We are beyond happy! Our first purple martin colony in our bird house and one of the pair had 3 babies and they fledged a few days ago
On sunny mornings, they have returned to the house to visit and peek in the hole (however, they haven't gone back inside to our knowledge - we don't have a camera).
Once the babies have fledged, when do you clean out the box? When do you take it down? It seems I have read that they are loyal to their home and continue to visit until they are ready to fly south. But are you supposed to keep the nesting material in the box?
Thanks to everyone's advice this year. I'm sure it helped us to attract the purple martins and have the babies.
Happy Father's Day to all the dads in this group! Hope you have a wonderful day spending it just the way you want to!!
Martin Colony History: 2010-2014 located in Slidell LA. Gourd rack with 16 gourds. Max of 2 pairs during this short period in Slidell. Plenty of fledglings.
2014-present.. moved to Broussard LA. Same Gourd Rack but added a 6 room house (modified from a 12 room)
2020: after a long drought of nothing, 4 pairs and 4 nests, 23 eggs total. 6 fledges.
2021: 9 pair, 47 eggs 36 hatchlings 30 fledged
2022: about 12 pairs.. many eggs, all fledged.. only had one hatchling die.. probably because of our schnauzer. :(
2023: 16 pairs. So far about 60 chicks with about a dozen eggs to go.
We are beyond happy! Our first purple martin colony in our bird house and one of the pair had 3 babies and they fledged a few days ago
On sunny mornings, they have returned to the house to visit and peek in the hole (however, they haven't gone back inside to our knowledge - we don't have a camera).
Once the babies have fledged, when do you clean out the box? When do you take it down? It seems I have read that they are loyal to their home and continue to visit until they are ready to fly south. But are you supposed to keep the nesting material in the box?
Thanks to everyone's advice this year. I'm sure it helped us to attract the purple martins and have the babies.
Happy Father's Day to all the dads in this group! Hope you have a wonderful day spending it just the way you want to!!
Awesome and congrats...I'd be in no rush to clean out but you'll be fine either way.
Love your energy...hope it's contagious.
"Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you." - Lao Tzu
We are beyond happy! Our first purple martin colony in our bird house and one of the pair had 3 babies and they fledged a few days ago
On sunny mornings, they have returned to the house to visit and peek in the hole (however, they haven't gone back inside to our knowledge - we don't have a camera).
Once the babies have fledged, when do you clean out the box? When do you take it down? It seems I have read that they are loyal to their home and continue to visit until they are ready to fly south. But are you supposed to keep the nesting material in the box?
Thanks to everyone's advice this year. I'm sure it helped us to attract the purple martins and have the babies.
Happy Father's Day to all the dads in this group! Hope you have a wonderful day spending it just the way you want to!!
Awesome and congrats...I'd be in no rush to clean out but you'll be fine either way.
Love your energy...hope it's contagious.
Thank you! It's hard not to be high energy when it comes to helping nature bring in new lives. I just loved seeing those precious little heads sticking out of the holes waiting for their food. Just love them.
