It really is fun to watch them in the air and when they drink from the pond. So now I'm inclined to let them do their thing and enjoy the show. He said, they've been around thousands of years before people started making homes for them. I don't know where they nest or life at night. I told a friend that I wanted to get a few homes for them, but wasn't sure if it would matter. They fly right around us and no longer fly off when we walk by them when they are on the power lines. They have also become more friendly towards us. If you think little things are not important try going to sleep at night with a mosquito in the room. I like martins eating mosquitos more then I dislike martins eating bees. Now theres maybe a dozen, but not all the time. Now we have mosquito controll, which doesn't work, and no martins. They started coming back again a few weeks ago. Kind of funny how the bunch up like that. They line up all together along one of the power lines. The Purple martin (Progne subis) is the largest swallow in North America. Then the few of them turned into dozens and dozens of them. They also like to sit on the power lines. They'd fly around the pond, drink from it while flying and do neet tricks in the air. About a week later, Purple Martins started showing up.Īt first there were just a few of them and I wasn't even sure what they were. The power lines cross the corner of my small pond. Last summer I brought power into my land for my new home. Then it dawned on me, my precious female Martin might become injured in this avian confrontation. The Martin female was simply making an effort to fend-off the cowbird. Clearly, the cowbird was being the aggressor. closer and closer to the Purple Martin female. I've been wanting Purple Martins for awhile too, but haven't gotten around to putting up a house for them yet because I'm still too confused on what is the right one, and do I really want to spend hundreds of dollars on one without knowing it will realy work. He was crouching down and crab-walking his way. Three years ago, a sparrow got in when they were both out feeding and pecked holes in the eggs and threw a couple out the hole. The PM's are pretty darn protective, tho, when they're in a family way. It has helped alot, but occassionally I have to put the pellet gun to work when they mess around with the gourds. We let the sparrows have that one.the Martins aren't much interested because of the height and the proximity to the tree. We have taken the the old alum Martin house and installed it about 80 ft away on a shorter pole and right next to a tree. We use the oval holes to deter Starlings. Regarding housing, as noted in a post above, the plastic gourds have yielded the best results, albeit limited activity overall in our area. It will be spotted during the south migration and the yearlings will recall when they return next year if their original/first housing choice is not available. If a railing is used as a decorative accent on the porch, it should be no higher than 5/8-inch or birds may become trapped underneath it.Up here, they say to leave the housing out until September even though there is no activity. Porches: Porches are not necessary on purple martin houses, but if they are used they should be 4 inches wide to allow birds to walk safely.If using gourd purple martin houses, the interior height should be 8 inches to accommodate the unusual shape and upper tapering of the house. Interior height: The internal height of the house should range from 5 to 7 inches to provide enough space and ventilation for all the birds.Interior floor area: The minimum space of the interior floor should be 6 by 6 inches, though slightly larger homes are also suitable and may be more comfortable for large broods.A higher hole will be too difficult for parent birds to enter and exit while feeding young birds. A lower hole will not provide adequate protection from predators and weather, and young birds could more easily topple out of the opening. Entrance height: The entrance hole to the house should be 1 inch above the floor.Crescent-shaped holes can also be effective in preventing other birds from using the houses, but purple martins have no trouble with that unusual shape. New Creation New Creation Purple Martin Housing Systems & the Chatterbox PM Forum. Entrance holes measuring 2 1/8 inches are the most popular.
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