In Warwick,RI - new to being a landlord - need help

LoisG · Fri May 05, 2017 5:35 am

My husband put up the 12 gourds we bought last year. We bought up the gourds in June.
, 2016. We left it us throughout the summer. We had a little interest, especially in the morning. But no nesting. Yesterday morning, a couple inspected the nest spent some time and left. It is 630am and not back yet.Happy then

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C.C.Martins · Fri May 05, 2017 8:17 am

My advice is read everything the pro's here say and it is a LOT. Im a wanna be and learning all the time. did the gourds get cleaned out from last year? Just thinking. Is there a bit of pine straw and leaves in there? put a bit of mud near the entrance and make it look used. Look at the placement, is there a bush or tree nearby? What kind of gourds? My house stayed empty for over a year, not even a starling. Moved it 50 feet North in a clearer area, expanded the cavities, gave it a used look and within 2 weeks had two martins nesting. My problem was I centered on the house without looking at the needs of the birds outside that house. read everything.
Good luck, hope they come back,
Tom

BillieJR · Fri May 05, 2017 8:23 am

Welcome, LoisG. I've had martins and then not had martins - I'm still learning and learning a lot from everyone here. Good luck - I hope you have a successful season.

j6745l@gmail.com · Fri May 05, 2017 11:51 am

I'm in Raynham MA and put up six units last year and had some visitors. Buy, no nesting and only one brief visit. I have decoys dawn song and now on my way out to get some mirrors to up inside my Troyer Horizontal Gourds. Try everything, can't hurt. Good luck.

John

LoisG · Wed May 10, 2017 8:53 am

Well since I last posted it is even worse than not having any purple martins. The pair of birds that I first saw were not PMS but tree swallows. They are very aggressive and even drove off a beautiful adult male purple Martin looking around.I also have a HUGE sparrow problems. Since Friday here is what I have been up to based on a variety of advice:

1) Removed 12 gourds based on Tree swallow web page on Saturday . Put up a Bluebird house 25 feet from the colony facing the colony. sprarrows immediately nested.
2) Monday morning calledTroyers. Told me to move the box closer -Sparrows immediately nested in Blue bird box.. Tree swallows were a little interested in Bluebird box but not enough to fight off sparrows.
3) Monday - Called PMCA. They told me to put the 12 gourds back up but block the entrance with 1/2 of the diameter of a swimming noodle and buy a trap. They said P Martins needed to see the colony. Also, leave 2 open and but in the gourds Gourds went back up with 10 entrances blocked. Now the tree swallows are in one and the sparrow in the other gourd!
3) Wednesday morning trap and also a song box. Trap should arrive soon. But time is a wasting and getting depressed

4) I took the Bluebird house down since the swallows were in there too. I also bought a Bluebird trap.
HELP Please!

LoisG · Wed May 10, 2017 9:00 am

BillieJR wrote:Welcome, LoisG. I've had martins and then not had martins - I'm still learning and learning a lot from everyone here. Good luck - I hope you have a successful season.

Thank you for responding to me- I am getting discouraged but will never give up.

BillieJR · Wed May 10, 2017 9:20 am

I posted a reply but can't find it so I'll attempt to re-do and hope I don't end up with double posts.

I would think it is ok to leave the tree swallows in any of the bluebird boxes - if they are in there then they won't bother the gourds.

Sparrow control is hard to be successful at but it can be done. Can you shoot them? Make sure to pull out their nests - you may have to do this multiple times a day. And if they lay any eggs, which I've had them do even with no nesting material left, get rid of their eggs, too. Sparrows are such persistent evil birds and don't give up easily which means you have to be equally as persistent and can't give up either.

I know it's frustrating but don't give up. You'll eventually see success and it'll be so worth all the headaches you are facing right now. Good luck!

Thais G · Wed May 10, 2017 9:58 am

Hi and welcome!
As you read the posts you will notice that it is very normal for them to visit and move on. Sometimes they may already be at another colony next to you and are "investigating" or sometimes they need a place to rest on their way up north from you.

You will also notice that it may take years to get them to actually nest at your site - certainly a long term goal! I am on my 4th year and hoping (as all "wannabes") but also conscious it may still not happen for a couple of years. Some of the stories of perseverance are amazing; 15, 20 years trying! (I am not sure I will last that long, but I am far from quitting at the moment!)

Hang in there, re-set your "expectation clock" so you are not so anxious, and follow all the attraction tools that are available!

Good luck!
Thais
ps: I actually had a pair 2 years ago, then nothing... it's hard!

handyman315 · Wed May 10, 2017 1:53 pm

Wannabe PM landlords abound . . . with many of us hanging out on the PMCA Forum - for good reason. The advice here runs the gamut from technical to practical, virtually all of it outstanding, especially from the long-time landlords, the pros.

Admire you for continuing your efforts. Get those Tree Swallows and Sparrows under control . . . well, as much as they can ever be "controlled".

https://www.purplemartin.org/uploads/me ... cy-377.pdf

LoisG · Fri May 12, 2017 8:52 am

I heart birds wrote:My advice is read everything the pro's here say and it is a LOT. Im a wanna be and learning all the time. did the gourds get cleaned out from last year? Just thinking. Is there a bit of pine straw and leaves in there? put a bit of mud near the entrance and make it look used. Look at the placement, is there a bush or tree nearby? What kind of gourds? My house stayed empty for over a year, not even a starling. Moved it 50 feet North in a clearer area, expanded the cavities, gave it a used look and within 2 weeks had two martins nesting. My problem was I centered on the house without looking at the needs of the birds outside that house. read everything.
Good luck, hope they come back,
Tom

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my note and reply. I will try and take picture so you can see. I like the mud suggestion. We have a 12 gourd rig from Troyes on a pulley. We are on a dock. Our problem now is a pair of aggressive Tree Swallows. I will post what we are up to now. Huge Thanks for all your help and concern. I am so happy for you and your tenants. They are also lucky to have such a caring landlord.

LoisG · Fri May 12, 2017 11:40 am

TS couple on make shift rig 30 ft from unestablished PM colony

dubluv · Fri May 12, 2017 1:01 pm

LoisG wrote:
BillieJR wrote:Welcome, LoisG. I've had martins and then not had martins - I'm still learning and learning a lot from everyone here. Good luck - I hope you have a successful season.
Thank you for responding to me- I am getting discouraged but will never give up.

I have read that tree swallows are not the enemy, and if their housing is placed about 50 feet away, and they nest there, then they will drive away other tree swallows, including those that might want to nest in your PM housing. and they won't bother the PM's as long as they have already nested before the PM's. which is usually the case, as in the northeast, tree swallows are usuallly the first swallows to arrive.

LoisG · Fri May 12, 2017 9:38 pm

handyman315 wrote:Wannabe PM landlords abound . . . with many of us hanging out on the PMCA Forum - for good reason. The advice here runs the gamut from technical to practical, virtually all of it outstanding, especially from the long-time landlords, the pros.

Admire you for continuing your efforts. Get those Tree Swallows and Sparrows under control . . . well, as much as they can ever be "controlled".

https://www.purplemartin.org/uploads/me ... cy-377.pdf

Thank you so much for your taking time to help me. I have visited this web site and it is the best detailed guide to dealing with tree sparrows. I love the TSS too but really want to see my loved PMS.

C.C.Martins · Tue May 16, 2017 7:15 am

My gosh, you have a great set up; it screams location! bear down on those sparrows, start with the males, shoot and trap...the TTS wont be successful all the time; sounds like you gave them alternatives...someone here let the TTS nest in a gourd then moved it and they were fine. There's hope! My postage stamp of a yard, nearby tree, old heath house, neighbors who like to BBQ STILL attracted martins.

PS: Maybe, maybe raise that rack a bit? probably the angle but just thinking...

LoisG · Mon Jun 19, 2017 8:35 am

I heart birds wrote:My gosh, you have a great set up; it screams location! bear down on those sparrows, start with the males, shoot and trap...the TTS wont be successful all the time; sounds like you gave them alternatives...someone here let the TTS nest in a gourd then moved it and they were fine. There's hope! My postage stamp of a yard, nearby tree, old heath house, neighbors who like to BBQ STILL attracted martins.

PS: Maybe, maybe raise that rack a bit? probably the angle but just thinking...

Thank you replying to my cry for help. I didn't realize the rack was that far down when I took the picture. I have not been on this site for a while because I was depressed about the tree swallow situation. We move the TtS gourd nest to our neighbors dock. The TS male has since backed off of the PM colony of 11 gourds.
Excited this morning. A SY M has stayed all morning, June 19th, at the PM colony. I bought a song bird box and placed it under the PM colony. I think it might be confusing the A SY because the S Y M keep flying over to the TS gourd I moved to my nrighbor's dock! Anyway I am hopeful now

j6745l@gmail.com · Tue Jun 20, 2017 9:34 am

LoisG wrote:
I heart birds wrote:My gosh, you have a great set up; it screams location! bear down on those sparrows, start with the males, shoot and trap...the TTS wont be successful all the time; sounds like you gave them alternatives...someone here let the TTS nest in a gourd then moved it and they were fine. There's hope! My postage stamp of a yard, nearby tree, old heath house, neighbors who like to BBQ STILL attracted martins.

PS: Maybe, maybe raise that rack a bit? probably the angle but just thinking...
Thank you replying to my cry for help. I didn't realize the rack was that far down when I took the picture. I have not been on this site for a while because I was depressed about the tree swallow situation. We move the TtS gourd nest to our neighbors dock. The TS male has since backed off of the PM colony of 11 gourds.
Excited this morning. A SY M has stayed all morning, June 19th, at the PM colony. I bought a song bird box and placed it under the PM colony. I think it might be confusing the A SY because the S Y M keep flying over to the TS gourd I moved to my nrighbor's dock! Anyway I am hopeful now

Congratulations, I live in /Raynham Ma. which is like 25 miles from you. Have a large PM colony about 5 miles away. Nothing yet.