Purple Martin Forum

I am posting on behalf of a PMCA Facebook Group member who lives in NJ and would like to contact — or be contacted by — a couple of NJ residents who submit Scout Reports. Her brother was a longtime Purple Martin landlord who recently passed away and the housing is going to be removed. The two member...

First, let me apologize for adding to the portion of this thread that needed removal. Do you understand that politics will effect some folks providing and caring for these birds? Who's going to pay $100's for gourds or crickets and alike? We'll be lucky to care for ourselves let alone feeding and p...

Here are the final results. I used Rust-Oleum Clean Metal Primer, Rust-Oleum Farm & Implement in Gloss JD Green, and Rust-Oleum Farm & Implement in Gloss White. I do not recommend the Farm & Implement paint. It is thick, sputters & splatters, and does not cure well. I'm hoping the pa...

Hanover Bill, good idea. Definitely more cost effective than crickets.

PMCA video from 2015. Cicada at the 1:17 mark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOcZkGIv3Ic

Edit: Added screenshot for those who may be unable to view video.

I don't understand the question about the added washers. Reassemble those pieces with white coated aluminum pop rivets... Any previous steel bolts and nuts are best replaced with stainless steel bolts, nuts and washers. Mark mentioned washers. (Please see portion of quote above) . Not sure where he...

I have no idea what happened to this company. All of the info on the internet appears to be out of date. You could try contacting one of the companies that sell their products to ask if they carry replacement parts, know where you can purchase replacement parts, or can give you the manufacturer's cu...

We have a wind chime ~20 ft from one of our poles. It doesn't bother them.

I believe the PMCA has a study coming out in the near future (diurnal migration vs nocturnal migration) that may include updated info about that. The link below goes to a 2012 study which includes "swallows"... "How do diurnal long-distance migrants select flight altitude in relation ...

Brent, FYI there is a PMCA Wing Entrapment Survey pinned at the top of this forum if you haven't already completed it.

Does anyone know if these old Grandma/Grandpas were painted with lead paint? @Dave Duit, wouldn't self-etching paint only be needed if the house was stripped down to bare metal? @PMDavid, thanks. I might have to save that for another season. PMs are due here in ~2 wks and I still have to put inner p...

I have a few more questions. • Mark, I noticed you added washers. Is that under the screw head for added stability or do they serve another purpose? • Some people have mentioned adding foam board insulation in the attic. Have any of you done that? • Is there a way to polish the roof? They're both a ...

Thank you for the info.

Rust-oleum has a white automotive enamel that it claims is weather and UV resistant. Has anyone given it a try?

Anyone have experience with an excellent long-lasting outdoor paint for metal?

I know there are several members here who have rehabbed Trios but I didn't find paint info when I searched the forum.

We are thinking about removing the break and rope and replacing them with the Erva/NatureHouse winch conversion kit. They are just a bit expensive for what they are and, having no experience with them, we are unsure how well they will hold up. Suggestion for outdoor paint for use on aluminum that ca...

What appears in the NestWatch article is a summary for a 3-year study that was sponsored by the PMCA. It was a single study at a single site and should be appreciated as such. A different study in a different area or under different conditions may come to a different conclusion... then again, it may...

A park has granted me permission to do repairs on their two old Trios. I understand I can purchase most parts from Erva. That said, I'd prefer to refurbish with original spaghetti rails rather than replacing them with modern single rails or making my own from aluminum. Does anyone have any old spagh...

Eggs are sometimes infertile though the pair will often attempt to renest if that is the case and it is still early in the season. Females can also be lost to illness and accidents. Only the female has a brood patch for properly incubating eggs so without her the eggs will not hatch.

Their current ages range from 8 – 10 days old. You can find info about them beneath the video.

We had problems with Troyer horizontal gourds leaking around the hanging hole even though they were hung on Troyer hanging arms and fit tightly. I purchased PMCA "leak guards" and sealed them with Lexel but they stilled leaked. (I found out later Lexel does not adhere properly to the kind ...