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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