Purple Martin Forum

Hi Steve
Last year I used Bronco Equine Horse Fly spray. I got it at the local farm supply store.
It seemed to help. I got idea from someone on this forum. I don't remember who recommended it but I think it saved several of my young ones.
Shawn

I'm with you Deancamp. It does draw them in. I think it helps to shut it off when they land and let them investigate. Sawhisker, I would consider using mirrors if you're not already in conjunction with the dawnsong. If you end up not getting a pair to stay this year you may also consider playing the...

I believe a mirror and dawnsong combination is the most powerful method for attracting Martin's. I put a small cosmetic mirror in mine as well. I picked up a few at the Dollar Tree store. After breaking the plastic hinge to seperate the two halves I then glued it to a slender piece of wood no wider ...

My dad made something similar to yours Terry years ago. He must have had around 50 of them. They were thin wall 6" PVC pipe 15" long. He made his with a coat of flat black paint on the inside to cut down on the heat from sunlight penetrating. His did not have a clean out so he just used a ...

My first year I had 14 pair. They must been have been displaced or I'm in a flight path. I don't know but I was astounded.

Hi Deancamp I took a BO9 S&K gourd and cut the front wall out following the groove in the plastic and replaced the front wall with a new sheet of plastic that has a new entrance hole that is only 1.5" in diameter so a purple martin could not enter and the HOSP can. The trapping mechanism is...

I just wanted to share with everyone my method for trapping HOSP. Last season I was having trouble getting them to go to my trap so I took the trap to them. I have an S&K BO9 gourd that has been converted into a permanent trap with an 1.5" round entrance hole. When I see a nest being built ...

John I used mirrors when starting my colony and believe it is what lead to my success. I mounted mine inside the gourd about midway back. Make sure it is far enough that they have clearance to move around it and not get stuck inside. I think the mirror is such a powerful tool that they could get stu...

Hey Sharon, I agree don't move anything. Let them become accustom to things remaining the same. As I am just starting up myself this year with my colony. I was at 7 pair when I last posted and now I think I am at 10 pair. My site is not a supreme location since my site is exactly between a 25ft tall...

Thanks you all for the warm well wishes. Lynn, Oh believe me I have been over the top. If I could run like I used to and new how to do cart wheels ... well maybe I would . LOL Mitch, I'm in Southwestern, Indiana just west of Owensville. Henry, I just used little 2" round compact mirrors. Placed...

On my fourth year of trying I have at least 7 pair staying the night. it may be more they are getting hard to count. They must have been displaced because at least five males are ASY and 3 to 4 females are ASY. After 3 years of lookers I have been reluctant to say anything til now since I was trying...

We are having problems with Buffalo gnats in my area. For us we have found a product Called "Buggins" that works wonders in keeping them off us. Not sure if it could be used with a cotton ball and applied around the entrance hole or not. I believe it is all natural. The down side for us is...

Hi Sharon, I take of my father-in-law's colony since he passed away four years ago. I have since been trying to start a colony at my house which is about 9 miles away from his. I have been slowly reworking his housing trying to bring it up to more modern standards such as increasing the compartment ...

I agree as well. I travel a lot in my work and see a lot of the same, John. You can't always tell if it is an active colony but certain clues tell me how likely it may or may not be. I see so many in complete disrepare and neglect or they may be in substandard sites where tree encroachment is a prob...

Sharon, I know what you are going through. I went through the same thing here with an ASY male. He worked very hard bringing a female in here every day for about 10 days and then they stopped coming. While trying not to get my hopes up I could not help but feel like it was going to happen once I saw...

Reading all of these replies is encouraging to all of us "wannabes". I have been trying to attract martins to my site for my third year now. I would like to share my experience also. I put up my first house in June of 2013 which is late for southern Indiana and one day while on my step lad...

Thanks for all the replies everyone. It sounds like it would be beneficial to other "potential landlords" if the martins had to setup housing outside the larger colonies "Forced Dispersal". Fortunately in my area I do not have any "large colonies" around me. I've also w...

This is a hypothetical scenario - What if a PM Landlord with 100% occupancy and has 100 pairs of birds and they all fledged 4 each, that would be 400 fledged from that colony. My understanding is that only 20% usually return to the site to nest where they were born. That would means 80 birds would b...

HunterH, Congratulations. It took my Dad 7 years and that was about thirty + years ago. I have only been try to attract martins for a year now myself. I have been sharing my experience with my co-workers and I think it is hard for them to understand what the attraction is for us wanting to be "...

Thanks Trish - That's encouraging news. I haven't had any activity for about a week now. I bet everyone one is nesting and busy with that. I have seen some around feeding above the nearby fields but not coming in close. I still keep playing my dawn song in the mornings and some late evenings just in...