Purple Martin Forum

Your selected charity The Purple Martin Conservation Association received a $400.85 donation from AmazonSmile. I got this quarterly message today from Amazon. If your like me you or someone you know is a frequent buyer. All you do is sign up for Amazon Smile and select where you want your donations ...

Thanks! I just ordered the caps.

I hate to be the first to reply to my own topic....but I see that S & K also has the Cooling Caps for my BO 11P gourds. They are also 99 cents, seems like a great deal and there are great reviews from lots of users. Thanks!

Does anyone have any feed back or experience with the S & K vents? They claim they work just like the turbine roof ventilator on your home. The are currently half price at 99 cents each, if they work that seems like a bargain. I’m planning on installing PVC elbow vents on my S & K gourds in ...

I’m in NW Florida, the last of my birds left a few days after Fathers Day. It’s sad to see them leave.....but it’s so exciting to see the arrive and grow into a colony. I’ll leave the housing up a little while in case a few visiting birds want to overnight on the way south. I’ll see them again in 7 ...

Glad you have it down. I had a similar problem once, now I have a length of 550 cord (para cord) attached as a back-up so I can give it a slight nudge if I need to. The back-up cord is tied off at the correct length so it also serves to let me know when I’m getting close to maximum height when raisi...

Easter Rainbow over Martin Houses. 7 pairs with eggs, great start to success this year.

Nice! What part of Florida? I’m in NW Florida near Panama City. I did nest checks yesterday and found plenty of recent activity in the nest. I give them a starter of straw and they had added small sticks and leaves to 9 of the 12 gourds and house cavities. Last year was my first year to get Martins ...

[quote=Spiderman post_id=289906 time=1584455038 user_id=4020] [quote="Brad Biddle" post_id=289895 time=1584376493 user_id=11521] They get to a point that their attacks are on a very regular schedule. Consistent times each day. Almost like clockwork. [/quote] In the afternoons around sunset...

Thanks!

Today late in the afternoon a small hawk (Sharp-shinned Hawk I think) made a low pass through the backyard near the colony that has currently 6 pairs of Martins. Hot on the heals of the hawk were 5-6 Martins that we’re diving and feinting attacks on the hawk. Very noisy and effective at chasing the ...

Northwest Florida. First year was last year (2019), had 8 pair. This after 4 straight years of trying. So far this year there are 3 pair and nest building has started. Hoping for more, first arrivals were two weeks ago.

Rookie mistake by me! I guess they were just hanging halfway out keeping their tail feathers dry. I lowered the housing after the rain stopped, all were clean. I went ahead and pre-nested the cavities with straw. All is good now, both pair and the single male have returned. They seem to be extra noi...

[quote="4th Gen Martin Fan" post_id=288815 time=1581871063 user_id=5596] Joe, I would like to know what kind of housing you provide for your purple martins. Aluminum and plastic housing will not retain heat in the compartments compared to wood. Not saying that explains the behavior. I woul...

Hello to all! I’ve got a good start on this year with two pairs and a single adult male that arrived just a week ago. The last few days have been busy with lots of activity but today started with a significant drop in temperatures and rain. The temps were in the 40’s with rain this morning. I notice...

Thanks to everyone with encouragement! Always an exciting time when they start to arrive. This morning I have two pairs and a spare. Like many others the gourd rack is my own design, the center section is made from two pieces of polyethylene cutting board material sandwiched together with 1/4 stainl...

First arrival of a pair on February 10th. Almost a month earlier than last year, but last year was my first nesting pairs. I finished repairs on the gourd rack on Saturday the 8th and two days later I was greeted by the sound of Purple Martins! Looking forward to another successful year. Best wishes...

Thanks to everyone that responded. I just guess I was expecting them to hang around longer. I sure enjoyed the success I had this year. I also had many opportunities to “show off” my Martins and in the process have convinced a few others to become PM landlords. As I’ve said before, the arrival of th...

[quote=cary-nw-fla post_id=286281 time=1561260506 user_id=5071] Joe, congrats on your season. If your birds fledged about two ago think you don't have to worry. Maybe some of the ones you're seeing now are checking out your site for next year. I only have a couple of nest left to fledge in the next ...

Brad,
Thanks for the reply. I’m glad to know it’s not something gone wrong,I’m just sorry I wasn’t here to say my goodbyes! I’ll enjoy the ones I have left till they move on.

Thanks again,

Joe.