Purple Martin Forum

I got home today from work and observed that the Mama bird started feeding and attending to her young once again. She is completely entering the cavity with her body. Poor thing is now a widow and has to do it all alone. She also has a ASY male following her around and bugging her. So, hopefully she...

Yes. I went and purchased some bird netting
and installed it. Hopefully that will stop future
attempts.

How do you make one of these snake catchers?

I got rid of the snake first thing by the way.

I had a chicken snake get into my purple martin house last night and kill the papa bird. Then he ate one of the babies and moved to another cavity that was empty to take a nap. I noticed that there was a problem going on and went to check and discovered what had happened. There are still 3 babies al...

Finally, I can get a little more rest now. Its always challenging and rewarding to know that you have helped to repopulate in this world such a wonderful creation.

The behavior of mine are the same, Don. They just don't like the crescent doors much. They eventually get use to them and start zippin in like they did before the change. Happy nesting!

Carrera Mike wrote:

Darn starlings weighing down the ham radio antenna elements

Looks like a 20 or 40 meter. Those can't be all Starlings can they? You have a lot, sir!

I dispatch them with a Hammeril 850 Airmagnum with a scope. I got a ham radio antenni also and the starlings are trained now never to enter my yard because sudden death can occur.

I have a LOT of martins dive bombing and buzzing around my martin houses making all kinds of racket. My mama and papa birds are trying to drive them off. There are babies in the houses almost ready to fledge out. It's a swarm of them every morning and now continues into the afternoon. I don't know w...

We use to get 2.50 for a squirrel hide back in the sixties when I was a young boy. Me and my brothers would hunt down in creek bottoms in Texas and get a bunch. Pretty good eating, too if you cook in low and slow in a sauce picante. This has been a very informative forum. It is interesting that ther...

Man's destruction of natural habitat have encouraged these birds to begin encroaching on suburbia. I have seen many more hawks and owls this year then before. It worries me as to how this will effect my Martin population.
Hawks got to make a living, too.

Hi Steve, I am seeing a BIG Hawk flying around above my neighborhood. He flys and then glides down in circles. The Martins stay clear of him and other smaller birds will chase after him. This is the first time seeing him and I believe that he is well fed. This guy is really large with a big wing spa...

We have a resident owl that sometimes stays in my backdoor neighbor's oak tree. He wasn't there last year. Haven't seen him in a month. Hopefully he moved on.
David

Congratulations Dick!
Looks like your Martin season is starting up. We're still waiting for a touch down here.

David

Hey Plain Dealing Gary,
You missed toys. Ha
Would these birds be here if we did not supply housing and all the other things for all these years?
Where would they be?

Now the fun begins!

Its amazing they still fly into and live in cold weather. These birds are very hardy. I'm still waiting on mine to come here to LaPlace, La. Last year, they finally arrived and started taking up residency on Feb. 25th.

Well, I was out in my backyard today about 30 minutes before dusk and heard a familiar sound. I looked up and way, way, way up in the sky I noticed 3 Martins sweeping and swooping and going after their supper. None of them came close, but they are back in the vicinity. Soon they will be landing on t...

Still waiting down here in LaPlace. They didn't show up until Feb. 25th last year. I have a feeling they will come sooner this year. I replaced my old PM house and put up an additional house so now they will have 2 new homes to choose from. The hosps are already landing on them and looking at me. Th...