Purple Martin Forum

Hi Steve r, The PMCA Scout Arrival reporting site is a test of human observation and reporting skill. It merely tracks how many humans actually notice a Purple Martin and whether they decide to report it. Humans are not terribly observant. I am pretty sure the Purple Martins are where they are suppo...

Hi ltwalsh! That’s great news!

DLN

Hi ltwalsh, Greg made some excellent points about the properties of aluminum. I might also add that aluminum surfaces can be highly reflective—more so if painted white. Radiant energy, visible light, radiant heat, and electromagnetic waves are efficiently reflected. Much of the incoming solar radiat...

Hi ltwalsh, definitely not too late! Put the house up as soon as you can and good luck!

DLN

Hi ltwalsh, welcome to Florida! I am in NW Florida directly on the coast in Mary Esther, FL. In my cove, there are five homeowners with martin housing up. All are aluminum of different styles and brands except mine, it is wood. The martins seem to flourish in all of them. I see more gourd racks furt...

That was an interesting article to read. Thanks to the Smiths for posting it! Whippy's observation that the Purple Martin "GPS is spot on" likely is the key to the answer to his question. I don't know much about the Purple Martins but I know something about the atmosphere. It's always in a...

Hi Whippy, I like your thinking but, as a retired USAF meteorologist who has given countless flight weather briefs, I'm pretty sure the Purple Martins are not getting a flight weather briefing before they take off.

DLN

Hi Brent, aluminum is a good conductor of heat (and cold--think frosty beverage in a can) but a poor insulator for the most part. Insulation in the attic of an aluminum house would definitely help but if the walls and floor aren't insulated the outside air temperature quickly becomes the inside air ...

Hi Carry, thanks for the additional information! I will try and pull the temperature data tonight or tomorrow but, based on what you reported, I don't think our temperature differentials are going to be a great as I expected. The meteorological data will certainly tell us for sure. I think the bigge...

Hi Cary, I am sorry that I am not the forum admin and I am very sorry for the loss of your martins. I have one 12-room martin house directly on the beach in Mary Esther south of your location. My outcome from this weather event is completely opposite yours and, as a retired meteorologist and researc...

Hello Jangles To start the conversation for you, I am a retired meteorologist with a Purple Martin colony located in Mary Esther, Florida. This is in the Panhandle of Florida and on the Gulf of Mexico. My Purple Martin house is on my beach on a waterway called the Santa Rosa Sound. The Sound is abou...