Purple Martin Forum

Good to hear from you sir and congrats on your arrivals! Wish you many more and much success this year.
Yes, things are waking up from their slumber and stretching just a bit. Soon we will be sprinting!
Tom

2025 was very early for alot of us, 2026 they are coming late. No idea why. Dont know if its a need for worry, even the hummingbirds are slow this year.
The ones that are here are healthy, guarding cavities now. More males vs females. Would imagine the subbies are going to be late too.

Hi Billie, I use both those entrances, I like them both for starling control. Main reason is each offers the ability to make modifications if starlings start to figure them out. Either I can raise the porch on the troyers, or add a WEP over the crescent. Good question. The entry I like the best (but...

Email sent, this may be faster: thomas.sullivan412@yahoo.com That mesh ramp is worthless bro IMO. They don't walk, they hop. Take the ramp off, replace it with a platform flush with the entrance and the actual trap. Platform could be a bit of plywood, propped up with bricks. Sprinkle the food on the...

Brent, Second Dan. Will work every time....haha just happened to have a safety pin! Lol. Iv that very same trap, did some diffrent things to it and my catch rates went way up. Remove the little trey just off the trap entrance to the bait. They like to hop, so give them something to hop on, can be a ...

I can’t wait. I ordered the very day and now awaiting its arrival. Ok you say to rip the nest out and place some of it in the trap? Place the trap under where the nest was? I don’t have the trap yet but I will follow your advice. My fear is if I remove the nest they just started they will leave. I ...

Kinda late on this one, iv one of the lone star gourd racks and steel pole, plus aluminum ones. Both did just fine during hurricane Hanna (Cat 2). I think you will find the aluminum pole either 2 or 3 inch to be surprisingly strong. I spent a long time off season cleaning the steel pole, just wiped ...

Brent, its a fantastic trap. Rip a sparrow nest out, place some of it in the trap and put it under where they nested. Done. The trip lever to drop the door, looks like a loop. Put a bit of black foam cut to fit in it and put white millet seeds on it. Done. Decorate the trap with what they like to us...

Brent, Go with tried and true. Iv the PMCA trap too, its very good. Iv a blains right next to it, and both catch the same. I made them both a bit larger as I like to keep them alive a long time, but that was just personal preference. Tom In thinking about it, its very nice to have something else, PM...

All my neighbors have bird feeders too. I used it to my advantage. I left my martin housing up all year. The bird feeders attracted them, then they saw my irresistible martin gourds and tried to move in. I shot them all with a pellet gun. I wiped out the house sparrow population for probably a half...

Ill take a stab at it but not sure if Ill be much help.... first, sorry to hear the HOSP are overwhelming you, they victimize all cavity nesters. Ill say in short, that any hole a tree swallow can get into, a HOSP can too. I have read HOSP don't much care for oval entrances, but think if its availab...

Congrats Linda! you know this season our first snuck up on me too, not a peep. flew by like a bat out of hell, next thing was coming out of the house! so your in a good spot, watch that house! some come by to make sure all is as they left it, and roost elsewhere, others call and zoom right in. Congr...

Mr CC where can super gourds be bought? Also, I’m contemplating buying 4 excluder gourds to attach to a trendsetter Thank you Hey, sorry for the delay. looks like your super gourd question has been answered; if you do decide to go the excluder gourd route (good gourds BTW), please remember to check...

Yes sir very late. End of jan last year, 14 feb this year. Next year I don't know what to shoot for so ill be ready Dec 26th haha.
Got to the point I was wondering if I had more predators! But they missed some cold snaps and have since made up for it nicely.

Perfect, well thought out! Its a nice entrance. Supergourds are unsung hero's, well made, tough, and martins love them. Recently purchased some gourds, one i swear was not as opaque as it looked, it lit up like a light bulb.
Your gourds are going to be popular.

I wonder if the smaller starlings are able to use the ribbed troyer porch for easier entry? Could add some material on those porches to make it slicker? Some of the starlings I got this season were smaller that is sure.

Yep that will work, like the fact the hanging hole is drilled front to back now! Question though, just because it doesn't show on the picture...how big is the entrance hole on the gourd itself?

PS: nice purchase!!!!! Wish someone around here were selling like that!

Tom

I think all of us would agree 100% there are some screws loose in all of us. Lol. A good kind of craziness.

Hahahahahaha!!!! I just replied to your ready and waiting post.
Thats great!!! Made it and happy to be back home. Hope you have 86 pairs this year and a wonderful season with them all.
Tom

Your wait is almost over! A bit slow this migration, which is fine, allows the bad weather to settle some.

Hope you have 85 pairs!!

Hope your season is a great one!
Tom