Purple martins

[nodlenor]

Any purple martin landlords on here? I started about 10 years ago. Last year I had six nesting pairs. I use mostly the plastic gourds. I enjoy watching them while I'm working in my garden. I have a lot of trouble with sparrows trying to take over the nests but my trusty pellet gun seems to help change their minds. I've had a few starlings try but they are easier to control than the sparrows. It is an entertaining hobby.

[bilmac]

Nodle  I'm sure you know if you're into it that the martins prefer to nest in a colony. Place your gourds close together if they already aren't.

[Old Fart]

Father-in-law has been adding to his condo for several years now.
He's got 8 or 9 poles up in the air, some with multiple houses hanging on them.
Some evenings it looks like O'hare out there.
Birds just buzzing all over the place.
Then there's the added benefit of all the skeeters and other bugs they eat.
Makes sitting out there in the summer all the more pleasurable.

[Dee]

I've been puttin off lowerin my "martin motel" and cleanin the sparrow crap out of it. Thanks for makin me feel guilty. Now I gotta go to work.

[Graybeard]

I put up a condo for them at least three years back I think it must be. So far no occupants. Dunno why but it has not even been checked out by them. Lots of chimney swifts and swallows around as well as bats at night but no martins.

[Dee]

I cleaned and repaired my yesterday. We'll see.

[ToadHill]

Martins like to nest near large bodies of water.  I have 2 one acre ponds but that isn't enough for them.  All that fill my Martin houses are swallows, but they are fun to watch dive bombing me while I mow the lawn.

[nodlenor]

I have two telescoping poles with 6 gourds each. I'm not near water but that didn't seem to matter. There are others in the area that are landlords also. I wonder if that is what made it so easy for me to get started. I know others that have tried to lure them but didn't have any luck. I put my first pole up in the fall and the next spring I had some martins. I can't explain why they came to my place so quick. I've read about things you can do to lure them in but don't know if they work or not.

[rockbilly]

While my neighbor was alive he had several “Hotels” for them.  There were always lots of birds and few mosquitoes, since he passed away no one bothers anymore and the mosquitoes have returned..  His houses were on 18-20 foot drill pipe, each pole had a house to accommodate 10-12 nesting pairs attached to it.  His kids took the poles down after he died, didn't want to fool with them anymore.