Purple Martin Forum

Yes, that’s it. Have they been made since 2013?? If so, what is the link? Mike

At the end of the season the Association used to create a first arrival video. Did they quit doing this? Was a stunning way to show the northward flood.

Making new houses. The base is a Western cedar board 6” wide and 15” long. The outer deck is 6” wide x 5”. The inner house is 6” x 10” x 6” tall. Can you picture that? Can the base of the crescent opening be the deck itself? This means the top of the crescent would be 1-3/16” from the deck. Or shoul...

I’m using 7” diameter. Much better than 6”.

I’ve had 2 of the 6x6 aluminum condo style Martin boxes for probably 25 years. They are now in pretty bad shape. I’m making individual houses of aluminum that are 7” diameter by 6” tall cylinder with a conical top. Question is about the perch. Do they need one? I’ve seen a lot of gourds that have no...

Without looking I knew you were from Texas based on the leaves in the nest. Then I looked at the top left of the page and sure enough!
Mike

We had German prisoners working at our farm when I was 3 and 4 years old. This was in central Oklahoma in 1944/45. They were very happy to be out of the war and for having 3 meals a day. One played with me a lot and I followed him around the fields. They were all nice and friendly (else they would n...

My martins feed about 300' above their house but this is south Texas with Martin food everywhere.

Mike

I bought a 30 pound bag of Oyster shells for seven dollars at a farm store. Pretty cheap.

Mike, I have 11 trios, all 12 x 6 rooms and due to the Texas heat, all of the openings face south, or south east to get help from the spring/summer winds. So All the openings are on one side only with deviders installed in all of them, of course some macho stuff happens, but the Martins get along a...

There is a higher density in Florida and the east coast than in Texas and further north. Cold weather in south Texas is slowing the central migration down! But that said, I now have a dozen pair and saw my first SA yesterday. Also today a starling was setting on one roof causing problems. Using 22 C...

The first year I tried being a PM landlord down here close to Houston TX I tried a wooden house. I move here from NE Okla and that worked up there. Well, not here. I managed to cook what few eggs were layed. Next year I tried white PVC thin-wall plastic pipe 8" diameter. Same thing but not quit...

Thank you, John and Dorn.

Mike

Would 2 porch dividers cure the male dominance thing if one put 3 holes on each side? Wouldn't have to add an extra porch this way. On one side have 2 holes below and one above. On the other side have 2 holes above and one below. Then put a porch divider where there are 2 holes in one row. The divid...

I think cold weather in Texas has slowed the migration.

Mike

Please thank the staff for doing this!

Now, what can we learn from this?
Mike

" if they cannot escape from such closed spaces."

I don't understand this last sentence? If it's on top of a pole a few feet away from the house, how can it be a closed space??

Mike

And their still coming in. HOSP bad this year. Making another trap. Maybe this one will work.
Mike

One of the most useful tools for shooting starlings and sparrows if you choose to go that route is a scoped 22 caliber Benjamin Marauder air rifle. With a depinger installed this rifle is near silent and extremely accurate at typical starling shooting distances. The Martins will just sit and watch ...

It took about a week for mine to get used to the excluder holes. I made mine from aluminum flashing and used pop rivets to hold them to the front. Toward the end of the first season I noticed some of the males had lost feathers on their back so for the next season I made the holes 1/16" taller....