Purple Martin Forum

I see no problems if you change the house out and replace it with a gourd rack. Since you already have 10 nesting pairs of martins in your gourds If you decide to keep the martin house. You need to convert it to six rooms. 6" X 6" X 12" Having martins nesting in a 6X6X6 cavity is invi...

I was a very slow learner. I started out in 2003 with a trio musselman on a telescoping pole, kept it up for two years then converted it to 6 cavities. The next year I added 4 gourds under it. 2 troyers and 2 excluders. I kept this for two more years. In 2008 I added a small gourd rack with 8 exclud...

In protection of one of the most common, gentle, north American birds, The song sparrow. I my opinion the only harmful sparrow that lives in the USA is the house sparrow. Its the only cavity nesting sparrow and the only one that compeats with our native cavity nesting birds. All the native north ame...

Thanks" I will add the foam insulation to my tool box. Last year I was using a foam drinking cup to plug the round holes wile doing nest checks, and it didn't want to stay in the hole. I was smashing the cup to make it fit into the cresent openings. I think you have a better idea.
Jerry

The foam insulation looks like it dose a good job.
this is an example of the noodle plug
Jerry

The deluxe rack From pole to the outside of the hanging arm,
seventeen and one half inch

Thanks for all your comments, Very interesting But" Here in the USA there are very few species that have not been affected by people, weather they are a introduced species or natural to our habitat. Weather we like some species or not they are part of the wildlife I enjoy so much. As far as int...

One of the best tips I got is from the archives. Go to frequently ask questions, then to starling resistant entrance holes, SREH's. then door plugs for crescent's. Get yourself a swimming pool noodle, you can get them at walmart. Cut pieces about 1'' long then cut them in half. They make perfect plu...

This is a hard question, I can tell you when I got my first martins. I had a musselman house converted to six cavities. 6" x 12" with 4 gourds under it. 2 troyers with tunnels and cresents. 2 supper gourds with round entrances. I also had a gourd rack on a telescoping pole with 4 excluder ...

Hi Bert
Perhaps the best thing for you to do is look around your area and see what type of gourds most of the successful landlords are using.
I think the martins of your area will accept nesting gourds better, if they are like the ones they were fledged from.

Just a thought." Jerry

Hi Bert I purchased my first gourd rack last year so as a first time buyer maby I can give you my thoughts. I went with the deluxe gourd rack system and it is a very good choice. I went with the winch and am very pleased with it. I got 24 excluder gourds with cresent entrances and owl guards. The th...

Thanks for sharing
The closest eagles to my location is 50 miles.
This is very nice Jerry

Thanks for the pic's they are great. Happy to hear you have contacted the DNR they can protect and learn from the nest.
I don't know much about telescopic lens perhaps someone else will.
Jerry

WOW that is great Yes please keep the pic's comming

Tammy If flying low dosn't take you up on your offer. I would guarantee I could remove the gourd from your rack, remove the bees from the gourd and install them into a shipping box. Take them to the US post office and mail them to myself here in Indiana. The most difficult thing would be to find the...

Nbaum I am still a new martin landlord with two sucessful pair in 2009 and seven successful pair in 2010 with 33 fledgelings. I also am a bee keeper. I have never noticed the martins feeding on any bees. And I have looked for them to do this. My hives are about 50 yards from the martins. I also have...

Don't forget to look at the [your] state rebate program. Soon there may be a federal rebate. Here in Indiana I think it's $4000 Depends on the cost of installation. Let us know how thing work out, I think a lot of people would be interested if they knew they could recover the cost of installation in...

photo-electric panels, solar powered by the sun. I am surprised there is not more people from the south using the sun for there electric power. Here in Indiana, it would take me 12 years to recover the cost of installation. Because of the poor sun light in the winter. And winter is when we use the m...

Dear Kathy I do add the trap after the sparrow's are nesting. The gourds I have are excluder's and they have a porch on the inside and outside. I lay the door to the trap on the inside of the gourd. [flat down] The string is attached to the door laying on the inside of the gourd. The string runs thr...

I think we are all bored a little bit. At least I am. Last year I had this sparrow that I could not get. So this was my answer. I waited until the sparrows were nesting and with this trap. I tied a string from my fishing pole to this bolt. I waited untill after dark and pulled the bolt off the porch...