Purple Martin Forum

Hi Wildriver, I guess you are my neighbor. I had decoys up last year. While he did hit them a few times, I am limited on places to put them, so he got use to them, and wouldn’t go after them anymore. I checked the last 2 racks today and found 7 more babies dead from starvation and 3 abandoned nests....

Thank you so much Matt and Hanover Bill. I truly appreciate your sentiments. Hanover Bill, it was indeed the dawn song. I had forgotten about that. You are certainly correct about the over abundance of hawks. I see them everywhere. They have certainly beat me. Very smart birds. Such is nature.

Thank you Billie. I am in northwest Wisconsin, a few miles west of Shell Lake. Unfortunately it looks to be quite a distance from you. All but 1 of the gourds hanging have been drilled with a 5/8" hole so they will only be good for these racks. I do have a few other gourds with the 3/8" ho...

It is with a heavy heart that I have decided to make this my final year as a purple martin landlord. The last 10 years have been great, and I truly love hosting martins, but the last 2-3 years are more than my heart can handle. I am surrounded by trees, and have just enough room for the martins to m...

Thank you. Yesterday I drove him 2 hours to a rehabber so he would have a chance to live. He is pretty thin, but was gaining strength.

I finally breathed a sigh of relief as the last baby fledged a few days ago. I didn't have to worry about watching the hawks nabbing them off of the gourd racks. Well, the last 3 days have been cool, rainy, and windy. Today is no exception. Some babies and a few parents have been returning to the go...

SpiderMan, the openings may be 2”x3”. It has been a couple of years since I bought them. Good memory, just short.

Thanks everyone. My brother in law made them. It is green fencing with the 2”x2” openings. I cut a wire out in front of each gourd opening to make it 4”x4” in front of the holes. I also used cable ties to attach wooden dowels the length of the openings. Easier to perch. A lot of people use the heavi...

Those are Bo11’s. I have tried different gourds and these seem to work the best for my setup. I have not seen any hawks get under the cages yet. My fear is the owls may figure it out some day. I might have to put a bottom on them to prevent that.

You may be right Randy. I guess I thought it was a hawk because it looks so big in the picture. Yes, I definitely have hawks. Thanks for figuring that out. Sorry everyone. My bad.

Dave, I saw the cage on the furthest rack save a martin from this hawk, at least I presume it was this one. I stepped outside just in time to watch the hawk follow the martin right up to the gourd. I am sure he was very surprised to run into the owl cage. I watched for several minutes to make sure b...

Tom, I have been saying that for most of the summer. Nice, big farm right down the road with lots of nasty starlings and sparrows, and he wants to pick on the martins.

I was going through trailcam pictures today and found this guy. This is the one giving me so much trouble this year. I cannot tell if he went away empty handed or not.

I called the Northwoods Wildlife Center yesterday, and they said the swelling in the eye has gone down, and the baby is eating good. They said it was an injury. Looks like he can go back to the wild. Apparently they couldn't find anything else wrong with him. I asked about the other eye, and they do...

You are right pmlover. They came in a couple of times yesterday when I was home. I don't know how many times when I was at work. Well, nice while it lasted. I have taken the martin decoys down for now. Guess I will spend most of my time in the yard until they leave.

Good advice Judy. I will move the martin decoys. The doves are away from the gourd racks. No, cutting the trees are not an option. We cut a few trees out of the woods to make room for the house. I wish it was. I shall do the best I can. All but 2 of the gourds should be leaving by the end of the wee...

It has only been a day and a half, but Oscar, hope I am not offending anyone here, has been doing his job. I am moving him frequently. No hawk attacks since putting him out yesterday morning. I suspect it is only a matter of time before the hawks figure it out though. They are pretty smart. I still ...

Thank you very much. I was thinking along the same lines. A couple of days ago a wonderful person close by gave him a 2.5 hour ride to a wildlife center north of here. I am going to call them Monday to find out what is happening with the baby. At least he will have a chance for survival.

I have an extremely aggressive hawk this year, and I am just about at the end of my rope. Last night he came in 4 times in a 2.5 hour period. Today I made a straw man to hopefully give me and the Martins a break. They are constantly on guard, and I feel really bad for them. Most of the babies will f...

Thank you for the advice. Barry I have taken birds to her a couple of times, but last year when I called her she said she wasn’t taking anymore. I can call her again, as I haven’t spoken to her yet this year. Maybe she is taking them again. When I woke up this morning I remembered hearing a Martin s...