Re-homing Purple Martin's, Help

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PMTOM
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Jul 06, 2017 4:32 am
Location: USA

Hello Purple Martin forum,

I'm so happy I have found this forum I'm hoping you guys can help me with this situation. My next door neighbor has a beautiful tree in her back yard but in time it has started to damage her property so she has decided to get it cut down. Unfortunately, there is a small nest or Martin's in there and she would love to know how to get them re-homed the safest way.

Is there any way to rehome them into a birds house like this one http://www.for-sale.co.uk/bird-house? or is wild is best for them?

All suggestions are greatly appreciated, really looking forward to some replies.

Thanks guys
Image
Last edited by PMTOM on Tue Aug 15, 2017 12:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
taxidermy lady
Posts: 2988
Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2014 10:21 am
Location: IL/Ellis Grove
Martin Colony History: Started trying to attract purple martins in 2012! It's finally happened in 2017! 5 years!!! ASY male and SY female came May 1st, fledged 5 babies!

So your saying there nesting in a hole in the tree? I would say let them fledge then cut the tree! Should be fledging soon! That's what I would do. Goodluck!
Sharon from southern Illinois
C.C.Martins
Posts: 3368
Joined: Fri Apr 14, 2017 11:15 am
Location: Corpus Christi Tx
Martin Colony History: 2016- Visitors.
2017- 5 pair. 15 fledged
2018- 18 pair. 85 fledged
2019- 17 pair. 81 fledged
2020- 25 pair. 111 fledged
2021- 28 pair. 118 fledged
2022- 33 pair. 151 fledged
2023- 33 pair. 165 fledged
2024- 40 pair. 185 fledged
2025- 40 pair. 181 fledged
HOSP:
Home colony: mix natural, super, Troyer and excluder gourds, enlarged compartment house. All SREH.

Satellite colony: Oso Bay Preserve: 49 PMCA excluder gourds; 16 room Lonestar Goliad with Modified Excluder entrances.
2019: Visitors
2020: 3 pair, 11 fledged
2021: 10 pair, 30 fledged
2022: 11 pair, 35 fledged
2023: 18 pair, 101 fledged
2024: 39 pair, 181 fledged
2025: 51 pair, 216 fledged
PMCA member

Echo Sharon, ask her to wait...she wont have to wait long now, they will be gone soon...another suggestion for you...consider putting up a Martin house! lol
A good house sparrow is a dead house sparrow.
HOSP: 17. Starlings: 23
flyin-lowe
Posts: 3789
Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2006 8:49 am
Location: Indiana/Henry Co.

Is that a photo you or somebody took locally or is it a photo you found online for comparison? I notice from the way the picture is taken it looks like it was taken by someone who knows what they are doing (could very well be you!). That is definitely a martin in the picture but there not a lot of cases of martins nesting in trees. They will go to trees for roosting and go to trees for leaves for their nests but a vast majority of them utilize man maid housing. It would be more likely if that photo was just grabbed from the internet that there has been a misidentification of the birds in the tree. Try to get a photo of the actual birds coming from the tree and let us know your location.
2026 HOSP 27
2025 62 pair HOSP 20
2024 60 pair, HOSP 44
2023 60+ pair, HOSP 8
2022 60 nests with 262 eggs, HOSP 14
2021 62 pair, HOSP 9
2020 42 nest, HOSP 8
2019- 31 pair
2018- 15 pair 49 fledged
2017 3 SY pair, 12 eggs , fledged 10. 4 additional lone SY's
2016 1 pair fledged 4
2015 Visitors
2014 Visitors
2013 Moved 6 miles, 1 pair fledged 2.
2012 30 pair fledged 100.
2011 12 pair 43 fledged.
2010 5 pair 14 fledged.
C.C.Martins
Posts: 3368
Joined: Fri Apr 14, 2017 11:15 am
Location: Corpus Christi Tx
Martin Colony History: 2016- Visitors.
2017- 5 pair. 15 fledged
2018- 18 pair. 85 fledged
2019- 17 pair. 81 fledged
2020- 25 pair. 111 fledged
2021- 28 pair. 118 fledged
2022- 33 pair. 151 fledged
2023- 33 pair. 165 fledged
2024- 40 pair. 185 fledged
2025- 40 pair. 181 fledged
HOSP:
Home colony: mix natural, super, Troyer and excluder gourds, enlarged compartment house. All SREH.

Satellite colony: Oso Bay Preserve: 49 PMCA excluder gourds; 16 room Lonestar Goliad with Modified Excluder entrances.
2019: Visitors
2020: 3 pair, 11 fledged
2021: 10 pair, 30 fledged
2022: 11 pair, 35 fledged
2023: 18 pair, 101 fledged
2024: 39 pair, 181 fledged
2025: 51 pair, 216 fledged
PMCA member

Too true-I assumed a cavity nest. that is a very good picture, if it turns out to be misidentification (a starling), take the tree out.
A good house sparrow is a dead house sparrow.
HOSP: 17. Starlings: 23
ToyinPA
Posts: 2227
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2006 6:07 pm
Location: PA/Avis
Martin Colony History: The 1972 St. Agnes flood wiped out all the Martins in my area. One day, in 1997-98, 5 or 6 Martins landed on the power wires crossing my back yard. I had no house for them. They kept coming back day after day. We got a martin house a few weeks later & they have been coming back every year since. I average 12-15 pair per year.

PMTOM wrote:Hello Purple Martin forum,

I'm so happy I have found this forum I'm hoping you guys can help me with this situation. My next door neighbor has a beautiful tree in her back yard but in time it has started to damage her property so she has decided to get it cut down. Unfortunately, there is a small nest or Martin's in there and she would love to know how to get them re-homed the safest way.

All suggestions are greatly appreciated, really looking forward to some replies.

Thanks guys
Image
PMTOM:

Could you tell us what state you are from?

Purple Martins haven't nested in trees in many many years. So unless this is a super rare occasion I doubt it's a Purple Martin. If it is a Purple Martin nest Federal law prohibits moving a bird nest until all the egg hatch & chicks have taken flight.

Could you take an actual photo of the bird and nest, so we can help identify it?

Toy in PA
PMCA Member
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