Purple Martin Forum

Last year they were still by Via Christi -- just moved down a bit due to the hospital severely trimming the trees.

Perhaps there is more than one roosting area?

I might go by and check out Via Christi tonight.

This has to be mean us folks in south central Kansas will probably see some birds this week.

Yippppeeeee!

Thanks for the update.

I didn't know DE was ineffective.

I bought Sevin last night and am preparing my gourds now.

thank you!

I need to get my gourds up this weekend and am planning on mixing diatomaceous earth in with the pine needles in an attempt to keep mites at bay.

Has this worked for anyone?

The toxicity of sevin worries me.

Wow. There was just a story this morning in the Wichita Eagle reporting migratory birds have already been spotted:

http://www.kansas.com/2012/03/05/224298 ... ni_popular

Now it's time to beg my husband to get our houses up. NOW. :-)

Just had a male and female land on my Trio for about five seconds and then fly away.

This happens alot.

Are they just coming by because they hear my CD?

Hi Carl - thanks for the response. My less than ideal specs at this new site include trees that are about 25 feet away from one side of my housing. The other side is a completely open field. Flyaways are decent I would think but not terriffic. I've seen martins occupying less attractive housing than...

OK wonderful forum members - would like to pose a question to all the mega-knowledgeable long time land lords and PM behaviorists on this list. Am trying to get a new colony site started upon moving to a new house with less than ideal site specs. I have one rack with 4 BO 11's and 2 9-inch naturals ...

Hi Razman - I'm a somewhat new resident of Wichita trying to attract birds at a new site. Had a great set-up back in Indiana on some acreage 4 years ago but had to move to KS for a job change. Nice to hear of your success last year. I stated in another post that I have never seen any site around her...

Tony - why did I settle and buy a house with trees in the backyard knowing it was not an ideal setting for martins? Two reasons: my son and my daughter. Had to buy in a subdivision (managed by a dreaded HOA) in order for them to go where I wanted to send them for school. Yes, I love martins but my k...

Appreciate all the advice. I did have birds the night before last (two males were popping in and out of my BO-11's) but haven't seen any birds since. :-( I lowered the owl guard on the Trio and it's been a magnet for sparrows ever since. Found my sparrow trap door from 3 years ago and installed. Hav...

OK - here's an update -- the male has figured out the SREH's on the gourd but the female doesn't seem to want to even try to enter and I know the female is the one that has to approve the site. Is this female skittish/nervous you think because that's just the way the females are? I imgaine it's pret...

Come on guys, I can't cut down the trees. It's just not feasible. Besides you and I know that martins will stay in less than ideal conditions. We've seen houses 6 feet off the ground with sparrow nests and trees basically right next to them that are housing martins so please, let's leave that point ...

All right - am trying to get a colony re-established in a new site that isn't ideal (trees about 25 ft away and winged predators everywhere). Have been playing the dawn song diligently and yesterday and this morning finally have some visitors! Yippee!! The problem is they just can't seem to figure o...

Well it's kind of for selfish reasons. I can't see the other side of the house. It faces an open field and we're mounting the house with brackets onto our wrought iron fence. We had two houses we treated similarly at our old site in Indiana. Granted, not every cavity was occupied but we still had a ...

Hi there forum members - my husband is busy upstairs putting the green cage-like owl guards that I bought from Nature House. From earlier postings this week you'll know I am very wary of aerial predators where I am and want to do all I can to protect my PM's if I get them at my new site. So, he seem...

Funny picture. Thanks for posting it.

I am playing the dawn song right now from my screened in porch trying to lure them.

Do you rememeber, back in '99, did this guy come early in the season or several weeks in? Just wondering.

Congrats to you!!

I'm trying to become a landlord at a new loaction too. So far, no takers but I know it's early.

Nice looking gourd rack too!!

Oh yes Kathy - got those decoys up. Two on my gourd rack and one will go on the top of my Trio which will definitely be re-inforced with the green cage-like owl guards I bought from Nature House. :) Set to go up this weekend. I want to protect these sweet PM's (should I be fortunate enough to attrac...

Tony - no, we're in Wichita. Hope to visit Lawrence sometime soon. Heard it's nice. I live in a subdivision that backs up to an open field and a large line of trees about 200 yards away. With the trees being bare these past six months I've often seen very large birds propped up on the tops of these ...