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Where can I get house plans?I've been asked a number of times for plans by people interested in building purple martin houses. Depending on the style of housing you're looking for, there are a number of different sources for plans. First, if you are interested in building them a rack for gourds such as you see here, then you'll find that information here: If the gourds appeal to you and you think you... I would like to start a Purple Martin colony. Is there anything special I should know?Yes, I'm afraid there is. Keeping purple martins can be a very gratifying and enjoyable hobby, but it's a lot more complicated than just putting a house on top of a pole and letting them come. Sometimes, if certain rules aren't followed, martins may never come and the house is then taken over by either English House Sparrows or European Starlings, the martins worst nesting... How high should I place my housing?This is a personal preference and may even depend on the type and location of the housing. Assuming that your location meets all the needs and spatial requirements of the martins, then the most favorable height is around 12'. The housing can be placed as high as 18', but remember, the higher it is, the more susceptible it is to winds and also, the less you'll personally be... How big should the entrance hole be for martins?According to most specification sheets available on this subject, the entrance hole for purple martins can be anywhere from 1 3/4" to 2 1/4" in diameter. Most commercial houses are sold with the 2 1/8" holes in them. If you're building your own, then the decision for the entrance hole is yours. Because of the recent increase and infestation of European Starlings, it is now... Which is better for martins, gourds or houses?This is a question that has been debated for years by purple martin lovers and it still isn't answered today, so let me just say this. What do you want to use?I have three different kinds of houses at my site, wooden houses, plastic and natural gourds and I can honestly say this. The martins seem to prefer the large, white natural gourds first and then they select the other two types of houses second. But this is in my area, martins in your area may prefer something different. And as for aluminum houses that seem to have problem... I bought my house. Now, where should I put it to have the best chance of getting martins?This one's hard to answer without actually being there and seeing the setup, so here are a few quick tips on locating any purple martin housing: Martins like wide open spaces, so with that in mind, the house should be placed in a very open area, but within site of your own home.. Martins hate tall trees. The house should be no closer than 40" feet of any tall trees, furthe... I've noticed that all your gourds and housing are painted white. Is there a reason for this?One, martins nest in the summer and that's the hottest time of the year. White is the most reflective color we have and thus, reflects the heat of the sun. We all know that the darker the color, the more heat is absorbed, so with that in mind, try to imagine a baby bird in a dark colored bird house with all that heat and being unable to escape it. For that reason alone, al... Is there a perfect martin house?The 'perfect' martin house would be very difficult (and expensive) to design and build but I will say this, we are getting there. Some of the houses built by newer and more educated manufacturers today are much better than others. With today's increased knowledge of martins and keeping them, there have been a number of very good improvements in the housing industry by 'new... So, what should I look for in a 'quality' martin house?Although I say this throughout my pages, here's a condensed summary of what to look for in a good quality martin house. First, look at the over all design and structure of the house. Is it sturdy? Is it made from strong materials that will last for years out in the elements? Cheap houses are much more costly than good quality houses in the long run. Does it have the new re... When should I open my housing?Both of these questions go hand in hand and again, the answer to these questions have changed. It was once thought that if you don't already have an established site, that you should wait 4 weeks after the arrival of the first scouts and then open your housing. But, that thought is now different. First, look at the map on The Bio Page . Find the area on the migration map w... Which direction should I face the holes in my house?I personally don't see any difference as far as the compass direction. However, I do see a difference when it comes to accessible flyways. My racks offer 360 degree accessibility and almost always, the gourds chosen first are the ones that are most easily accessible. Face your house to the open flight paths and you should do just fine. One other thing to note. I have notic... I have a night security light on my property. Will this bother them?No, not at all. In fact, I also have one and it's less than 5 paces from my nearest rack and house. I don't see any difference in their nesting habits at all. In fact, the main power and T V cable lines to my house use that nightlight pole and so do they for perching. I have a number of pictures with them sitting right on top of the light. Martins are not the least bit afr... What in the world is meant by HY, SY and ASY?These are nothing more than acronyms or, shortened terms, for a quick way of expressing the age of the birds you're dealing with and is determined by the plumage. Hatching Year, (birds born this year), Second Year, (birds born last year and still having adolescent plumage), and After Second Year, (birds born at least two years ago and have now attained their adult plumage)... Birds keep coming to visit, but then disappear. Why won't they stay?These questions are asked by a lot of people that have put up new housing and want to become purple martin landlords, but to be honest, I can't answer them. We are dealing with wild creatures and I have no clue whether they will stay or not. They might just be passing through, or they may actually be looking for a place to set up housekeeping. If the former is the case, th... I've read that martins like eggshells. Will this help attract them?No, not really. Yes, it's true that martins like eggshells, but this is usually only during nesting and brooding periods. The females use them for grit and a source of calcium which they need to make their own eggshells stronger. They also feed the to the young for the grit and calcium. Putting eggshells out before martins arrive will only attract all the other birds in yo... We don't eat that many eggs at our home. Is there another way to get some?There sure is. One way is to have some of your friends keep eggs shells for you following the cleaning and cooking procedures described above. You pick them up every now and then and add them to your stash. You could go down to your local restaurant and have them save you some. This could be a McDonalds or Waffle House or The Corner Cafe', whatever your local restaurant mi... What about perches? If I add them to my gourds, will it help me attract martins?No. Do not add any kind of perches to any of your gourds. This will only help the pest birds and predators get a foot hold on taking over that gourd. Perches under entrance holes are the results of humans thinking they are doing the birds a good turn when in reality, they are actually harming their tenants. Pest birds such as Sparrows and Starlings use these perches to tra... What are predator guards? Should I use them?Martins are communal nesters and of course, when you get a large group of any kind of birds or animals together, then there are predators that take notice. There are a number of different flying and ground based predators that martins need to be protected from. Snakes, raccoons, cats, squirrels to name a few. Owls are also a major night time predator that can wipe out a co... We have martins that come by during the day, but then disappear at night. Why won't they stay?There could be a number of reasons for this. They could be birds visiting from another site and are enjoying your site a little more than their home site and just might be looking yours over, but site fidelity is making them return to their home site for the night. If they continue to spend days at your site and like it more, then they may just make the switch and stay. Al... We had some martins come by and stay a couple of days, but now they're gone. Where did they go?One, they could very well be just passing through and found your site to rest for a few days. This often happens with older birds since they are headed back to the site where they nested last year. The will often take a day or two during their migration and stay at any available house that's along the way to rest a little. Two, it could be very early in the season and they... We have martins staying at our new house but they aren't nesting yet. What's wrong?Nothing. One thing that new martin enthusiasts run into is 'impatience'. Remember, these birds are just returning to their northern home and it's been a long flight for them. They're in no hurry to start nest building upon arrival. Give them some time. They need to rest a little, get to know the neighborhood and to also get to know each other. We as humans want them to sta... I've read where it helps to put nesting material out for the birds. Does this really help?Absolutely. I do and a lot of other landlords I know also do it. There are a number of different materials that can be used. Two that I highly recommend are Pine Straw (dried pine needles) and Wheat Straw. Both are usually available just about anywhere at garden shops and Co-ops. Others are available, but make sure that whatever you use doesn't get wet and stay wet. The pa... So, how do I use it?I use both the pine straw and wheat straw. Both are very abundant in my area simply for the raking and bagging. However, both can also be obtained at just about any garden shop in bales. You many not need that much for the martins, but the remainder makes great mulch for plants.. I start the year out with pine straw by putting a good base of it in all my cavities before th... We did a nest check and found nesting material in some compartments, but no eggs. Is this normal?Although not always, when you find a nest that doesn't contain any eggs, it is probably the work of a lone male. Many times single males (called floaters) are known to build a partial nest in the hopes of attracting a female. If they end up not pairing up, then the result is an 'almost complete' nest, but no eggs. Pay attention to the nest. If you see only one bird hanging... We found a nest in our house but we're not sure if it's a martin nest or not. How can we tell?The picture below is of a martin nest with 5 eggs in it. Martin nests are very low profile, often consisting of sticks and twigs and many leaves. In some of the smaller compartments, the nests may even contain a mud damn in the front of it. Although not always, many of the leaves are green when they are placed in the nest, but turn brown after some time. They will constant... We have a pair that has 4 eggs in their nest. How long will it take before the babies can fly?It normally takes 16 days from the time the next to the last egg is laid till they hatch. That's when the female starts sitting on the eggs full time. Then, approx 28 days after the eggs hatch, the young should take flight or 'fledge'. That can fluctuate a day or two depending on conditions in and around the site. This is another reason that nest checks should be done on m... My birds are diving at me when I go around them. Why are they doing this?This 'diving' or 'buzzing' is also called "strafing". The word is taken from a World War II action when the planes would dive at the ground spraying opposing ground troops with bullets trying to prevent them from advancing. Your birds are doing approximately the same thing. They are unsure of you and seeing you as a potential predator and are diving at you while squawking ... I've read on your page where you state that I should do nest checks. Why?In recent years, it has been proven that nest checks have become a very important part of keeping martins and are a very good way of keeping track of the health of your colony. The old ways of keeping purple martins are slowly but surely dying and educated landlords are slowly replacing these old time landlords. There are a lot of folks that are beginning to do talks and t... We have a dog that is penned in our back yard. Will he bother the martins?Normally, martins will pay no attention to dogs around their site, even if they are noisy. In fact, they soon find them as a deterrent to predators and accept them as part of their site. However; if your dog jumps at the pole, hitting and bumping it in an attempt to try and get at them, then the martins will definitely have a problem with that. If necessary to prevent this... What about cutting my grass. Won't this scare them away?No, not at all. Yes, they'll initially fly away, but soon return to your house. After enough times of your mowing under them, they'll realize you aren't any threat and will actually begin to just sit there and watch you. It's kind of funny to watch them when they sit on the house to first watch you coming and then pivot to watch you going. And then, before too long, you'll... How can I insure that my fledglings are cared for once they leave the nest?You can't. Some things just simply have to be left up to the parent birds. We are only able to see to it that they make it through nesting and then fledge. From that point on, they are being taught to be wild and self sufficient birds by the adult birds. My birds have all fledged and are now gone. Where did they go?Nesting and fledging time is the most dangerous time in a martins' life. They have to nest and raise young to continue the species just like any other wildlife species and have become used to using our housing to do so. While they are in the houses, sitting on eggs and feeding and raising young, they are at the mercy of many predators and pests. There are innumerable groun... Why is so much literature being written about enlarging the compartment sizes of houses?A lot of study has gone into this subject and it's now a proven fact that martins prefer the larger cavities, say 6" x 6" x 12". A long time ago, some aluminum house manufacturers decided that the size of a martins' nest should be 6" x 6" square. How they derived at this number isn't exactly known because the parent birds are around 8" long, but it probably had something t... Now that the young have fledged, will the parents lay eggs again and raise a second brood of babies?No, martins usually raise only one brood of young per year. However, should a pair lose their first clutch of eggs for some reason, some times they will lay a second clutch if it's early enough in the year, but this is only under unusual circumstances. We had a total of 10 young fledge. How many can we expect to return next year?According to studies done by banding young, only about 1 in 5 or 6 young will return to the same site. The main reason for this is that nature has intended the young to disperse to other sites to prevent inbreeding. Returning young from the previous year will settle as far away as 50 miles or even further to find a new home. But don't feel too bad about this. Your birds ma... What about adding new housing to an active site? Is that a problem?Absolutely not and in fact, if you already have martins, then they will be the first birds to investigate the new nesting possibilities. If you put it up while they are watching, they'll probably just sit quietly by and watch the entire project. Then, a moment or two after you've walked away, they'll start investigating. It doesn't hurt at all to add new housing to a site ... We want to move our martin housing to the other side of our house. Will this be a problem?Maybe, maybe not. Martins, as well as all other birds, have very good homing instincts and as far as they are concerned, that exact spot is their home. If you move it very far, then they may abandon it. I know because I tried to do this many years ago when I moved my T-14 and the martins didn't come back the following year. In fact, they would fly to the exact same spot an... But, can the housing be moved and still keep our colony?Yes, but there is a method that should be followed. It should to be done in steps and will take a couple of years. And, the distance can only be a short one for it to work. First, you'll need to get another house and put it up in the new spot where you want the housing to be located. Second, when the birds return, open all of the new house to them, but only half of the old... What is meant by the term "Anthropomorphism"?This is a term used to describe 'the ascribing of human characteristics to non human things'. In this case, we tend to attach our emotional feelings to wild birds, forgetting that these are wild creatures and do not have human emotions as we might think. They instead live primarily by instincts. This is a study that can get very in-depth and I don't want to get into it her... When can we expect our martins to leave for the winter?Parents and young will hang around the site for about a week or two after fledging. During this time, the parents will teach the young to feed on the wing and of course, the young learn to handle flying. Since they are wild birds, then all will revert back to living in the wild. All will move to a local communal area with other birds and congregate before the migration. Th... The birds are gone. Does anything need to be done with the housing?Now that the birds have left for the year, it's a good idea to lower the housing and thoroughly clean it out. This is a good practice because it removes any parasites that may be in the nesting material. Whether it be houses or gourds, remove the nesting materials, clean out any debris from the inside and then store in a dry out of the way place until next year. If you are... My housing doesn't lower. How can I clean it out?If your housing doesn't lower, now is the time to correct that. Many "Old-timers" are still under the old time beliefs of just put the housing up and the birds will do the rest. It has been proven many times over that this is not the way to properly maintain a purple martin colony. Tests have proven that landlords who manage their colonies have healthier broods and much be... I want to change my housing. Do I take the old one down and replace it with the new one?Depends... If you didn't have any nesters in your house, then it's simply a matter of taking the old one down and putting the new one up as you said. However, if you did have nesters, then it's a little more complicated. Your site is now established and the birds are familiar with it. Any major or drastic changes in housing could cause total abandonment of a site by the es... |
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