Minimum Housing Height Question

[birdman in buckhead]

Greetings Fellow PM Landlords!

I hope all of you are getting prepared, as I am, for the arrival of your purple martins in 2022, aka "your birds". Yes, it's a chore, but IMO the rewards far outweigh the work involved! There's little doubt in my mind that my colony has grown exponentially the past 2 years because better and cleaner housing is available on my property.

With that said, what is the lowest height off the ground for PM housing? Last year, I put up a round gourd rack that was about 9' high (measured from the ground to the bottom of the gourds). All 6 gourds were occupied at some point during the season here in north middle Georgia, with 4 pairs of birds successfully breeding and raising 4 - 5 fledglings each.

This year I'm adding 6 more gourds attached to the bottom of the existing gourds using "Bo Stacker" sold by S&K Manufacturing. The new gourds will be about 8' high. There are some young fruit trees about 40' from the gourd rack, and no ground predators - only #@%$&*&$!!@%^&* Coopers hawks.

Any issues foreseen with this set up?

[starling shooter]

I have numerous nest in sheppards hooks. Gourds. Prob 6” off ground.

Once you get colony established- don’t think it matters. I’m in cent MO

[Spiderman]

When I started my Colony the houses were 9’ above the ground. Birds would land and stay during the day, but not spend the night. Raised the houses up to 13’ and birds started staying immediately.

When the Cooper’s Hawk comes, (not if but when)the higher the Martin is in his attempt to escape is height. He will immediately dive to gain speed. If the Hawk is moving fast from above he will drive the Martin into the ground.

[brent]

Spiderman, you are saying the higher the better?
Brent

[Conrad Baker]

I have numerous nest in sheppards hooks. Gourds. Prob 6” off ground.

Once you get colony established- don’t think it matters. I’m in cent MO

Starling Shooter, I'm sure it is a typo, but you put your gourds are 6 inches off the ground?? I'm sure you meant 6 feet ??

[birdman in buckhead]

When the Cooper’s Hawk comes, (not if but when)the higher the Martin is in his attempt to escape is height. He will immediately dive to gain speed. If the Hawk is moving fast from above he will drive the Martin into the ground.

Spidey - Thanks for your interesting reply and congrats on the success with your colony! I've never witnessed a divebomb hawk attack but understand the hawk's advantage. The only 2 attacks I have witnessed were both horizontal. One evening of my 1st year being a landlord, a hawk was waiting in hiding on my neighbor's roof for the return of my only pair of birds and their 5 fledglings after they had been gone for most of the day. As soon as the birds reached their house the hack attacked and snatched a fledgling.

The 2nd attack I saw was last year. A hawk flew by about 50 yards away drawing the attention of the colony. As they chased that hawk, another hawk flew in horizontally and snatched a hatchling that was very close to fledging and perched on the porch of the house. I'm almost positive this was coordinated attack by the 2 hawks!

I've learned hawks can be both cunning and also bold - not caring at all if a human is in close proximity to the purple martins. Maybe it depends on how hungry the hawk is at the time...? And you're right - sooner or later hawks will harrass your birds! I have a pellet gun that makes a lot of noise that I shoot unloaded at them.

I've decided to go through with the original plan and wait to see what happens. The lowest gourds will be about 7 feet off the ground. I'll post again with results after my birds return this spring.

Good luck this year!

[Thomabear]

I too never witnessed a divebomb attack. They always seem to appear from nearby cover and fly in undetected very close to the ground then turn straight upward under the house grabbing their meal from below. I once had a hawk grab two young martins in a single attack. It grabbed one in each foot then took them to the ground. I have one of my security cameras aimed toward my martin house and I'm able to view everything in slow motion and watch them work with precision. I can't believe how these hawks can master their plan and moves. They are super smart with skilled moves.

[Thomabear]

Deleted

[starling shooter]

Yes, my error. My Shepard’s hooks are 6 feet off the ground. Put them up for tree swallows initially.

I don’t think anything can stop an accipiter. I’ve seen them attack from below, sit on housing at dawn and dusk waiting for them, seen them take young, seen them catch Martin’s in air when mobbing them, seen them dive bomb in a corkscrew from straight above. Martins are loud and conspicuous and out in the open. Easy prey.

[daveh]

I drop them to seven or eight feet above ground when storms are coming. Doesn't bother them.

Dave

[RAMSMARTINS]

The simple answer is, the more established your colony is, the lower you can put your housing. Mine is about 11' from ground to bottom of house. I could go lower and it would not bother them. Been at this location 20 yrs. 72 pair last year.

[Bob Fraser]

I have 2 sixteen foot poles. I probably could have made do with 14. My lowest gourds are about 9 ft. Not at all a problem. Martins could care less. The advantage to keeping them lower - approaching storm fronts with high winds. The lower they are, the less stress on the poles. You don't feel the need to run out there and lower them if a storms coming. And, if you're 40 miles from home and the storm comes, you wouldn't be there to lower them anyway.