Purple Martin Forum

Is there such a thing as different arriving groups of ASY? Is there an early arriving group of ASY and a late arriving ASY? Last year was my first year as a PM landlord. I had 5 pairs of PMs nesting in my housing. Two pairs of ASY and three pairs of SY. MY ASY PMs arrived around April 22nd last year...

I do have a neighbor who has a large established colony. I could ask him to check on them, but I don't want to be a bother. If they will most likely be okay on their own, then I'll let them be.
Thank You!

I'm a first year PM landlord and I have to leave town for a few days unexpectedly. I have about 16 PM babies who will probably be fledging their nest while I'm gone. I have been doing nest checks about every two days. Should I have some one who is familiar with PMs come over to my house to check on ...

I am wondering if a Sparrow Spooker will spook my PMs, if I were to put two on the sides of my PM barn? It has been a never ending battle to keep the HOSP out of my PM barn. Every time I trap the 3-4 HOSPs that are attempting to nest in the PM barn, another one shows up a couple days later. I made a...

I have had 2 pairs of PMs staying at my site for about two and half weeks, maybe more. They have added nesting materials to the pine needles I already had in the gourds. They also added green leaves about a week ago. The females will hang around inside the gourds during the day longer than the males...

Thank you for these very informative posts. After doing all the modifications, the Starlings are no longer hanging around my site. Unfortunately the HOSP are back. I caught 4 just yesterday in my traps. I have also had to free a woodpecker 3 different times. I use stale crackers to lure the HOSP int...

I spent half the day yesterday making modifications to my S&K barn and two of the Excluder gourds. I raised the porch floor and added cut pieces of plastic cutting boards to the entry way to make it slick. The porch floor is either flush with the opening or no more than 1/8" high. I also ad...

I have 3 S&K Bo Gourds that the PMs are staying in and 3 Excluder gourds. As far as I know there aren't any birds staying in the Excluder gourds. I sprayed the insides black and the PMs don't have any interest in going inside them. They like the Bo gourds the best. I bought a gourd insert trap f...

I have about 3 Starlings that have breached the cresent shaped SREH openings on my S&K barn and gourds. They started to make nests in the barn so I plugged the holes to the barn, since the PMs aren't showing any interest in the barn. I closed all the holes in the barn except one compartment that...

[quote="avesrun"]Very nice mschmoll! Is this your first year? Seems to me you had a close neighbor who also has martins? Best of season to you. TimG[/quote] Avesun, Yes, I have a neighbor about 1,500 arial feet from me who has a colony. There are also several other colonies in the Kearney,...

I just have to post this to help encourage others who are trying to attract PMs. I'm a first time landlord this year. I put up a barn and now 6 gourds in March. I currently have 4 very happy ASY PMs staying at my site. Two males and two females. The subbies haven't even arrived here yet, so hopefull...

It has been in the 60s in the evening all week. Tonight at around 8pm I watched five PMs circle around high above my house and back lots. At 8:30 I went to lower my barn and gourds down half way because we are expecting storms with high winds in early morning hours. I did not realize the ASY male th...

Every night I take my dog for a walk between 4 and 7 pm. I always walk over to the other side of my development where there is a colony of PMs so I can watch them as we walk. I had been seeing about 50-75 purple martins either flying in the sky or hanging out at their site. The past 3 or 4 nights wh...

Mr. Martin came back! I was out this morning lowering my barn and gourds to put the old cell phone on the barn porch with PM Vocalization playing and to check for more HOSP nests. Before I could get the barn and gourds cranked back up there he was landing on the barn perch. He hang out there singing...

I had a good day at my house today. I had four PMs checking out my barn and gourds. One ASY male decided to stay and hang out for a while. While visiting, he went in and out of one of the gourds. My blue birds were also hanging out on the gourd rack perch and watched the PMs. I was so excited to see...

Thank you all for the great tips. I'm trying several of them. I ordered an inside cavity sparrow trap from the PMCA Shop, placed bread and pieces of paper towels all around the outside of my repeating trap and on the bait trays, and I'm trying EGunterTX's suggestion of using a glue board inside the ...

[quote="Jose Rodriguez"]

[quote]"As far as the BB's go I use a little tunnel called The Guardian."[/quote]

Jose,
Where did you get The Guardian tunnel or did you make it?

John M They definitely are House Sparrows. They are stock piling nesting materials on the porches of my barn as they are stuffing as much as they can into the open compartment(s). I'll have to try your tissue idea around the repeating sparrow trap I have on the ground under the PM pole. Already trie...

I'm sorry, but I just have to vent about these annoying HOSP trying to nest in my PM barn. I have been fighting with these HOSP for weeks now. I pull a nest either out of an open compartment or off the porch of my PM barn every day. I have attempted to trap these pests and shoot them. No luck in bri...

As I'm hopefully waiting and watching for the Sub Adults to arrive in my area, I have been thinking about what the factors are that help determine where SYs decide to stay and nest? • Do they tend to return to the area/region in which they fledged? Or do they just pick the first suitable housing tha...