Purple Martin Forum

I can't use the map on iPhone as well. No matter where I click it displays results for Alberta Canada. I hope it can be fixed. This is my go to link this time of year. Is the forum software not meant to be mobile friendly? Thanks, David 2015. 108 pairs 2014. 78 pairs 2013. 61 pairs 2012. 22 pairs 20...

Hang in there. My first year to wait for returning martins we waited for two pairs to return . We are in central Alabama and both males returned on 3/19. We had many visits up till then but that is when ours returned. Hope yours come home soon

That's very cool. Were martins fitted with locators at your site or is he from another colony?

I had a female show up like that last year. She laid eggs and fledged young successfully. If I remember correctly, her feathers grew back before the season's end.
Good luck this season,

David

Great news. Thanks for the report. I'm glad to hear he is well. I'm sure he is about ready for some company. Maybe the polar vortex will let up one day so they can make it to South Ga and join him.

Hey April,

I wanted to check and see how your early arrival is doing? Is he getting plenty of food with the cold weather or are you having to feed crickets? Also curious if he has had any friends join him? Hope he is well.

David

I think your rack looks great. Good job. I too like to custom make my racks but my wife prefers the look of wood so that's what we have. My only suggestion would be to cap off the top of your pole if you have not planned to already. Assuming you leave it erect in the winter, rain water that gets tra...

I ran into this last year. At the time their photo was round but they switched to oval. I cut out with a jig saw and they have worked fine. I prefer the round ports for ease using a hole saw. The PMCA shop has them for $4.00 each for members.

Here is a question for the pros. We have several nests that are well past due to hatch. We had a cold spell to blame a few weeks ago. Will the martins decide to lay another clutch with these eggs still in the nest or will they continue to wait unless they are removed? Remove eggs or let them decide ...

I was looking for an answer to this same question. I have a few nests that I noticed the females were not sitting in as they have been. I can only imagine that the cool rainy weather for last several days has made them have to leave nests longer to search for food. I would imagine at some point they...

Our colony is up to about 40 martins so far this spring. While watching them come in to roost as I normally do each evening I noticed one male circiling above. This male was the only bird still out and it was several minutes after all had come in. I was curious to see which gourd it would head into ...

I have many.. Message me and I will be glad to get them to you.

Just wish I could have saved one of our male from the coopers hawk today. Still have about 40 but they have got to be on gaurd. Too much squabbling

Hope I did the right thing. Last evening after watching all martin activity and feeding above our site I walked near gourd rack to head in for the night. I heard a martin fluttering and noticed it appeared stuck. Not totally sure it was entrapment or not but I didn't want to find it dead in the morn...

Thank you Louise. My wife says I have enough housing already. Ha! I keep sneaking a new one in each year. May have to find an auxiliary site soon. She loves the martins but doesn't like the fact that the gourds have to be painted white. Martins have gone out to feed now I assume. Tomorrow to be warm...

Hope everyone's martins are making it through the cold ok. Today I tried feeding crickets for the first time. I had several catch the crickets but most of them dropped them after a second or two. Is this normal when they first learn? I believe they were able to feed here yesterday so maybe they are ...

Just a suggestion but in the long run it may be a good idea to convert to SREH. I have converted all but one of my gourd racks this year and am so much more at peace knowing most of my martins are safe. I have to grow a few more gourds this year and will convert to all SREH by 2014. I have been amaz...

Thanks John. They all are fine so far and perky just concerned slightly about the next few days. This is only my third year having martins and they are over a month ahead of last year so I just want to be ready to help if it looks necessary. Our birds seem to go right into gourds upon landing. No pr...

I'm wondering if it is safe to assume that martins are finding food on days they stay away until late evening? There have been a couple of days lately that I felt it was too cool, cloudy and windy for them to feed but they depart around 9 am and return around 5 like clockwork. I have crickets on sta...

Thanks to you both. We are up to 9 martins this morning. I am incredibly happy to not have to worry this year about our birds making it back from South America or not. They made it! Now just have to keep them as safe as possible.

David