Purple Martin Forum

Thanks John. I will go to the box store and look at the conduit straps and aluminum flat bar to see which I can use. Will have to use screws to tie down since gluing is not an option. I will have to put the arches on the outside where the entrances are in the door. Where the entrances are on the T14...

Been reading some options for wing entrapment guards and I think I would prefer using pvc pipe rather than the weather stripping. I have the metal crescent entry plates on the T14 now. The holes cut in the wooden door were considerably larger than the size of the crescent entry so this makes the ent...

This is my 5th year as a Purple Martin landlord and had my first wing entrapment casualty earlier this week. I was late getting home from work and didnt check my T-14 that night. The next morning when I went to check I saw he was trapped in the crescent opening. I lower the T-14 and opened the door ...

I was surprised because this was at least an hour before dark. This is first time I have noticed them going to roost so early. Late evenings I have been watching for them but never seen them until yesterday. I have seen them several mornings on the T14 so I thought they were roosting somewhere else ...

This evening i had the dawn song playing and hoping to see some purple martins. I decided to lower the T14 due to pending high winds tonight. After lowering about 2 feet out flew 2 pair. I didn't even know they had been in there the whole time

I have been watching in the evenings for any returning purple martins but no luck. Last night I decided I would start playing the dawn song again. This morning at 0500 I started the dawn song playing on the boom box. I came back out at 0730 and a male was sitting on a porch of the T14. After a minut...

Thanks Tim. I havnt reported any SY yet and didnt know was males only but I did just read that on the scout report page. Idk but seems strange to me that only 1 sy female would show up for past week. I thought the sy birds would come in groups

This female has been here about a week. I think she is a sub-adult but I'm not sure. I don't want to post on scout report since I'm not sure. She is almost totally white on her underside. The other 3 females have the brown so I know they are adults. I will try to get better pictures

Good day Everyone, Need some help. I have 18 pm staying every night so far. 14 male and only 4 females. I dont know why so many more males than females. Anyway I am thankful they are here. I have been trying to get close enough to take some good pics for identification but they are still skittish of...

Hey Glynn, I made the rack myself. Used oilfield drill stem pipe and ordered the aluminum online which was much cheaper than buying from the local box stores. I based my rack from the pictures that Steve posted. Mine dont look as professional as Steve's but I made the best I could. I noticed on Stev...

Took me awhile but I finally got the new gourd rack up. Its not finished but more of a works in progress. I will plant gourds this year so I can add more next year. Right now I have 12 gourds on the rack and 4 gourds under the T14. The purple martins definitely prefer the gourds over the T14. I have...

Thanks Emil. I do have some ready so I will swap them out when I get home.

The male that has been around for awhile finally got some company. Yesterday he had a female in the gourd on the T14 with him. They both stayed in the gourd last night. This morning there was another female on top of the gourd rack. She tried to go in the same gourd with them then all 3 flew out and...

Hey Steve, Thanks for all this information. I am upgrading my gourd rack this weekend and will use this information to convert some of my gourds from tradition vertical to various types as you described. I will make the old 2" entrances into the newly added access ports and add new access ports...

Thanks everyone. I built the T14 myself therefore I hate to think my work was for nothing. I will leave it up with the gourds hanging underneath and see what happens this year. Also, I bought a new winch and pole for the gourd rack so I will be working on the new gourd rack modifications tonight and...

Yesterday evening when I got home from work I was on the porch watching for any PM but there was none it sight. I played the Dawnsong for about 10 minutes and 2 showed up and was circling around. I turned off the stereo and 1 decided he would leave but the other ASY male continued to circle and swoo...

I guess the bluebirds didnt like their box and moved on somewhere else. I havnt seen the bluebirds in 2 weeks.I still have the T14 closed up and the gourds in the garage. With the scout report showing Purple Martins within 60 miles of my house I think I will put the gourds back up and open the T14. ...

Thanks everyone. Yesterday morning the pair of bluebirds we busy going in and out of the bluebird box. One would go in and the other on the roof or watch from the top of the gourd rack pole. This went on for awhile then they left. I dont know if they will claim it as theirs or not but I will leave m...

I had put up 1 bluebird box 25 ft from my pm site. I had lowered the t14 sine the bluebirds were going in and out. This morning they were on my gourd rack so i put all my gourds in the garage and closed all entrances to the t14. If they wanta stay here they will have to use their bb box. I hate taki...

Good day All, Last year I had 3 pair that took residence at my gourd rack. In the beginning I took my stereo speakers and set up on the front porch and set the stereo on timer to play the Dawn Song early every morning. My kids did not enjoy being woke up every morning to Dawn Song blasting by their ...