Purple Martin Forum

Yes definitely sounds like a Carolina wren considering your in Ohio and house wrens migrate south for the winter. I love those little buggers they are really cute birds! I bought an open front type of house for them this year and am going to mount it under the eaves of my porch and I hope they'll go...

Hmm now I am doubting myself. :roll: have yet to see a HW here, and the CWs are thick. Guess I'd better pay closer attention! House wrens are pretty much everywhere in the United States they winter in the southern U.S. and breed everywhere else. They are smaller and less colorful than Carolina Wren...

Mary those are Carolina Wrens and not House Wrens right? I have both Carolina & House Wrens and the house wrens totally take over all my boxes near a long row of large pine trees and shrubs. I've noticed the house wrens absolutely love slot boxes but will nest or make dummy nests is any box incl...

No problem Mary and thank you for starting this topic. It's good to know people are trying to help other birds not just the more popular ones. They are in decline and I would really like to help them out if possible. I'm not sure a wood duck box would be best I believe wood duck boxes are a bit too ...

That's good information Courtney your one of the only people I know that had great crested flycatchers use a SREH and 1 9/16 inch hole. Two things I really seemed to notice in attracting them are 1) they prefer larger boxes to standard size bluebird boxes & 2) the higher up the box is the better...

This is a good topic because great crested flycatchers need just as much help if not more so than purple martins do. If you go to nestwatch.org under their profile you'll see they are in some serious decline in most of their range. Starlings are major competitors and if the GCF can and will use a ho...

This guy is good boy! He got that good through a lot of practice and with an accurate gun and good scope. He knows exactly where the pellet will hit at every range from 20 yards to 100. He also knows how the wind will effect the pellet as well. Maybe the most important thing about his setup is the s...

Indeed Mitch indeed! I had an RWS model 48 that I sold to get the Marauder and don't get me wrong it was a very accurate gun BUT it was very hold sensitive because it was a spring gun. I could not rest the gun on anything but my hand and I could not grip the gun too hard or it would throw off the ac...

I 100% agree with everyone on the Benjamin Marauder . I just got mine a few days ago from Pyramydair with a Leapers 3-12x44 Swat accushot scope and I have never seen a more accurate pellet gun. Mine is in .22 cal and I am getting less than dime size groups @ 30 yards! I would feel very confident kil...

Glad I could help. That may very well be why your chickadees are checking out the house and not building because the hole is too small. I learned this information on a bluebird website. Here is the exact link http://www.sialis.org/chickadee.htm Chickadee a house sparrow cannot enter a hole less that...

Grackles can be a real problem at bird feeders eating massive amounts of seed. I have a couple weight sensitive feeders that help somewhat but not a whole lot. They eat just about everything so you can't really deter them that way. The only sure way to prevent them from getting the seed is buying a ...

Jerry, I am trying to get chickadees as well and I've done some reading that you should know. For one I have read chickadees as well as titmice will reject a house with a 1-1/8" & 1-1/4" hole initially and possibly a 1-3/8" hole. They will however readily use boxes with 1-1/2"...

For the love of god bring the Eurasian sparrowhawk here to America so they can wipe them all out! I'll tell you one thing I wouldn't miss them I can promise you that. Whats to like they are very aggressive and ugly looking birds!

Thank you Matt & Ed for the links and thank you for sharing your input Scott. You put a lot of work into those Coate's houses and did a great job with them. Ed that link of the martin houses off of Lake Ontario looks like they may have a Lonestar Alamo house. I see the T-14 is $609 on PMCA witho...

Thank you Bob! The Oilers were a really good team with Gretzky back then. I've been a Devils fan since 1994 and love the team. About the tree swallows not being able to enter your 7/8" entrance hole that goes back to my point earlier in maybe keeping that hole guard off until after the swallows...

Thank you everyone for the help! It looks like I'll be going with a wooden house now. I'm very grateful to be informed of the best house for my area. Even though I think I have ideal habitat I don't want to risk using an aluminum house. D'Nese your talking about Boat Castle in Alexandria Bay and it ...

Kathy I have read that birds like chickadees and titmice refuse hole sizes less than 1-1/2" initially. People offer them bird houses with 1-1/2" holes so they use them but switch to smaller holes after the first egg is laid and they then accept them. I don't think swallows are as fussy but...

No kidding I'm from Palmyra but the martin house is going even further north up to the thousand islands area where I have a cottage on Lake Ontario.

I am looking into buying a purple martin house but am not sure what would be good for my area. I live in upstate NY and it can get pretty cold up here in April & May. Last year it snowed in May but it usually isn't that cold. I was looking into aluminum houses like the Lone Star Goliad or the Hi...

Linda no worries! I love hearing new information and I thank you for all your help. That link you gave is great and I think anyone like me that already has tree swallows and is looking into putting up a martin house should read this. 25-35 foot spacing seems to be critical. Too close and the tree sw...