tape but now I use plastic snap in doors for my super gourds. They snap in and easy to remove. Work great...

Thanks for your input. This eases my mind.

My Martins prefer pear or willow oak leaves.

Will eagles bother my martins? I have a nest about 250 yards away. Last year they did not bother them but was I just lucky? They have plenty of food source. Rabbits, squirrels, fish and other small animals. Should I be concerned ?

A few years ago I had 1 pole with 16 gourds. I had such a good turnout in May I decided to add another pole with 16 gourds about 25' away from the first pole. The martins sat on the first pole and watched me install everything. I cleaned up my trash and looked in my mirror and the martins were all o...

Almost every morning I sit about 20 ft away from my 2 poles with a cup of coffee and enjoy them. When I walk up I stop a little ways back and stand there for a few sec so they will see me and I say "It's Just Me". Then I go to my chair and sit down and watch them. The older birds know me a...

There is no time that I see them first. Just when I start seeing activity at the housing is when I keep A sharp eye out. I normally see Tree Swallows first then the Martins are close behind. When I think the Martins are getting close I''ll open about 4 gourds. I have 48 gourds and it's easier to kee...

Nothing in the Shenandoah Valley yet. I'm on the lookout for Tree Swallows then I know the martins won't be far behind. I also have been trapping sparrows for the last month. My gourds have been up and pre nested since January. I just need to open then when they start to arrive. I'm ready to go!!!. ...

Good choice on the gourds. I think you will really like your super guards. I love mine. I have 48 and I use wheat straw and I fill them up just under the inside porches. Nothing exact on this or about 2 fists full. Once the martins start using it the straw or what ever your using will settle down. G...

I have 48 gourds on 2 poles. When I installed my second pole I placed it about 25" from the first pole. This give them plenty of fly room and if the wind would blow 1 down it would not hit and knock the second pole down. Hope this helps a little.

The pole will not be a issue. The rods should hold the extra weight plus some but after this season is over I plan to upgrade the rods to angle iron and have them about 4" longer so I can space the gourds a little further apart which will help when I clean them. Then I should be good for many y...

I added the 16 gourds to my 2 racks. All is well. So I have 48 super gourds now. The Martins were not bothered one bit with me working under them. In fact they really like Blue Grass music. I had that playing on my Jeep and they sang along with it until I was done. Welp I'll just sit back and enjoy ...

I have a Lonestar rack. 4 rods with cable running around the out side. Gourds hang from that. Next year I may upgrade to heaver rods. I don't think the added weight will be an issue. I upgraded my winch and installed heaver cable this year so i'm good with that. Big improvement over what I had.

I am going to add gourds to my 2 gourd racks. I have 8 per tier and i'll have 12 per tier after I add them. I have space to add them with out moving the gourds that are already there. Can I add them now even though my Martins are returning or wait until the season ends? I do not want to disrupt or c...

The weather has not been bad or late cold spells. Last week and this week it's in the 90s. I did install pvc elbow vents in my gourds before spring. Hope this will help with the heat.

I have predator guards on my poles. The eggs that I looked at do not have holes or cracks in them. This is my 5th year as landlord and up until this year my colony has grown every year. I nest check once a week so if I see a problem I can take care of it early.