Purple Martin Forum

RE: Disappointed in PM houses And YOU? :cry: Hello all! This is a follow up to my post on 3/4/18 about being disappointed with my PM houses being difficult to lower and raise. First off, thanks to all those who took the time to post a comment and share your experiences and knowledge with me, this wa...

First, thanks for so many replies! Greatly appreciated, especially the helpful comments. :P Nice to hear I am not the only one that experienced problems in the beginning with houses. It sure would have been nice if PMCA had told me when I had asked so many questions about houses and poles about prob...

Well, I did it. I officially caught the PM fever, and put up two PM houses, though I am very disappointed with both of them. :-( As a newbie wannabe Landlord, I bought two brand new houses; one from PMCA and one plastic one from S&K. I just learned why people don’t do regular nest checks, all in...

I think your idea is a fantastic one, though it's been my experience not everyone is willing to go through all the work to host purple martins. I myself, have supported the PMCA for a few years, before researching and finally taking the dive into becoming a landlord. I had no idea what was involved ...

Hello one and all! I don't know about PMs eating egg shells since I don't have any, yet. I do know that my other songbirds do eat the sterlized and clean egg shells I put out for them. I expect the PMs will, too. Oyster shells? Egg shells; whatever works for them and what is available is what matter...

Hello from the Delta. Just wondering when ya'll get Martins in your area? How long did it take for you to have Martins arrive to your area? How long did it take for you to attract nesting Martins? Did you use houses or gourds? What worked best for you?

Just curious... Thanks so much!

Hello all! Okay, guys I have put up my first PM house: a Birds Choice Waters Edge 8 suite House. I put pine straw in the nesting compartments. I put mud inside and outside the compartments. I have plugs in the holes until I see any Martins with strings attached to pull off when I see one. I'm playin...

Nice job on the Heath house, Keith! Thanks for sharing the photos and information. I have two Heath houses that I plan on modifying and was actually looking into adding tunnels to them, too. One is so old it still has round holes. As a newbie wannabe landlord, it is always interesting to see how oth...

Hello Tom!
Forget the stupidity of this question. From a newbie, no PMs yet, first time and waiting to become a Landlord, how did you insulate the Heath roof? We're looking into modifying ours and would love to know.

thanks so much!

Hi there, Kyler! Great job on modifying with the large caps for access. We're looking to modify our Heath house too and replace those brittle access doors. Can you tell me how you did the caps? I'm a newbie and am greatly interested in any and all things that help out PMs. thank you in advance.

So excited to hear that some of you have Martins. Still waiting to see some in Western Mississippi. Haven't seen any yet, but have seen Blue Birds and have set up a trail for them so as not to have them next in PM house this year. To each his or her own for the birds on our property. Good Luck every...

Hello again and thanks for all your useful comments! First, as I've said, I've never seen house sparrows or Starlings around my property, though I see lots of songbirds, which I feed. If I do, I'll trap first and see what happens from there. If these "invasive' birds don't show up, I have nothi...

Hello Steve! I'm new to this activity and this forum, so forgive the lateness of my comment. first, I'm awed by your PM housing. Wow! Second, may I ask what are those things on the bottom of the pole to fend off predators? They mush work, but how? Thanks for such an informative post! Truly incredible!

Hello again! I like both ideas for cheap predator guards: the 5 gallon bucket and the PVC Pipe. Another option is using sections of stove pipe for wood stoves. We purchased a 4ft long section at ACE Hardware for $5.00. We used mesh wire at top. We purchased a real Predator Guard from PMCA for our fi...

THANKS for all your input! It is greatly appreciated!! :grin: Fortunately, where we live, we don't have any starlings and very few if any House Sparrows. The sparrows we do see are in the city limits where they forage. Hopefully, they'll never find out about the quality sunflower seed we put out for...

Hi all! I'm a NEW Landlord waiting to get my first tenants this year. I've have been scouring the forum over the last week. I've been reading up on them over the last few years and finally feel ready to take the plunge, but I want to do everything right from the outset. I just purchased my first rea...

Hi all! I'm also NEW to PM's and have been scouring the forum over the last week. I already feed/take care of other wildlife on our property including BlueBirds. Why not PMs? I've been reading up on them over the last few years and finally feel ready to take the plunge, but I want to do everything r...

Hi all! I'm also NEW to PM's and have been scouring the forum over the last week. I already feed/take care of other wildlife on our property including BlueBirds. Why not PMs? I've been reading up on them over the last few years and finally feel ready to take the plunge, but I want to do everything r...