Purple Martin Forum

Hi birdbrain. I started my colony in 2003 with one adult pair and a sub-adult pair. The following year my colony went up to 8 pair with more adults. It almost doubled every year till 2013 and 2014 it leveled out at 88 pair both years. In 2015 I modified my houses and put up more Troyer gourds and th...

hi i have done 100's converting to conely 2's on my 20 trio houses and we converted all the trios at Griggsville also. Get scrape piece of 2x6 lay door with outside up lay conely plate just above spring latch trace with pen at same time drill 4 hole through door. cut 1/8 on outside pen mark with tin...

Hi Dave,I have changed my 20 trio houses all to conley 2 entrance and enlarged all compartments with great success. I take scrap piece 2x6 lay door on it put conley plate just above spring latch center it trace out with a pencil drill 4 drill hole for pop rivets than with snipe out 1/8 outside line....

Hi thought i tell you what i think of adding gourds. Three years ago i built a 24 gourd rack with two modified m12k's on top only had 9 gourds on tri-pole i had built before this . The martins filled the 24 rack which are all troyer verticals my colony has gone from 2 pair in 2003 and fledged 6 to 2...

Hi thought i tell you what i think of adding gourds. Three years ago i built a 24 gourd rack with two modified m12k's on top only had 9 gourds on tri-pole i had built before this . The martins filled the 24 rack which are all troyer verticals my colony has gone from 2 pair in 2003 and fledged 6 to 2...

Hi Tim here from Iowa if you'll would feed starlings corn like we do up here they wouldn't be able to fit in conley 2.You have got to trap all year round. Every thing is out and ready for my feathered friend !!!!

Supplement feeding our martin doesn't have to be a big job. Supplement feeding can be made very simple and easy,yes and this is what i do. I have a egg shell tray i made which works great and made out of scrape wood. Here goes tray floor is two foot square made out of 1/2 exterior plywood ,sides are...

Dear Peggy, i have a few bo 9 gourds also cut the inner wall out with good pair of tin snipes works great. Do your tunnels have crescent i had problem with adults getting wings trapped so i cut the out fitted them with conley 2 plates.I want to advise you to get copy of Andrew M. Troyer's new book t...

Hi Tim Millard here from Lockridge,Iowa, I have 20 trio houses have every model they made and have modified most of them to enlarged compartments. Plus really like conley 2 entrance put them on trio's having great success with this setup. I don't like crescent because of wing entrapment had to many....

Dear Kathy, I would call the local DNR ask them to trap the owl and move it out of your area. Or have tried this already ?

Dear Steve and every martin landlord, I fight gnats here every year and only thing i have found to stop them is ABSORBINE JR. OR ABSORBINE LINIMENT FOR HORSES . I soak it in cotton ball and put down in nest material and spray around entrance hole . It REALLY WORKS!!!!!! Horse spray on outside of gou...

Hi, This is Tim Millard. I will be visiting my son in North Port/Port Charlotte area of Florida February 17th to the 25th. I would like to meet some Purple Martin enthusiasts and see your setup. Please contact me at 319-931-3321 in the evenings after 5. Looking forward to meeting some new people. Ti...

Dear sir I personally have to put up with gnats every year . I use absorbine jr. soaked into cotton balls put two in each nest down in nesting material. I do this every couple days if they are really bad spray outside of house or gourd with horse spray only on outside. If you don't stop them they wi...

Don't worry about repairing pulley drill out rivet or grind it off put in new bolt and pulley ,new rope. Doesn't take long should not both your martins. I have several trio houses,I have one that was made in 1968 in great shape.

By this evening had 5 males , Purple Martin seminar is March 28 , Kalona start at 9:00am go north highway 1 from Kalona to Johnson-Washington Rd. go east 1mile be on right . will be signs. call me if have question 319-931-3321

Kalona is March 28 starts at 9:00am going north on higway 1 to Johnson-Washington Rd. turn east follow signs you go about mile.

Had a male come about 7:45 am and it was 29 degrees what a cold welcome and now at 6:00 pm have 4 male cranked up gourd rack. Had gourds all bed down with pine needles. Going to get in low 20's tonight suppose to have big warm up come weekend.They will be ok.

Yes I have on big bo 's but what I do not like is crescent entrance down on floor of porch have had 3 wing entrapments and that was to many. Lost a male so changed all of them to bell type entrance I got them from Amish friend had no problems with them and starling proof. Most of my gourds are troye...

I have over past few years been having more and more coming to winter bird feeder. What I want to know is , Are they protected or not ? They do try to nest in bluebird boxes and martin houses and gourds .also destroyed a nest of martin eggs once. Tim m.

Bulldog1, here in Iowa we got 4 inches and 8 degrees this morning , keep warm Tim m. Purple Martin Ridge