Purple Martin Forum

Hi Everyone, I was having a conversation with our federally-licensed bird bander who bands martins here in NC and it occurred to me that it would be very handy to have a list of everyone in the US and Canada that bands martins in one easy-to-read list as well as what color band(s) they are using. Th...

It varies. I manage 2 public sites and my personal one. At one of the public sites, it's an all-gourd colony, and in its second year, it is now 100% full, but it only has 8 gourds. At the other public site, typically the 16 gourd rack pole is 100 percent full, and on the other pole with a house/gour...

The bird in your photos is a SY-M. I can see his speckles on the crissum and on the side of his chest, as well as on the throat.
https://www.purplemartin.org/uploads/me ... -4-376.pdf

Hi Stuart, Yes, the Trio (Nature House) M12k can be made to fit onto a winch and cable system. You can put 2 of them on a multi-purpose pole from the PMCA. Since the house doesn't have a way to slide a pole through it, the base of the house is mounted onto the rack of the multi-purpose pole, and the...

Thank you for your insight, Lewis. I have suggested your Lewis modification to many folks who have issues with the starlings breaching the Conley II entrance hole. I have also had awful issues with starlings over the years. One other thing I noticed about them was that even if they could not get in ...

Hi Steven, Can you post an aerial/overhead view of your property (perhaps using Google Maps, satellite view)? It's hard to get a bearing from that one picture you posted. I have heard of one other person setting up housing like that and being successful, but honestly, it might be a long shot for you...

Hi to another NC martin landlord! Welcome to the forum, and we're so excited to hear of your success already! Many folks wait several years for that first pair. As others have said, make sure you have a predator guard on your pole, and adding netting above it is also a good idea. If you need help wi...

You can leave the housing up for now. There will be martins starting to migrate through, and some of them might see your housing and remember it for next year. I leave mine up until the end of August. I also use that end-of-season time after the martins leave to tweak anything that needs fixing or a...

Hi Tommy! Greetings to another NC purple martin lover. I happened to check the forum today and saw your post. I live in Holly Springs, not far from you at all, and I think I might know the fellow you mention with the big martin colony not far from you. Have you met him in person? I encourage you to ...

I had asked about the specs of this nestcam via email and got no reply. Does anyone know the brand of this nestcam and how it's set up? I manage 2 public sites and having a similar setup would be good for the public to 'see' inside the nests there.

She's been posting more on the PMCA Facebook page.

Hi Emil, I like your idea and I wanted to check to see if I had the dimensions correct. I took your picture and drew on it, please let me know if this is what you meant. Thanks.

By looking at the photo posted on Photobucket above, I am inclined to think it's a ground predator, like a raccoon, since you don't have a (solid) predator guard/baffle. They can get past netting. If you can't afford to buy a commercial one, you can try making one. You can buy a 5 ft long section of...

I realize this was an old post (above). I'm looking for others who might be using the PMCA Wing Entrapment guards now on Lonestar housing specifically. If you have successfully installed these WEPs on a Lonestar Goliad or Lonestar Alamo, please respond back. I hear they have to be modified to fit. T...

Yes, I believe Kathy L in VA picked up her first martin yesterday as well.

Just saw my first ASY-M of the season here at my home colony site. My son, who was out walking the dog, heard him calling overhead and ran in the house to tell me... good kid :wink: The ASY-M circled overhead, calling for a few minutes, and then landed on a natural gourd with a crescent cut out in t...

Thank you, Robert and Aaron! Aaron, Apex is only about 20-25 minutes from me; not far at all. Please let your Apex family know they can check out ncpurplemartin.org to join our group (we are PMCA affiliated) and come to a meeting sometime. :-) Of course, you are also welcome. I'm not having one this...

Touchdown in Raleigh NC! We had just finished hanging the gourds this afternoon at University Club in Raleigh, NC and I heard that familiar sound! ASY male! He landed on gourd 16a and scooted right in. Let the season begin! 8) This is a public site managed by members of the NC Purple Martin Society ...

No luck so far, but thanks for the input.

Hi all, I have finally decided to finish a martin project that has been in my basement for years :roll: and am in need of a roof in the style that fits the old Heath hexagonal houses. I have tried several times to contact Heath, and after one initial reply saying they would send me one back in Novem...