New to Purple Martins

[Thomas Maddox]

anywhere from 75 to 120 yards from one another but none of the solo's are in view of each other. I have 4 set up in a row of about 70 yards but they are for both the TS and BB and only 2 of the 4 have been occupied during the season and these 4 are all within view and in strait line of my Martin racks....the BB keep other BB's away and the same for the TS's. I have 1 house about 70 yards away from these 4 on east side of house, 1 about 100+ yards away at top of field for either TS or BB but no takers yet on this one and a third on south side of house about 80 yards away from the set of 4 and 1 to the east but out of site of all of them. BB don't like other BB's around their territory but will put up with a pair of TS is my experience. Weird thing this year is I'm seeing more BB's than every before and hearing them everywhere on my property (20 acres with trails)....there so plentiful this year and all in the woods and edges of fields....don't know if I have 25 BB's or its only 5 or 6 and they're following me but there sounds are everywhere but no nest building yet...will be interesting to see where the build this year.
The TS's haven't used the same nest site in any of the 3 years I've been doing this and I've only had 1 pair of TS to ever settle here. Warming here 70's today thru Sunday and the TS's mysteriously showed up and flying everywhere today doing there thing....still only 1 PM as he's been solo for 4 nights now going on a 5th. Good luck Thomas.

Thanks for the reply. Your 20 acres sound like utopia! Good luck to you also!

[Damoreja]

Hello
I'm no expert like some on this forum, but your situation sounds almost exactly like mine 2 years ago. I'm on a lake also with not a lot of land to work with, and it freezes over, so everything has to come out at the end of the season. But, I've seen other set ups out in the water on my lake so that's what I did also since it seemed like the best location to attract birds. I have waders, and a ladder and take it about 15-20' out and about 15-20' from my dock, pound a pipe into the lake bottom, and insert the telescoping pole. I just try to put it out far enough that the minks along the shore don't find it. The house I have only has 8 compartments (watersedge suite aluminum house) so it's challenging but I can handle putting it up without falling off my ladder. My neighbors enjoy the entertainment quite a lot when I go out there with my ladder.

The first year I used a decoy and played dawnsong and I got my first pair. They successfully nested and fledged 4 babies. Last summer I assume it was the same male that came back. He went for the exact same apartment and again got a female and they fledged 6. I had quite a lot of other visitors, but no other nesting pairs yet.

I have to admit that the set up in the lake is a PAIN. I think it's probably the best way to attract the birds, but it is really challenging to do nest checks, so I must admint that I only do weekly checks at best. If you have a way to attach the pole to one of your dock stantions, that might make it easier. I'm going to sneak my set up closer to my dock this year and then try to figure out how to do that the following season.

I have one spot I can put a pole in spite of it being kind of close to our fire pit (about 15'), so now that I've decided I really like doing this, I ordered a troyer k-18 pole with a worm gear winch. I hope the birds like it better than the in-lake set-up. I know I will!

Good luck to you!

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[mhancock]

Good Luck, anything you can do to your housing to make it lived in will help. Dawn song, decoys, prenesting, a little smeared mud around the openings. Purple Martins want to be with other Purple Martins, make it look like some already live there.


Jeff,

I was able to get the house up this weekend. The openings face east/west so if I need to take care of the HOSP's I will have a lane to shoot at them.
I'll work on getting some mud around the openings and how does the Dawn song work? Can I download it and or do you have to purchase the CD and then how do you use it and when?

Also, what are your thoughts on purchasing the fabricated openings to put over my BB house and the hollowed tree?

Thanks.

Mark

[deancamp]

Good progress Mark! I will add a picture of an actual Martin nest hole to show how they naturally made it dirty. I'm not sure about downloading the Dawn Song but it can be played on a cd with outside speakers, boombox or the like if protected from the weather. You can also purchase a "bird magnet" ( a bit pricey) that will play the Dawn Song and is waterproof. Watch the Scout Arrival map and when the first Martins return to you're area, I would play it from just before dawn until dark or as much as you and your neighbors can tolerate. Prime time would be early to late morning and then again a couple hours before dark until dark. It is a song that the males will sing to attract more Martins to the colony around egg laying time but anytime a Martin hears it they will come and investigate. I'm not familiar with the fabricated openings for the bluebird house.

[mhancock]

I purchased the DawnSong and Daytime Chatter CD's and two decoys and I think I have 2 scouts checking out my house. However, I have HOSP who are trying to build a nest each day. I haven't been able to shoot them because as soon as I get ready they fly into the near by tree!

Should I close any of the holes to limit the number of nesting options? And it's going to be hard to shoot the HOSP out of the tree because of the proximity of my neighbors!

Thank you

[deancamp]

Others probably have more experience with this than me but I don't think you will stop the sparrow from claiming a nest without shooting it. Continue looking for your shot and leave the nests open. After the sparrow has claimed a nest and is or has built its nest work on trapping him in the nest.