Purple Martin Forum

Need some advice please. I have a clutch of 6 with one runt. On last nest check it was clear parents had moved it away from others and probably in the process of getting rid of it. So I placed it back with others where it stayed. Could I transfer it to another nest with younger babies? What is the b...

Thanks for the replies.

Louise was right...

Four of the 5 eggs hatched today. Still one egg left.

Still can't figure out the blood on the eggs?

John

Just yesterday, I had a nest with a clutch of 6 eggs. I had nest checked 3 days earlier. This nest had all eggs missing, with one egg in the process of being tossed out - it was on the ledge. As I observed, it looked like 2 or 3 females were competing for the same nest. Then today, in a completely d...

I thought I was shooting a HOSP this morning but afraid I made a mistake. The bird I shot was identical to a HOSP with size, shape and color of wings. The difference was this little bird had a touch of red, very slight. Can some one identify what type of bird this was? Any suggestions as to how to a...

Hi Steve

You posted a GREAT picture of the underside of your improved house.

I wood love to see how the cutting board is attached on the upper side

Any chance you could post some more?

Thanks

John

Hi Steve,

I see that you put some white cutting board pieces on the bottom to support the gourd hanging arms. I can't tell from the picture if you did more than that for this particular upgrade?

Thanks again,

John

Dear Steve

Thank you for the pictures. It is a work of art!

I am going to try and use four gourd hanging arms to mount the perching rods and add two gourds this year. Even though I only have a 12, I think it will work. I'm inspired by your work!

Best Regards,

John Edwards

Of my 12 nests, all but 3 have fully fledged. The three that remain are just days away from fledge. I have noticed a ton of fighting going on. It is really quite aggressive. I can't figure out if: parents are turning babies away from coming home? Or are parents protecting babies from other adults? C...

Hi Peggy, Thanks for the reminder. I put Sevin powder in the sides of the nest trays about 3 weeks ago. The babies are too old to pull the nest trays out to check - how could I tell if there are mites? Would I see them on a bird if I picked it up? (the jumper did not have any mites that I could see)...

It wasn't that hot today - a high of 97 degres in Dallas. To my surprise, while I was watching my most mature cavity (a baby was out on the porch), I noticed a baby on the ground. I couldn't believe it! I slowly approached it and it held perfectly still - untill I grabbed it - then did it squak and ...

The next day I checked the 10 eggs....there were only 8.
The next day there were 5 eggs and one had hatched.
The next day there were 4 babies and one egg
Kinda odd, but I am happy to get 4 babies....feared they would all be bad!

So sad to think that all of these will be bad eggs.....

It has been an odd year regarding fertility. I have all 12 compartments on my Trendsetter with nesting pairs. In one nest, one egg was laid and then there was a drop in temperature. 5 days passed and then one egg per day was added for a total of 5 more. However, only the one egg produced a hatchling...

Has anyone painted your nestbox white? I'm not catching very many starlings and was wondering if painting it white would help? I use a light work glove and just reach in.

I own a Trendsetter 12, and last summer I lost 9 babies to hear. That was before I started misting. I also will be using ice packs this year. It's hard for me to understand how these new doors are made. Can someone explain? John, you said you drilled a 7/8" hold in the doors. What do you cover ...

Hi Tom,

Does your HOA give you any trouble? Just curious (and always a little cautious since I live in Frisco, TX)

Thanks,

John

Hi Louise, I think misting is a very economical answer. Since the process of evaporation will work even in high humidity. Presently, in Dallas, the humidity reading is 41% (taken from my local weather report). I will cut and paste what I found on the web regarding high humidity: "I live in a hu...

Here was my simple solution - I spent about $50 on supplies at Home Depot

Hi Deb, Well I have nothing but positive things to say about the Trendsetter. It has a chimney that is supposed to help keep airflow in the compartments. I guess it has its limits. I lost two full nests woth 4 and 5 babies. One of the babies had crawled out on the porch and expired there. It may hav...

To my horror, I returned from a business trip to find 8 dead Martins that were within a few days of fledge. I still have two nests with very young babies and one nest where a single developed babie survived. I have put freezer bags next to, and INSIDE the actual compartment. Is that a bad idea to pu...