Purple Martin Forum

Thank you for sharing. Pretty sure mine is at least that old.

How close is it to the tree?

Sorry Unc, I haven't figured it out either.

A baffle and the largest one you can find (or make).

It stinks no doubt. I like to think it's about survival of the fittest. The strongest survive and produce even stronger PMs. I hope that's true anyway. Socks! Lol. I may try throwing my wife's socks at them. They'll either stop or die.

That sounds cool Unk. Would love to see pictures.

That's awesome! Growing the population. This season is flying by.

If you don't immediately get them, once they lay eggs, you for sure will.

I personally would wait a bit longer to see if they commit to your house and then put it up. I learned the hard way once. A large rat snake destroyed my colony and they never came back to that house. Good luck!

I almost had a heart attack, until I read further. I see those at my house from time to time, but have never caught any. The only other birds I've caught were cardinals.

Nice Unk! Got pictures?

Yeah, that sucks to see. I fight off all of the predators i can, but have come to grips with this behavior as that's who they are. You are a great landlord and your colony will continue to be strong!

Oh good! When I first started, I didn't have predator guards and I learned the hard way. I came home from work and found a large rat snake going from 1 compartment to another. The PMs abandoned the house and never came back. 3 years later, I got a new house and moved it to another location in the ya...

I agree with Stan. Don't tolerate them period. Shoot and-or trap. Im not the best shooter, but there have been a few that I've shot at and missed several times. It was enough to run him off. Now, if he had already made a nest(and especially if babies or eggs were present), it wouldn't have been enou...

AMEN to all of this!

That's gorgeous! Predator guards?

Sounds like you and your colony are looking great Unk!

Generally, no. They may fly around and fuss for a short time, but will come back when you leave. Some may even stay there while you lower. A good time to do it is in the early evening while the PMs are out and about. NEVER lower it during dark hours. Hope this helps.

Many report success using the white feathers. I use a little tape to secure them as the wind will blow them away. Good job on the HOSPS!

Sounds like you had a wonderful father. Rip sir! Thank you for stepping up. That colony should increase the value of the home!