Purple Martin Forum

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!

Great job! The same here. Nothing, nothing, then boom!

If you can keep out the HOSPS and Starlings, leave them open!

We have some very good people here. Very different from the rest of the internet.

Awesome! Happy Easter! Christ has risen!

Good grief! That is a HOSP mansion. We need one of those in every Walmart parking lot!

Tom knows his stuff!

Thanks CC! Are you still getting getting subs? Ive read where they continue to arrive through May.

Does your colony seem to stay together? Around noon(when I'm not working), they all seem to be hanging out together at there house/ gourds. In the evenings, they circle above my property together before going into their house.

Does your colony seem to stay together? Around noon(when I'm not working), they all seem to be hanging out together at there house/ gourds. In the evenings, they circle above my property together before going into their house.

Mrs. Linda, we should have submitted adults still coming in through May, so you still have plenty of time. Last year I thought I had about 6 pair. When I checked the cavities, I had 9 nests with eggs, so you never know by just watching them fly in and out. They are sneaky.

Great thread. Last year I took out 43 HOSPs - mostly traps and a few lucky shots. Best luck was trapping one in nest box trap and moving it alive to repeating trap. Then I could catch 6 or more a day. This year caught 4. Good news is I haven’t seen anymore, so maybe last years hard work is paying o...