Purple Martin Forum

Great idea on swapping gourds! Thanks!

New Martin landlord here...It is going to be raining for 4 days here. I have Martin babies. Do I need to supplement feed? Or will the parents still be able to find food?

I have gourds without a perch/porch. Can I add a perch/porch now or wait till next spring? 3 gourds have martins...3 gourds don't.

Stan...many thanks. Worked too hard to get my 3 couples to let any sparrows rent a room for free. My husband has taken care of one. Thanks for the advice.

I have a S&K martin house(12 but converted to 6 rooms) with a 6 gourd rack underneath. Three of the gourds have been claimed and nest building has begun. My question is would it be ok to go ahead and close up the entrances to the house. Other birds are trying to build nests in the house. Sorry f...

Thanks everyone for your help!

Birdiegirl...it makes perfect sense and I have a rod ready to go and will get it up this afternoon. Many thanks for always supporting me!

Many thanks! Will give that a try. By the way....have 3 couples in my gourds!!!!

I have a S&K house that had antenna perches on top at one time. Has anyone ever made replacements for these?

... Martinmelody ... So glad he came back... We all have the same experiences with starting a new colony. Never knowing if they will come back or not.. But you are in great shape now that he has come back and brought another Martin with him.. He is set and so are you.. :grin: :grin: Enjoy the seaso...

As soon as he finds a mate, he'll bring her back to your site to investigate. You said he spent the night. That's the best sign you could ever hope for. He might have to wait for an SY female to get a mate since all the ASY females are already loyal to another site. Good Luck He came back today wit...

Dave Reynolds wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 29, 2026 3:48 pm

Not to Worry…. He will be back…. For sure….

Dave

You were right! He came back with a buddy. Thanks!

I will add a decoy tomorrow. Saw some at Tractor Supply. Thank you!

Hello Birdiegirl! Thanks for your encouraging words. I have only ever had 1 pair of Martins that stayed and had ba bies. I think something happened to their original housing cause they came very late in the season and when the last baby refused to fledge...a whole colony of Martins came to assist. I...

Thank you. I sure did enjoy watching him during the day and as he entered his gourd for the night.

Hope so! Thank you! He arrived on my birthday. A great gift then he returned himself!

I finally had a male adult purple martin show up. He hung around the house off and on each day flying around the house and sitting on a nearby power line. Sometimes he would fly with other martins up very high overhead. He came back and slept in the same gourd every night for a week. Now he has not ...

Many thanks for your help.

I have a tripole with house and gourds. Need predator guard. I have one in my cart from Purple Martin but wanted to see if that was my best option before I place order.

Great! Thanks! Have a Tractor Supply close by. Will try them.