1) Plastic house added, 2) Gourds modified

Welcome to the internet's gathering place for Purple Martin enthusiasts
Post Reply
MamaBruff
Posts: 1466
Joined: Wed Mar 06, 2013 12:21 pm
Location: SW Missouri
Martin Colony History: 2013-2016 Unsuccessful at starting a PM colony. Health problems.
Rehomed all my PM stuff. Good Luck and Best Wishes to All.

In an effort to attract SYs that may be "imprinted" on plastic housing and slum housing, I have added one (yes late in the season) to my property. It is an S&K Heavenly Haven Combo. We lashed it to an existing ground stake, attached with radiator clamps, and slid a 4" PVC pipe over to make it look neat. Had an ASYM and ASYF stop by. Three SY's have shown great interest. They go to the plastic house and then the gourd rack and back. Sometimes landing and looking things over. Can't tell for sure if SY's are male or female. Nobody making the kekeke male sound. Saw a definite SYM today with his spots. So we call it the Ozark Hillbilly Slum House. Even tho the pole is straight, the house is a little tilted. I added some 6' tomato stakes with zip ties for perches. It's pretty classy. :wink: So far no interest from the starlings. (Yes it has 8 rooms, but i only have 4 open.) And the other natives appreciate the hunting perches. We'll be surprised as can be if the house yields nesting pairs this late. If this slum house doesn't bring martins in, I will be looking for a Trio this winter. Good grief.
Image
Image

Update: The gourd rack has to be ALL full Lewis Mods on ALL the ConleyII entrances. I tried porch plates on 4, and full mods on 4. The full mod is all that will stop the starlings from entering. Stinkers. Porch plates PLUS the WEPs. I have had some martin visitors interested in the gourd rack, but no stayers. Must be too classy and roomy, LOL

Here's a pic of the Lewis Mod on a THG

Image
~Mary B~

Lifelong PM Admirer and Nature Enthusiast.
Ruthless trapper of S&S year round.
2013-2016 Unsuccessful at starting a PM colony. Health problems.
Rehomed all my PM stuff. Good Luck and Best Wishes to All.
Top
taxidermy lady
Posts: 2988
Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2014 10:21 am
Location: IL/Ellis Grove
Martin Colony History: Started trying to attract purple martins in 2012! It's finally happened in 2017! 5 years!!! ASY male and SY female came May 1st, fledged 5 babies!

Oh my Mary you are more open than you explained. It looks good. Do you still have your cd's on? It just may happen for you. I'm wishing you the best of luck! You deserve this so bad. Keep us informed!
My son has 2 of these houses and he has 6-7 pair now after 3 years.
Sharon from southern Illinois
Top
pmartinlover2
Posts: 521
Joined: Mon Mar 24, 2014 6:37 pm
Location: IL/Hillsboro
Martin Colony History: 2011 Home site--1 SY pair--2 fledged
2016 Satellite Site---4 pair--19 eggs laid--17 hatched--16 fledged
2017 Satellite Site--8 pair--37 eggs laid--34 hatched--34 fledged
2018 11 pair--fledged 60
2019 20 pair-fledged 94
2020 23pair-fledged 108

Way to go Mary! I love your Ozark Hillbilly Slum House! You gotta give them what they want (whatever that is)!!! Pretty persnickety birds I'd say! Rooting for you and Sharon to get some last minute nesters!!! Good luck!
_____
Jody
Jody in Central Illinois
Landlord in 2016
2016—4 pr fledged 16
2017—8 pr fledged 34
2018—11 pr fledged 60
Top
Glynn B - LA
Posts: 320
Joined: Fri Feb 03, 2012 3:59 pm
Location: Louisiana West Monroe

Bout time you put your bestess house up there! Need to get hubby riden that mower under it in circles every day until occupied. :)

Good luck Ms. Mary. You're way to open to give up. It will happen!!! :)
2019 26 pair 116 fledged
2018 20 pair 76 fledged
2017 19 pair 82 fledged
2016 13 pair 48 fledged
2015 3 pair 13 fledged
2014 1 pair 4 fledged
2013 2 pair 6 fledged
2012 0 pair
2011 0 pair

I don’t have the perfect site. One open flyway with trees within 80 ft. I do have a small pond they utilize during the heat of Summer. (2017) HEAVY HAWK PREDATION
Top
Lewis
Posts: 246
Joined: Tue May 26, 2009 3:21 pm
Location: Georgia/Newnan

I like it Mary.Good chance on SY's or some ASY's that have been displaced from a nearby colony. Good luck,

Lewis
Spring Garden Keeper
Top
MamaBruff
Posts: 1466
Joined: Wed Mar 06, 2013 12:21 pm
Location: SW Missouri
Martin Colony History: 2013-2016 Unsuccessful at starting a PM colony. Health problems.
Rehomed all my PM stuff. Good Luck and Best Wishes to All.

Thanks to everyone for your encouragement, humor, helpful advice, tips, and guiding me through modifications. You, my PM friends are who have kept me from calling it quits many times over. Quite a learning curve to this landlord business, I am finding out! :wink: God Bless You All!
~Mary B~

Lifelong PM Admirer and Nature Enthusiast.
Ruthless trapper of S&S year round.
2013-2016 Unsuccessful at starting a PM colony. Health problems.
Rehomed all my PM stuff. Good Luck and Best Wishes to All.
Top
taxidermy lady
Posts: 2988
Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2014 10:21 am
Location: IL/Ellis Grove
Martin Colony History: Started trying to attract purple martins in 2012! It's finally happened in 2017! 5 years!!! ASY male and SY female came May 1st, fledged 5 babies!

Boy you can say that again Mary! I sure didn't think it would be this hard!
There's going to be a big curve in my attracting next year. Put the poles up exactly where they are. Shoot my s and s. And nothing else. I can't keep trying so hard. I'm done with that. They will be here when they want. It's going to be a simple process! And that's that!
I was moving decoys everyday after they would visit! Run and shut cd down when they showed up! :shock: walk around outside so they would see my presence! Smeared mudd 3-4 times. Added green leaves every two to 3 days. I made 2 fake egg nest with decoys in them! I had sreh on trio changed them back to round. I have even went in circles with the lawn mower to keep them here. Nothing helps so I'm done with that. You just can't make it happen they have to want to come! God bless all too!
Sharon from southern Illinois
Top
DornCounty
Posts: 2169
Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2012 3:58 pm
Location: Rural SE Kansas
Martin Colony History: .
.
Trio-Jedi

Any luck yet Mary? Did you ever put up a Trio? My offer is still good. Trios are still drawing them in like flies in Parsons.
2017 - Home & Public Colonies - 300 Cavities
Top
Peter Alberda
Posts: 175
Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2011 4:09 pm
Location: Michigan, Zeeland
Martin Colony History: Started with Amish copy of Trendsetter 12 room house, added Trio Grandpa with expanded rooms, and North Star 8. Taking Trendsetter down this spring and adding gourd rack.

I'm weakening. A bluebird built a nest in a ts house and I'm letting them stay. Haven't seen any martins in a few days so am feeling low. My friends the bluebirds will be here all year to boot so you gotta love them .
2020 - A pair of SY birds with three nice chicks. Lots of visitors all year long.
2015-2019 - A few lookers.
2014 - ASY male and SY female fledged four chicks.
2013 - Several visitors but none stayed to nest.
2012 - Lots of visitors all season long. We had a pair of sys but no chicks survived.
2011 - New location - A few visitors
2010 - First year – Poor house location.
Top
taxidermy lady
Posts: 2988
Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2014 10:21 am
Location: IL/Ellis Grove
Martin Colony History: Started trying to attract purple martins in 2012! It's finally happened in 2017! 5 years!!! ASY male and SY female came May 1st, fledged 5 babies!

Peter it's tough when you know time is just about up! :-( But it's just their way! I'm going on my 5th year. The first year was not really knowing much. I put a plastic house up then waited. I started reading and educating myself. Now I'm hooked for good! I will be in the exact same spot next year.. Not sure if any cd's will be involved. They haven't worked for the last 3 yrs. so not real sure. They all should know where I'm at. I will play them all summer and I'm playing them loud... I still get something everyday so far.. Also I'm not turning it down when they come, tired of doing all that! Never worked anyway! I'm just trying to draw them in as much as I can and see what happens next year! I will say this year is a record for visitors. Good luck Peter hang in there, your not alone! Build it and they will come!!!! :)
Sharon from southern Illinois
Top
MamaBruff
Posts: 1466
Joined: Wed Mar 06, 2013 12:21 pm
Location: SW Missouri
Martin Colony History: 2013-2016 Unsuccessful at starting a PM colony. Health problems.
Rehomed all my PM stuff. Good Luck and Best Wishes to All.

Dorn,
I wish I had listened to you earlier. Thank you for the reminder. I REALLY need to buy, borrow, or steal a used Trio for few years. Oh Yeah. Hubby Jeff is itching to dig another hole for me! (Hahahaha) The PMs come and check out the plastic house first. ALWAYS. Had a couple of of SY's actually perching at the entrances of the plastic Heavenly Haven house peeking in together yesterday. They do a cursory circle around the gourd rack and right back to the plastic house. For Pete's sake! So the addition of a Trio would be like "throwing in the red log" to get this DeLorean up to speed! Great Scott! I have tried everything else! If I can get a colony established in the little houses, SOMEBIRDY will surely discover and want to move into the gourd rack. One caveat to the Trio, it has to be easy to raise and lower, and have enlarged compartments... I will try to email you on your contact bubble to make some plans...
Martinless Mary in MO aka Mama Bruff
~Mary B~

Lifelong PM Admirer and Nature Enthusiast.
Ruthless trapper of S&S year round.
2013-2016 Unsuccessful at starting a PM colony. Health problems.
Rehomed all my PM stuff. Good Luck and Best Wishes to All.
Top
marcus
Posts: 314
Joined: Tue May 10, 2016 10:21 pm
Location: Fairland OK
Martin Colony History: Mom n Dad had a plastic 12 unit martin house with some martins as long as I can remember. In 2013 they had 1 pair. I don't think they fledged any. I then started learning how to take care of martins and in 2014 we took that house down and put up a Troyer 18 gourd rack. We had 7 pair with 28 fledged.That summer I built a T-14 (I was only 12). I was also given 4 natural gourds that I hung beneath the T-14. In 2015, we had 23 pair although only 22 pair fledged young. They fledged 88 young. In 2016, we had 36 pair, 210 eggs, 163 hatched, 149 fledge!! One pair fledged 2 broods. In 2017, I had 36 pair with 35 fledging young. They laid 204 eggs, hatched 155, and fledged 152.

Mary,
I'm only about half an hour away from you. This year we have 100% occupancy rate plus several sub adult males. Last year we had 88 fledge. The year before we only raised 28 fledglings. Next year we might add a few gourds. (at the most 8 gourds) Lets say next year we can add all 8 gourds. That could mean taking 16 subs as nesters. Let's make that 20 subs in case a few of my birds this year die. Let's also say we fledge the same # as last year. ( We should fledge more) There should be 68 subs for others next year. ( obviously not nearly all will make it back) Now that most of my housing is full and I'm raising quite a few young, you should be able to attract martins some sooner. Also, not all my fledgling are going to go to you obviously. I do offer Troyer horizontal gourds so our house types would be similar. I also think it is good to offer some not so good housing. Our colony began as a plastic house with 6x6 compartments. When we offered our Troyer gourds, we didn't take the other house down right away and got more interest in the house than in the gourds even though the martins had been failing in the house. :shock: After we took the house down they did take to the gourds.
Well, so much for my 2 cent's worth. I hope you can get a colony going soon and PLEASE watch for leg bands. June 11th we had 46 nestlings band.
Best wishes,
Marcus
Top
Post Reply

Return to “Purple Martin Forum”