How to feed, when, etc
https://www.purplemartin.org/purple-mar ... l-feeding/
https://www.purplemartin.org/uploads/me ... de-416.pdf
Feeding video
http://purplemartin.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12898
A good source of online insects is http://www.reptilefood.com
If you order several boxes at once, that brings shipping cost per box way down. Freeze on arrival - you can order boxes of crickets and mealworms or zophobas worms in one order, they all freeze just fine.
Supplemental feeding & Purple Martins
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Forum Admin
- Site Admin
- Posts: 327
- Joined: Thu Oct 30, 2003 1:16 pm
- Location: Erie, PA
Forum Administrator
Purple Martin Conservation Association - Please consider becoming a member of the PMCA.
Purple Martin Conservation Association - Please consider becoming a member of the PMCA.
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jpp77
- Posts: 175
- Joined: Mon Apr 17, 2017 9:21 pm
- Location: Lawrence, KS area
- Martin Colony History: 2015 - 1 pair, not successful (Sparrows)
2016 - 1 pair, 4 young
2017 - 5 pair, 23 young
2018 - 8 pair, 40 young, two deaths most likely due to heat.
2019 - 18 pair, 74 eggs, 1 nest abandoned, all the rest successful.
2020 - 32 nests, unknown exact egg numbers, 1 death.
I'm a little bit of a worrier so this helps. 51 degrees today and 15mph winds. However, yesterday it was 70 and tomorrow it will be 62 so I won't worry about today. Second year with Martins so I want to make sure all goes well
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MartinMama
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Fri Jun 09, 2017 9:00 pm
- Location: Riverside, IA
- Martin Colony History: 2017 Two (and a lone SY male) SY pairs, 5 & 4 eggs. Hatching began on 6/27
2016 Three SY Martins interested in gourds, but never nested.
I also manage 48 gourds in the town where I live through the Songbird Project. Was off to a very slow start this year, but many more came back last week in May, phew!
Yes, and some areas almost 2'! I saw that scout reports are as far north as St. Cloud, MN :( This does not bode well for those early birds, unfortunately. Heartbreaking when a big Spring storm of this magnitude hits so late.
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D. Doll MN
- Posts: 108
- Joined: Sun May 08, 2005 11:05 am
- Location: ST CLOUD MN
- Martin Colony History: Formally from Willmar MN moved in 2015 and started new colony in 2019 i had 27 pair.
As long as the ponds keep warming up there should be some bug hatches. If not and still worried buy some crickets to try training to feed and eat after the haven't eaten for three days. I have had crickets in freezer from last year, some nutrition may be gone but if there hungary they may feed on them.
Dick Doll
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Poidog5360
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2020 12:37 am
- Location: Virginia
Can you feed the birds yourself?
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bstump
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2016 9:51 pm
- Location: SW OH
- Martin Colony History: 2018: 40 cavities - 39 active nests - 204 eggs - 175 fledged
2019: 42 cavities - 39 active nests - 209 eggs - 152 fledged
I have an unusual feeding situation that I don't quite understand. I have several of my PUMA's that are eating something from the overflow screen under my safflower feeder. The feeder is less than twenty feet away from my deck as I sit out there in the evenings and watch them. I've walked out several times to see what they might be eating but see nothing but safflower hulls and a few safflower seeds.....no bugs that I can see. They perch on the side of the screen and are picking up something and eating it or flying to the martin house to feed young. One even picked up a peanut hull off the ground and carried it off! I've had as many as six land there at one time. What could they possibly be eating!?! I didn't think they could digest seeds.