Any hints to make them stick around?

[Guest]

I'm a newbie and it's my second year trying to attract some martins. I have a t12 set up for 6 and I added 4 gourds this year. I have the dawn song playing from 4am to 8pm. I've gotten at least 4 visits so far this year but none of them are sticking around. Should I be turning off the song when they are here? I've also saw in here that maybe I should rub mud inside the housing and put some pine straw in there. Is that a good idea?

[trank]

It sounds like your on the right track. As far as your dawn song playing when you have investigating martins you don't neccessarily have to turn it off but you might want to try turning the volume down some. As far as rubbing mud on your porches and filling your nests with pine straw those are very good ideas. The point is to try and make any investigating martins think your site is used by other martins, there a communal bird and feel safer with others. Make sure your housing is in as open of area as possible and don't forget to control sparrows and starlings. And one other thing don't let any birds other than martins claim your martin housing be it TS's, BB's ect... because if you do it's very unlikely that any martin will bond to your site.

Good Luck
Tom

[Bill Pec]

I have had good success attracting martins to my new site by using decoys and playing the daytime chatter CD from 2PM until sunset. Birds looking for a place to spend the nite often investigate. I agree with Tranks suggestion to turn the volume down when the birds come in.
Good luck,
Bill Pec

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

ak7lives, it seems like you are trying, but I would like to focus on something quite different. The most important thing by far is the openness of your site, and second, you must keep the starlings and sparrows away. So is your site open, and are you keeping the S&S away?

An open site is badly needed when starting a new colony. The martins want that for hawk protection, and possibly owl protection. They will not accept your site if the trees are too close. Its best to have more than the minimum distance recommended, it is best to have at least 100 to 150 ft to the nearest tree, and that is if you don't have other trees around.. You also need open flyways that are about 300 ft long.

Many people say that they have seen martins closer to trees, and that is true, but I will stick to my recommendation that you need a very open site, the more open it is, the better. Some people think that their site is open enough and it may be, but I have seen places like that and it is NOT open enough. Such sites may never get martins to stay.

If you have an open site, then you are doing other things right, and I want to wish you the best of luck...keep trying.

[Guest]

Thanks for all the hints so far - keep them coming. I think I'll go to Fleet Farm and see if they still have a decoy. I believe they had one a few weeks ago when I was there. And I'll get the mud and nesting material going.
I do have a really big open space here. I don't see many starlings, but I've shot a couple. I've trapped and shot many sparrows and I'll continue to do that (I think I've put quite a dent in the numbers).
I have a couple of BB houses with BBs in one and TS in the other, so they pretty much leave my martin setup alone.

-Dave

[mjneppl]

i live in seymour, wi close by-

it will be a miracle if you get martins this year.

put it like this my dad has been trying for 25 to 30 years and had one pair a few years ago in wisconsin--hawks got the mother.

good luck--u need it.

[~Ray~Gingerich]

Yes, dirty up the inside and spot the lower parts of the walls with white paint, makes it look like it's been used before.