Landlord must check the house every few days (or even daily in some cases)Īnd remove any starlings or sparrows who try to build there.Īnd for protection from cats, raccoons, and snakes, a purple martin house requires a predator guard around the pole near its bottom. That have been introduced into North America - the house sparrow (below, left) and the starling (below, right).īoth covet purple martin houses and will take them Most fun thing in the world to look into the martin nest and see the babyĪ purple martin's worst enemies are two aggressive, non-native birds Greater nesting success if we do our job. You need to be able to get in there and make sure there are no house sparrows or starlings nesting inside.Īll good purple martin houses allow access to the landlord!ĭon't be intimidated by the task of examining the nests. The SuperGourds are ideal.ĭon't buy a purple martin house if it doesn't provide for you open it up to clean out the compartments. Houses for sale that are only 6" x 6" x 6", but we do not recommend them. Research shows that this is too small for purple martins to lay aįull clutch of eggs (up to 7) and raise the young. Some martin houses are sold that are only 6" x 6" x 6". But the town reservoir was only half a mileĮach purple martin compartment should be at least 6" x 6" x 12". In my small town of Fairfield, Iowa, who got martins even though there was no water in sight. Prefer to nest within a half mile of a lake or other water. The birds will fly a couple of miles to water if necessary, but they
Offers them protection against predators. The purple martin house should be close to your own home. Trees taller than the height of the martin house should be within 60 feet They don't want to maneuver through trees or dodge telephone wires. Put their house in the middle of your biggest open area. Open area so they can sail straight into the houses from at least twoĭirections. We recommend it with SuperGourds, but any kind of gourds can be used.
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A winch system is easier to use,īecause the martin houses can be heavy when they're full of nests andĪ popular kind of martin housing with a winch is the Lonestar Pole and Gourd Rack. Most systems utilize telescoping poles or a winch. Martin houses are on poles that can be raised and lowered Don't attach it to a tree, because cats and raccoons could easily climb to the SuperGourdsĪppeal strongly to martins and seem to result in excellent nesting success.Ī purple martin house must be mounted on a pole or post at least 10 feet they come with rain guards and clean-out access doors. Plastic "gourds" called SuperGourds make great purple martin houses. hang plastic gourds that mimic natural ones.Many kinds of purple martin housesĪre available.
That's why it's crucial to make the new housing as ideal as possible, in order to get that all-important first pair of birds.Ģ. The best thing to potential nesters is martins already nesting there. Three or four units and add more as your colony expands. Purple martins nest in colonies of 2 to 200 pairs. And the better we can fulfill their needs, the more likely they are to become our tenants. (Click the picture for a larger version of it.) With proper care, the colony will grow larger year by year.įortunately, a lot of people have been studying exactly what purple martins require. The young males will look mottled, as shown in Chuck Abare's picture at left. The second year, your first tenants' offspring may return with them as well. (Click the picture for a larger version of it.) The photo at left, of an adult male at left, was taken by Chuck Abare, whose website has loads of information about purple martins. By that time the males will be in their glossy blue-black plumage, and they will look handsome as they perch on their houses. The next year, the same birds will return. Once a pair of purple martins accept our housing and raises a family in it, our colony is on its way. Until that happens, we're just wannabe landlords. Getting the first purple martins to move in. And if you fulfill their needs, you have a good chance of purple martins moving in to the housing you provide.įor those of us who are just starting out with purple martins, there is a certain amount of anxiety as we eagerly await the first pair of martins to accept our housing and begin their nest.īecause that's the name of the game. If you live in North America east of the Rockies, purple martins probably nest somewhere fairly nearby.
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