Hello,
I am from north west indiana and this is my seconed year doing this..I have a new house,got rid of the old wooden one,was falling apart ..the new one i put it up in a flower garden that is 50 by 100 with a frog pond almost under the pole...I have a few trees that are low still and i dont think will give me anyproblems this year yet.I dident even have a drive by last year..I have it up and locked up so no sparrows or starlings get in,and boy are they trying..Got 7 yesterday trying to scrach the cardboard doors off the holes on the house.I have a few butterfly bushes..Are the PP going to eat butterflys,and what about the japanese bettle will they eat them to all the flower get attacked every year?..I have a large garden to that is close by that is 50/50 in size...So i am thinking i have food and water for them to hang out...What am i missing?
Any help getting started would be a pluse...
Thanks
newbie here
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John Miller
- Posts: 4866
- Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2004 9:11 pm
- Location: St. Louis, MO
Welcome to the Forum. There's so much to know. Try to read read read all you can. The information sheets on the home page here are loaded with good information.
Purple martins take occasional butter flies, but won't dent the population. Martins mostly feed very high in the sky and forage over many miles. They do take various beetles, but sometimes Japanese beetles are so numerous I again doubt you'd notice any difference.
The main requirements are a very open spot, housing that's up to standard, and a little luck. Try to visit with other area landlords this season who are members of the PMCA. There's a mentor page on this website with Indiana listings.
John Miller
Purple martins take occasional butter flies, but won't dent the population. Martins mostly feed very high in the sky and forage over many miles. They do take various beetles, but sometimes Japanese beetles are so numerous I again doubt you'd notice any difference.
The main requirements are a very open spot, housing that's up to standard, and a little luck. Try to visit with other area landlords this season who are members of the PMCA. There's a mentor page on this website with Indiana listings.
John Miller
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Guest
Well thanks for the reply,i am trying to find the mentor page and have read a lot too...a lot of stuff here..
thanks
thanks
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Guest
Hey Stanton,
Welcome aboard. To answer your question, PMs will eat just about anything they can catch in the air.... up to and including scrabled eggs!!!
I've seen them bring back dragon flies, that you would think were way to big to feed the babies... I guess they "cram em" in!! Scully have a post about three weeks ago where he had footage inside one gourd with the parents feeding the young. You may do a search on his name to bring it up!
Good luck this year
Chuck
Welcome aboard. To answer your question, PMs will eat just about anything they can catch in the air.... up to and including scrabled eggs!!!
I've seen them bring back dragon flies, that you would think were way to big to feed the babies... I guess they "cram em" in!! Scully have a post about three weeks ago where he had footage inside one gourd with the parents feeding the young. You may do a search on his name to bring it up!
Good luck this year
Chuck
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Guest
Great advice from John - read as much as you can. One web site every PM landlord should have bookmarked is :
http://home.earthlink.net/~chuckabare/
Good luck.
http://home.earthlink.net/~chuckabare/
Good luck.
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Rich Jewell In
- Posts: 129
- Joined: Sat Aug 28, 2004 5:56 pm
- Location: Indiana Crown Point
Stanton,
Welcome to the forum! Where abouts do you live in NW Indiana. I live in Merillville which is just South of Gary. I got my first pair last year and they fledged 6. I believe my success was playing the dawnsong and putting up some natural gourds.
Rich
Welcome to the forum! Where abouts do you live in NW Indiana. I live in Merillville which is just South of Gary. I got my first pair last year and they fledged 6. I believe my success was playing the dawnsong and putting up some natural gourds.
Rich