Purple Martin Forum

A single T-14 should be plenty if that is all you feel you can maintain. The only issue I see, and the reason a lot of people will recommend you have at least two separate housing units, is if one of the houses is damaged you may lose your entire colony. But if you have a second house, you lessen th...

A few years ago we were selling our house. We put in the contract that the houses would remain until the end of the season then I would remove them. We were only moving two houses down so I wanted them to be in my new location where I could maintain them the following year. The buyers agreed to the ...

A few years ago we were selling our house. We put in the contract that the houses would remain until the end of the season then I would remove them. We were only moving two houses down so I wanted them to be in my new location where I could maintain them the following year. The buyers agreed to the ...

I am in Columbia and haven't seen any yet but I usually don't have any until around the 20th. I still have my houses lowered to keep the sparrows out but I my raise them this weekend with only a few compartments open. Thanks for the updates everyone.

I think the baffle in the picture is fixed when it should really sway. If the baffle can rock when the snake tries to climb it, it will be harder for them to get a hold and slither up. Still not fool proof but makes a big difference.

I had a pair that I couldn't seem to get rid of. If I so much as opened the door to go outside they would fly off. So I waited until they laid eggs then placed a trap in that cavity. To my surprise I caught them both at one time. I guess the first one in didn't trip it but the second one did. It mad...

I wouldn't change the opening especially if there are babies inside. If he gets in at all then he is fine. If he seems to be struggling, you could try to apply a "grip strip" by the entrance so he can get more traction. Sometime the plastic gourds are slippery. Even some stick down sand pa...

Has the PMCA considered creating an app for your phone where you could enter the information on your phone when doing nest checks then the information could be sent directly to the PMCA? You could also access this information for your own personal records.

Last year I saw a male sparrow harassing a nest of King Birds. The next day the nest was on the ground and the babies were all dead. So it is not just a problem for the cavity nesters.

They may still be roosting in groups somewhere nearby waiting until nest building to get serious or they may be coming in right at dark when you are looking and leaving before you check in the morning. Also, how they act at your site this year may be different from how they acted last year or how th...

Starling Shooter, Where are you located in Central Mo. I live in Columbia and while a lot of neighbors have housing up, to my knowledge, I am the only one in the immediate area that actually has purple martins. Not sure why. Although, with the hawk attacks going on this year, it may deter SY's from ...

I put up two decoys last night and I can't tell for sure since it is raining but it looks like one may have been hit already. I was also relieved yesterday as I lowered the house to find around thirty birds came to investigate what I was doing; so they haven't left! Thanks for your help.

Thanks. I think I have some decoys somewhere too. I look for them and try to get them up tomorrow. Do they need to be moved from time to time or can they just be mounted and left in place?

I have been seeing a sharp shinned hawk perching on top of my martin houses at least every other day-which leads me to believe he is there a lot more that I don't see. I had been seeing about 30 martins back this year when the hawk started showing up. Now I only see a few circling really high over t...

When I got started I used the song magnet and had it attached to the side of my housing. I got a pair the first year! I had it turned up until the birds started hanging around the house a lot then turned it down. After they started nest building I turned it off.

Got my fingers crossed that this is your year!! It's probably that sub male that was hanging around all last summer! Good luck.

I am in Columbia MO and have yet to see a tree swallow. Normally have several by now. They have always preceded my martins by one week so hopefully that means my martins will wait until this projected snow storm passes and it warms up a bit.

I often see post (sometimes just posted) that mention photos but I can not always see them. Is there a setting problem with my computer or are people just removing the pics before I see them?

I found the article interesting and am hopeful that the house finches will be able to displace some of the sparrows. However, has anyone had any issue with house finches fighting martins or tree swallows for housing? I wouldn't want to try to attract more house finches to my yard to fight off the sp...

I guess you can say I am lucky as my birds haven't arrived in Columbia yet. Hopefully they wait until Easter.