End of season house?

[Annie G]

Hello forum people! I just was wondering if anybody would have pictures of their house and nest compartments at the end of the season. I was thinking if I could copy what it looked like after the season I might be able to make a martin think martins nested here. Ive been trying for about 20 years, and believe me I've tried everything!! I live 1/4 mile off the Wisconsin river up on a hill. I have visitors every day because I feed eggshells but just can't get them to nest here. My site is tree free and I have 2 mss 12's and a gourd rack set about 40 feet from my house and about 10 feet from our 20 by 40 swimming pool. I had a sub adult male this year, but was unsuccessful in attracting a mate. This has happened sooo many times I lost count. The closest active colony is on the river down in front of my house. I have the same type housing they have, so I guess I'm just wondering what I'm doing wrong??? Thanks for any input you may have. Ann

[TreeGreenwood]

Hello forum people! I just was wondering if anybody would have pictures of their house and nest compartments at the end of the season. I was thinking if I could copy what it looked like after the season I might be able to make a martin think martins nested here.

Ann, try getting a couple of used nests from the colony down the hill. Nothing quite like authenticity. Seal them in a plastic freezer bag and set them in the bright sun for a few days to solarize. That will kill any parasites, eggs or larvae.

... I've tried everything!! ...but just can't get them to nest here. My site is tree free and I have 2 mss 12's and a gourd rack set about 40 feet from my house and about 10 feet from our 20 by 40 swimming pool.

If you have the space, try moving your housing to the most open area you have available. I tried for years with PM housing close to my home but still 50' away. I didn't get Martins until I moved my housing over 100' behind the barn in a wide open space based on advice I got here on the forum.

... I guess I'm just wondering what I'm doing wrong???

Thurman Seber had to remind me again and again that it's not what we want or what the books and web sites say but what the Martins want. Try something new. Move things around a bit. Change entrance orientations. Look at the colony down by the river. What's different down there? Is your site TOO exposed to wind? Figure out what the Martins want and give it to them.

Wishing you the best and a colony next season,

Tree

[Annie G]

Thanks Tree for your input. The wind factor is a possibility, so this year I put a house on the back side of the house. It is protected by a large shed and the house plus acouple large blue spruce trees. I had alot of lookers but no takers. The females liked it but the males would not enter the compartment. Most of them adults. I'm sure the males were committed to another site. Maybe because the house was in a new place??? We have a long blacktop driveway wide open and thats where I put the eggshells. Which is about 100 feet from the martin house. Theres about 15 to 20 martins that come daily for shells. The numbers grow every year. I also get ALOT of barnies and other swallows eating the shells too, could there be too much activity of other birds? The colony is across the river and would take an hour to get there and I'm afraid they have already cleaned out the houses for the season, but I could try. Thanks again, Ann

[Carlton]

Have you tried that Dawnsong CD Annie? I found that that really drew the martins in after I had tried to attract them for years. FINALLY, one pair nested, last year, and this year I had four nesting pairs and 18 young fledged. Keep trying! I assume you are putting dry pine needles in the nesting chamber and that your MSS-12 is modified to the larger compartments.

[Carlton]

I do not think that they mind wind. I have seen successful houses near the ocean here where it is VERY windy quite often.

[Guest]

I agree about the dawnsong, I played it for hours for 2 years before I was successful and I am in town with a yard probably a "1" on a scale of 1-10 with desirability due to many surrounding trees (I only have one side of the yard that is a clear fly-way and the closest trees are just a few yards away.)
I know of no one close who has PMs so I probably had dumb luck. I wish you good luck.

[Annie G]

Thanks Carlton and Donna for your thoughts, and yes I've played the dawnsong, daytime chatter, pine needles,straw, mud,mirrors,fake nests with green leaves and eggs(shouldn't that be green eggs and ham??) and decoys. I really don't think theres anything I have not tried. I also modified one house to larger compartments and the females that did look inside seemed to be afraid of going in, unlike the 6by6 compartments which they did enter, but did not stay. Maybe I should try the side by side instead of the deep 12inch compartment? Thanks! Ann

[Guest]

Annie, I live at the top of a hill also here in southern WV. Elevation over 1900 feet. I tried 26 years at my old site, no luck & the 2nd year here I got 1 pair & this year 4. This wooden rack I made myself. Got about $25 in it not counting the pole. They all picked 10' & bigger gourds to nest in. My site is very, very open with a lot of ponds & hay fields. I believe if you have a very open site you will have it more than half made. It may not work out for you there with the gourds but think it is worth the try!

Ron From WV

[Annie G]

Thank you Ron for the beautiful pictures and advice. I had a subadult male here kinda late in the season and he picked the smallest gourd on my gourd rack. I had 2 -9 inch gourds and 2 large 12 inch gourds. Two with porches and two without. He picked a small porched and had many females checking him and the gourd out. At least 3 or four times he coaxed females inside, but none of them stayed. Maybe next year???Thanks again, Ann from Wi.

[Nanette]

Sure is some BEAUTIFUL countryside Ron! I also really like the wooden gourd rack

[djmains]

I'm new and have been trying for four years colonies around my area have depleted but we still get lookers. Martins like cluster housing I hope you don't have housing in different places if you have three types of housing place them 8 to 10 foot apart in a triangle shape make sure there is no encroachment and they have at least 3 fly ways. good luck.

[djmains]

one other thought ,martins don't seem to like new things they like things that are used get some old nesting material from someone's colony and put this mateial in your housing and leave it all winter so it smells like a chicken coop. there was a guy that told me he couldn't get martins to go into his housing until he put old nesting material in the housing. good luck!

[zboggess]

Hi Annie,

Have you thought about transplanting some Purple Martins? I will attach a link below and maybe you can work out a deal with the neighbors to help you.

"The Successful Transplant of a Pair of Breeding Purple Martins in 2007"

http://www.purple-martin.org./Transplan ... 8/15/07 http://www.purple-martin.org./TransplantProposal.htm

If these links do not work, just type in www.purple-martin.org and read the articles listed.

You seem to be very creative, so why not make new friends and ask them to come and help you, ideas, advice and all before the next season. That's what I did; we invited them over to look over our situation and we went to see their housing. So, when two of our eggs did not hatch, our friends brought 2 babies to match the age of the 2 that hatched so our subbie parents could successfully fledge the 4.

Our new friends were just as excited when they fledged as we were, even though they had over 104 babies fledging. Most PM landlords are eager to help.

You have a very valuable resource nearby. I recommend you reach out to them for help them just like we did to our nearest PM landlords 2 miles away.

Good luck and may you find your distant neighbors to be PM allies!

Zelma

[Annie G]

Thanks so much for your ideas for my situation. The past 8 years I have been taking care of an elderly womans colony about 7 miles from me. She has had martins for abput 35 years and has all gourds since I started helping her. I was going to ask her for some old nests, but all of a sudden her family does not want me to take care of the martins anymore. I don't know what happened. Her family never did like the martins. They said that the martins were too noisey. I wish I had that problem I will try to put your suggestions to work for me and see what happens. Thanks again for all your help. Ann from Wi.

[The Olsons]

Zelma,

I have never heard of the "transplant" method before and just read the article that you provided the link for. This is really interesting.....and amazing. Thank you for posting the link and all the other information

Astrid

Annie,

I hope that this method or any other will work for you and you will have martins next year. I wish you the best of luck

Astrid

[zboggess]

Hey Annie,

Tell the family, you have a solution for the noise, relocate them to your house....ha ha!

Zelma

[Annie G]

Believe me Zelma the thought has crossed my mind more than once. My husband used to tease me and say, " why not transplant the house full of martins to our house," and I would say, "because it would not work." But little did I know it does with the right circumstances. I don't want to push myself on Lois or her family. I think I will just play the waiting game until one day maybe I will get lucky. Knowing my luck I'de get a pair, get too excited and have a heart attack and never see them stay here. All I can do is hope for the best right? Ann

[wyatt]

Hi Annie,

I finally got around to cleaning the PM houses (A bit late I know). Here is a picture of an end of season gourd - before and after the big clean up.

Wyatt

[~Patrick~]

Annie,

I've got an mss-12 with some old nests still in it. I'd be happy to send you a couple if you want them. Private message me and let me know.

Patrick
Fort Worth, TX

[John Miller]

Annie


You might consider a wooden house or just a couple of wooden chalets. Some folks in the northern range find that martins prefer wood because it retains heat at night. "Maybe" this would give you a one up on the site by the river. (martins love being by the water). I may know a vendor for chalets if you want to PM me. John