Purple Martin Forum

It was 83 degrees, a nice day, mid-afternoon, saw an adult pair on the gourd rack top perches. They have been coming back every day for a short visit, I put the other 2 racks up yesterday. I have the usual GR 12 system. 3 racks of 12 Super Gourds each. Works well for me. This is my 25th year, still ...

John: 2 weeks earlier is a huge difference. My arrivals were only 2 days earlier which is more of the normal. My earliest was December 26 several years ago. (2002). Good luck in Cocoa Beach. My 2 ASY males were here this morning and last night too. Now they are defending gourds by knocking one anoth...

Thanks Dave and Tom for the well wishes. Actually they didn't come back this evening, not that unusual, but I should see them in the morning. I am sure they are looking for their new wives...

Thanks Tom! They are both back this morning, 7:10am, loud and proud checking out the gourds. This is year 24 for me and I still love hearing them overhead when they arrive. I love all that's necessary to care for them properly, they reward me by showing up every year.

Hi Brent. Yes it is, by 2 days. Last year it was January 3, 2021, Sunday, 1 ASY female at around 5 pm and she spent the night, went in at 5:32pm.

Heard 1 martin 7am today, didn't see him, heard and saw 1 ASY male around 2 pm today. Heard and saw 2 ASY males this early evening. They flew around, landed and took off several times. Didn't stay overnight in any of the gourds which surprised me a little bit, but no worries, I expect to see them in...

Hi Dave Duit: I did go to that web page, didn't read it all yet, but I will later. I did read somewhere in one of my swift books about a huge open tower that held thousands of swifts and it was somewhere in the Midwest. When the swifts came in at night it was quite a sight. Anyway, I will check it o...

Hey Tom: Thanks for the well wishes. Yesterday afternoon I was in my garage building some shelves for my work bench, and I was watching and listening for the female to return for the evening, didn't hear or see anything. That is not unusual as in the beginning of the season when there is only one bi...

flyin-lowe Yes your so right about the commitment for the birds and bees you take responsibility for. That is why I haven't done the bee keeping yet. I used to have 54 cavities for martins, now I am down to 3 GR12 gourd racks totaling 36 Super Gourds. I built a T-14 back in about the year 2000, I li...

Thanks Mike P. I started with a martin set up in 1999 and had good luck, then built some wood duck houses, then bat houses, then the chimney swift tower. I also joined a honey bee club and read a few short books on the subject. I would like to do the bee thing too, but they have so many issues that ...

ss martin I built my swift house in spring of 2018, had it up in early April. No takers yet, but they know it's here. I lived across the street from where I live now and had swifts nest in my fireplace chimney for years and years. When I sold the house, the new owners had them for 10 more years. Whe...

flyin-lowe All my houses are hand made by me. I have (2) 3 chambered houses on my property, (1) rocket box, which is a tall house, 2 chambered. I have (2) 5 chambered houses mounted back to back on a 4X4 post. The 3 chambered houses are about 18" wide and 24" high. The rocket box is about ...

We have Martins in Melbourne, FL. I expected some activity this weekend as it was a warm week, however cold front coming in tonight. It was about 5pm, I was outside and heard the familiar Cher, Cher, from the air, took me a few moments to spot the single ASY female making wide circles around my back...

Well, I do sort of feel selfish in wanting to be the first again to report a Purple Martin arriving in North America to begin a new season of working with the birds we all love, and love to help them along with their needed housing/nesting success/and eventual fledging of young, and then watch their...

I can't say Martins in Melbourne right now, (as news), because they have already been reported here already in late December. However, I was just as excited to see my first one flying in lazy circles around my gourd rack about 4:45pm this evening. I have 2 more racks to put up as the rest start to c...

Hey Terry! So nice to read your words again...Grin...I still remember you with a jig saw and a Super Gourd, and your making a new entrance for it. This was at one of the MartinFest's in the 3rd week in June at Finger Tennessee. I bought 50 or 60 of the tunneled entrances from Sandy Bunn over the yea...

Thanks for the info. Louise. I will pass that on to my friend and bring him some pictures for comparison purposes.

Thanks for the kind words, Jody. Sounds like your going to be busy with not only your home site, but with the satellite sites, whew! That's ambitious.

Sugarcreek, thanks for the well wishes, and your colony is growing very well which means you took care of them the first and second year. this year will be good for you too! Good luck. Thanks Louise, congrats on your retirement. I read all about it in the Update, so happy for you. Now that I have yo...

Hi Everybody! Currently 69 degrees F. in Melbourne, FL. My lovely wife of 45 years, Miss Diane, heard and saw our first martin yesterday morning, 8:00am. I was on the golf course, she didn't know if it was a boy or a girl, I told her no problem she will most likely be back either at noon or just bef...

What type of predator guards are used against climbing predators up there at the PMCA, and are they successful?
Just curious, since we have to absolutely use them here in the south.
Thank you.