twice

Prairieville · Sat Mar 09, 2019 2:32 pm

Fellow landlords and Purple Martin enthusiasts. I leave for work before dawn most mornings but on weekends I can watch for the Martins. Last year was my first year and I had up to 10 Purple Martins living from March to June...they they left abruptly. Missed them soaring around. After opening my house the last week of January this year, as I read southern Louisiana where I live was getting scouts, I had my first set of about 6 Martins last Saturday (March 2nd) but darn Bluebirds ran them off. Now Bluebirds were my favorite bird until I got hooked on Purple Martins last year. I have kept the house weekly cleaned out where I see the Bluebirds coming and going. This morning I witnessed again a Bluebird and Martin fighting all the way to the ground as the Martins approached the house. The Bluebirds once again chased off my chance at Martins. I do have a Bluebird house nearby...but the House Sparrows have won that battle over the Bluebirds. It seemed to solve my House Sparrow problem as they are not in the Martin house. I guess I will try and clean any vestige of Bluebirds nests out of the Martin house and get another Bluebird house up ASAP. I hope I have not missed my chance this year. It was early March when they came and set up residency last year. Just my experience. I will let you know if two Bluebird houses are better than one.

Doug Martin - PA · Sat Mar 09, 2019 4:38 pm

The sparrows are the problem. You can't let them nest anywhere near your site. They will kill your Bluebirds and the Martins young when they get the chance. Get rid of the sparrows, get the BB back where they belong and close up the Martin house temporarily until the BB start nesting elsewhere. They are already in nesting mode.

Doug

CurtWelling · Sat Mar 09, 2019 4:54 pm

Could not agree more, have to get rid of the house sparrows. Use the nestbox traps. I usually end up just shooting the male sparrows, but I live in the country where that is no problem.

Dave Reynolds · Sat Mar 09, 2019 8:27 pm

Prairieville wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 09, 2019 2:32 pm
Fellow landlords and Purple Martin enthusiasts. I leave for work before dawn most mornings but on weekends I can watch for the Martins. Last year was my first year and I had up to 10 Purple Martins living from March to June...they they left abruptly. Missed them soaring around. After opening my house the last week of January this year, as I read southern Louisiana where I live was getting scouts, I had my first set of about 6 Martins last Saturday (March 2nd) but darn Bluebirds ran them off. Now Bluebirds were my favorite bird until I got hooked on Purple Martins last year. I have kept the house weekly cleaned out where I see the Bluebirds coming and going. This morning I witnessed again a Bluebird and Martin fighting all the way to the ground as the Martins approached the house. The Bluebirds once again chased off my chance at Martins. I do have a Bluebird house nearby...but the House Sparrows have won that battle over the Bluebirds. It seemed to solve my House Sparrow problem as they are not in the Martin house. I guess I will try and clean any vestige of Bluebirds nests out of the Martin house and get another Bluebird house up ASAP. I hope I have not missed my chance this year. It was early March when they came and set up residency last year. Just my experience. I will let you know if two Bluebird houses are better than one.

..
,
You have got to get the Bluebirds out of the Martins house.. If you don’t you are going to have big trouble.. with your Martins colony... Once your Martins establish there colony, then the Bluebirds can be welcomed to the area..

Dave

flyin-lowe · Sun Mar 10, 2019 8:20 am

You said you had 10 martins that lived thee last year. Did they nest and raise young? If you had successful nesting martins last year and they returned this year blue birds usually do not bother them enough to run them off.

sugarcreek · Sun Mar 10, 2019 11:44 am

Doug Martin - PA wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 09, 2019 4:38 pm
The sparrows are the problem. You can't let them nest anywhere near your site. They will kill your Bluebirds and the Martins young when they get the chance. Get rid of the sparrows, get the BB back where they belong and close up the Martin house temporarily until the BB start nesting elsewhere. They are already in nesting mode.

Doug

Here is your answer!!!

-=DKC=- · Sun Mar 10, 2019 12:39 pm

Prairieville wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 09, 2019 2:32 pm
Fellow landlords and Purple Martin enthusiasts. I leave for work before dawn most mornings but on weekends I can watch for the Martins. Last year was my first year and I had up to 10 Purple Martins living from March to June...they they left abruptly. Missed them soaring around. After opening my house the last week of January this year, as I read southern Louisiana where I live was getting scouts, I had my first set of about 6 Martins last Saturday (March 2nd) but darn Bluebirds ran them off. Now Bluebirds were my favorite bird until I got hooked on Purple Martins last year. I have kept the house weekly cleaned out where I see the Bluebirds coming and going. This morning I witnessed again a Bluebird and Martin fighting all the way to the ground as the Martins approached the house. The Bluebirds once again chased off my chance at Martins. I do have a Bluebird house nearby...but the House Sparrows have won that battle over the Bluebirds. It seemed to solve my House Sparrow problem as they are not in the Martin house. I guess I will try and clean any vestige of Bluebirds nests out of the Martin house and get another Bluebird house up ASAP. I hope I have not missed my chance this year. It was early March when they came and set up residency last year. Just my experience. I will let you know if two Bluebird houses are better than one.

I had Purple Martins visit a couple of times over the last month before my birds finally showed up a few days ago. There is a possibility that your birds just have not shown up yet.