Purple Martin Forum

When I first started my colony I had trio houses with round holes and the martins would make a damn across the bottom of the door almost creating their own cresent entrance. Now all my entrances are starling proof and I don't see mud around the entrance anymore but sometimes a small damn across the ...

I know they recomend higher but one of the nicest colonies I've ever seen was no more than 8 ft.

I would always go with the strongest pole possible especially if you plan on add gourds later. The height of your pole and number of gourds is the biggest factor. The higher the pole the more stress. None of my houses or gourds are over 10 ft. There use to be a big martin colony on my way home from ...

The setup looks good. I agree about the dawn song CD. It will bring them to look around. Maybe a PM decoy or 2 would help.

Love your design. I had to use steel because we live on top a hill and the wind is brutal with our summer storms. Very nice.

I just talked to my friend Bennie, the friend we transfered gourds to leaving the old nest inside. He said he has a friend who had been unsuccessful for a couple of years and last year he saved some of the material when he cleaned out his gourds. They put it inside the new gourds and they got his co...

The answer is yes. My stepfather use to put electric fence around his sweet corn patch to keep the racoons out and he found dead doves once in a while.

I bought a feeding DVD at one of the Martinfest in Finger,Tn. Excellent training video. The next spring we had several cold rainy days. After 2 days I was ready to try feeding. My girlfriend probably drove 75 miles to every little town with a bait shop. Me and a friend sat out in the freezing weathe...

We left the old nest undisturbed except for spraying it with liquid sevin to insure no parasites survived the winter. We also picked the best looking and cleanest looking. I'm convinced it works like a magnet. Eight the first year and ten the second year. 18 for 18 pretty much removes any doubt in m...

Congratulations! I remember those numb fingers. When they started flocking to each cricket I alternated 1 piece of egg and 1 cricket. They would catch the egg but then release it. We came in the house to warm up and I glanced out the window and noticed a couple going to the ground and picking up the...

About 4 or 5 years back I wrote a message about helping a friend get a colony started. He did everything perfect,houses,gourds,all types,bed & breakfast,dawnsong. Anyway after about 4 years he was stuck with 2 pair every year. He would get visitors but they didn't stay. With nothing to lose we d...

I helped a couple of neighbors get started this year. One had 6 and the other had 8 gourds. Lucky both racks filled up. The one with 8 gourds came home one day and found 2 dead babies on the ground and one on the porch. Another gourd had the eggs pecked with very small holes and we finally spotted a...

I have used a low profile pvc guard now for several years and it has been 100% sucessful. The metal pole set in cement is an excellent ground. I am an electrician and live on a farm so I've had experience with both. Racoons have become a real pest since no one traps anymore because fur prices are so...

I have tried to help a friend establish a colony for the last 6 years. He has T14's,gourd racks and also a string of gourds. Not the best location but a powerline easment comes through his property. He has managed 1 or 2 pair for the last 5 years. Last fall 2008 we exchanged some of my gourds with n...

This is my 3rd year with the low profile predator guard and it is still batting a thousand. I have caught 2 rat snakes close to my poles but none have gotten past the guards. I have noticed racoons diging around the base of my colony but they have not breached the guards either.

About 4 years ago I tried them on my 13 trio houses and the martins would enter the compartments but not build. I also had 2 x 4 fence wire on each side of the houses ty wraped to the porch railings to protect against owls so this only allowed them one way out. I removed the dividers the following y...

This is my first attempt at posting a picture so please bare with me. This is my 4th year with this experiment and so far its 100 %. I used 4 in pvc and end caps. The hardware cloth was put on with J clips. The wire is direct burial so it does not have to be in conduit. I drilled 2 in holes in the e...