Purple Martin Forum

I have had Martins since the first year I put housing up. I have a neighbor that has been trying to get martins for 6 years now and has some each year the look at his housing but, do not stay. His aluminum house is 15 feet from a 35 ft tall tree. I have told him more than once that martins do not ca...

You will all be happy to know I have ordered some warmer weather since it has been unusually cold this year. I am expecting this warmer weather to arrive in the midwest starting mid day tomorrow and it should be with us for a while. Nothing too hot but highs in the mid 50s to mid 60s for a couple of...

Keep in mind that trees not only can block the glide path of martins returning to their homes but also give predators like hawks an advantage. If a tall tree is close, a hawk can leave the tree and glide silently, surprising a martin setting on a perch or porch. Hawks coming from a distance will hav...

Mike, I think you will do ok there. Remember to put the actual housing as far away from any trees as you can. The rule of thumb is if the tree were to fall it should not get to the housing. The rule has nothing to actually do with the tree falling but that is a good rule of thumb. The purpose is tha...

Mike, do you have it well away from trees? That is always important when trying to attract Martins. I know you said you had had Martins before but I figured the trees might have grown a lot since then. I used a martin call CD when I started and I don't know if it made the difference or not but was g...

First let me say Hello John T, Good to see an Odonite on here. I graduated from Odon in 1967. Now, Good to have you back Mike R. I live Southwest of you in the Paragon area and have had martins since 2009. I don't know what housing type or entrances you use but the crescent entrances will keep the s...

I have not seen any in my area yet this year. two years ago, my first was on the 23 of March and last year it was on the 27th. I hope not to see any for at least 10 more days because of the weather. Tonight it is 23 at midnight. It is supposed to be about the same for at least 10 days so I want my l...

I also use the foam pipe insulation. It is like the swim/pool noodle but made to go around a pipe. It is cheap and easy to work with. You buy it in 4 foot lengths and just cut off a 1 or 2 inch piece. It can be squeezed down and fitted nicely into any of the starling resistant entrances. It is somew...

So far it has been a great year here in central Indiana. My wife, Jan and I did our second nest check for the year. I had checked the nests on the 8th of May and found a lot of green leaves but no eggs at that time. Today, with 20 gourds up: I had 1 nest with 7 eggs 9 nests with 6 eggs 4 nests with ...

Hi all, I have been watching and not writing because I didn't want to jinx anything. It has been a really good year so far. I have 20 gourds up and they are full. I have two Tree Swallow gourds up (BO-9s) and they are full. Hope everyone else is having a good year also. There is a lot of nest buildi...

Another thought, you can use to find the best pellet. You can buy the sampler pack of pellets from several online stores and test them to find the best for your rifle. This is ok but you will spend about 20 dollars or probably more. Using the sampler pack, you should expect both of these I mentioned...

Hello Peter C. and congrats on the new RSW 34. Each Air Rifle shoots a little different than the others but there are a couple of ways to determine which pellet might be best for your rifle. First rule -- Rifles that have a pellet speed of 1000 fps usually shoot more accurate with a heavier pellet t...

Man, that was a really good buy. Up here we would say "You done good". I am still thinking about my gourd rack here. I am either going to add 4 gourds or 8 gourds. I have plenty of rooms that is not a problem. I have one rack with 8 gourds hung in a single level and I have a rack with 12 g...

Chriscreole,

That really looks great. Isn't it leaning a smigg to the right. JUST KIDDING.

Nice setup and I an sure you will enjoy watching the martins this coming year.

Good luck.

Ha, Ha, Ha, That is funny.

Hey, M.Stephens I was going to offer $5.00 a gourd you throw in the guards and rack. That is if you deliver. Indiana isn't too far is it.

Ha Ha.

Only kidding. Good luck

That housing does look interesting. The gourds are tunnel type with a large access lid and he has owl guards on them. I looked at two different postings on these items I think. One gourd picture was taken on a cloudy day making it hard to see clearly. The other was taken on a nice clear day. I notic...

Hi Chris,

I was noticing that thermometer to the edge of the picture. I was thinking I would be looking forward to that temperature in about three or four months. I am getting to where I really don't like winter.

Rack looks good.
Tom

When I added the venting elbows to my THGs, just drilled a slightly smaller hole that needed and then used a dermal tool with a small sanding cylinder attachment to adjust the holes to the exact right size. I will be putting up another rack this year. I like to only have 8 gourds per rack (for now)....

Looks like a really good job Chris. Sorry for telling you 1/2 inch. I live much further north and don't need the 3/4 inch here. When I saw Steve's post and pictures, I sent you a PM to take a look.

Have a good season

Tom

Tim, I don't know what to say other than sorry to hear of your loss.

Tom and Family