Do Martin stay for a bit a new site?

[CTMartins]

When/if Martin come I have all the gourds blocked. Will they stay around for a bit or do I need to be looking incessantly?

[Conrad Baker]

If they are interested, they should hang around and land on it. If you don't open it, they will leave. Why not open one or two to see if you get any of them to move in?

[CTMartins]

I dont think I've see any hanging out thus I havent opened them because there's sparrows around

[Thomabear]

I would open a couple and use this time to trap & shoot sparrows. If you can thin the herd of sparrows, you should have a better chance of retaining martins. I would open 2-3 compartments that give you a good shot.

[CTMartins]

I opened em and Sparrows nested within days :(

[millerjr88]

If it is a new site, you are trying to attract SY (second year) martins, as the ASY (after second year) martins will go to the same site they successfully nested at the prior years. New sites are almost exclusively started by SY martins looking for a nesting site. If you look at the purple martin migration maps, ASY martins typically arrive in your area around May 1. The SYs will not arrive until 4-6 weeks after the first ASY arrivals. Once you have established martins staying at your site, they will not be easily scared off by the closed compartments. I leave mine closed and lowered till I actually see martins. This year I had my first ASYs on 4/21, I noticed a martin circling the closed and lowered T14 house about 6 foot off the ground. I went out, opened up several compartments and raised the house while the martin was flying around watching me. Within 15 minutes I had a pair moved into one of the open compartments.
Since you are trying to attract to a new site, my advice would be don't even open compartments till at least the second or 3rd week of May unless you see martins around. By then most house sparrows have already nested someplace else, and you are closer to the normal arrival time for SY martins in your area. One thing you can do to greatly increase your chances of attracting SY martins is to get a Songbird Magnet or some other way of playing the martin dawn song once you have opened your compartments. I am in Northeast OH and my first year I had my first SY martins show up on May 21. For SY birds you definitely want open compartments when they get there as that is what they are looking for. If they are returning ASY martins from prior years they will typically hang around for several days waiting for you to open them as they know they belong there.

[John Miller]

I am going to disagree with a point Daniel made. I see he's a "Miller." There goes my Thanksgiving invite. Anyway, some new colonies and I suspect many indeed are started by ASY (after second year) martins. Some now two years old did not nest as sub adults and so are not bonded to a particular site, and some may have lost their housing, or their attempt at nesting the prior season was unsuccessful and so are looking for new locations. Suggest opening a few gourds now. If sparrows move in, just keep them under control. I don't think anyone knows exactly how long a visiting martins would stay at an unestablished site, probably a lot of variables.

[millerjr88]

John, you make a good point in that some ASYs for various reasons may look for new housing and or start new colonies, and I should have pointed that out. Note I did say it is "almost exclusively" SY birds that start new colonies. If one is able to closely monitor new housing then by all means have it up earlier. I still work a day job and so could not monitor my housing all day long. My first year I originally had my housing up for a 2 weeks in April and it resulted in nothing except removing a bunch of sparrow nesting material every evening after work,and a well ventilated T14 house courtesy of my 12 gauge. Had I been able to watch it all day I may have left it up, but I then (using a long time martin landlord's suggestion) left it down and closed till middle of May. After raising it back up and not having to fight sparrows as much, I did not see any martins for 5 days. I then used the same landlord's suggestion and hung a Songbird Magnet on the side of the martin house playing dawn song. The very next day I had a pair of martins show up and moved right in. By the way, you are still invited to Thanksgiving dinner. My wife makes some awesome bread and pies, so you won't go home hungry. Daniel Miller

[CTMartins]

Thanks for all the thoughtful responses Miller Brothers. It didnt occur to me to HANG the song magnet from the rack !!! I think I have several sparrows nesting in my solar array they tried checking out availability today too