Purple Martin Forum

Terry, it is funny when they cock their heads to the side, similar to the way a puzzled dog does…
Rob

Hi bird man.. here is SE Louisiana, last season, we had an explosion of what is locally called “love bugs”.. they seemed to fly in an area about 20 feet and lower to the ground. Myself and several other landlords saw their martins flying low, 20 to 15 feet off the ground, swarming in and feasting on...

Figures that Florida is first to fledge, since your ASYs arrive in Florida first. Congrats on another successful season!
Rob

Great group indeed! Yep, HOSPS are in trouble!
Happy hunting
Rob

Brent, by what you’ve observed it does seem like the SY’s are the cause. I guess I’ve been lucky, in 25 years of hosting martins, I’ve never had SY get that aggressive. I’ve seen them fight ASYs to try to overtake their compartments, and i see them suspiciously peering into occupied compartments, as...

Yes indeed …. Great rifle! Agree, a good scope with magnification, using a rest or stabilizer is a must for accurate shooting! And a hiding place or blind makes the HOSPS, like shooting fish in a barrel! It’s very rewarding to make a clean kill on almost every shot! Congrats!
Rob

Man Brent, I’d be so curious to know what’s going on, I’d have to mount a security cam or 2.. your electric pole guard does look very hard to defeat. I was wondering, could a squirrel, (able to jump 4 feet straight up) jump pass the electric guard, and climb the winch cable to the housing, and get t...

Yep, Tom, some ASY males can be greedy. I have 1 , still holding on to 2 gourds. It is frustrating, when they don’t relinquish, after eggs are laid! Just have to hope the SY keeps pushing the issue… eventually, the ASY’s usually give in, when they get busy feeding, but every year is different! Good ...

Agree with Tom, if rehabbers aren’t a good match, since she’s trying to make a comeback, she needs some nutrition. Would be worth a try to feed her crickets or something nutritious, as you would a chick, and see if she gets strong enough to return to the colony. Really hope she makes it!
Rob

Man Brent that is tough. Sy males could be the problem, but I’ve never seen them completely wipe out nests before, but doesn’t mean that it couldn’t happen. It’s going to be hard to solve the mystery without some 24 hour surveillance.. may want to try mounting some blink cams in the 2 remaining nest...

Hi Andy. It can be a bit of a chore getting your martins to switch to your new housing. They are creatures of habit, and don’t like to change things up quickly. The round holes in the older house are easy for the martins to enter and exit, and will probably make it even more difficult to get them to...

That is a quandary, Brent! Let us know if an answer reveals itself.
Rob

Hi birdiegirl. Sorry for the losses, but Sounds like you fixed the issue. I was going to say, I make the openings from the gourd into the tunnel (troyer super gourds) 3 inches in diameter. I haven’t had one instance of an entrapment, at that junction, with that size hole.
Good luck
Rob

Hi Thomas. I try to do my checks about 2 pm… as Tom said, try to avoid early am and late evening, as that is when they are feeding their young at the fastest rate. They slack off a bit in the afternoon, and really slack off if it’s very hot. And agree with others… the martins won’t hold it against y...

Ah yes.. never iPods for me when I’m outside… purple martins provide the best music…
Rob

Agree with all of the above..
Rob

Glad you figured it out. I Was going to say, , Brent’s description of a fledgling is correct. .. Looks like an SY male..for future reference, fledglings do not sing like adults, from my observation, they just have a short single . chirp…
Rob

Poor girl. I have never seen martins cause that kind of damage to another. My first suspects would be starling or sparrow.. I hope she makes it.. sorry this happened..
Rob

Very sorry to hear this.. it has to be really rough. I wonder what happened… I hope they show up soon…
Rob

Agree. It seems like the best defense are the natural ones .. I’m fortunate to have a group of crows that hang out in a tree about 35 yards away from my site. I have seen them harassing hawks several times, and my martins join in to dive bomb the hawks, as the crows chase them. They are definitely a...