Attracting Purple Martins

Locating houses, understanding their habitat requirements are important factors in getting these birds to nest in your backyard. Using the information about house placement, and the martins nesting habits, we hope to help you get started in not only a fun hobby but a much needed support for these birds.

With the competition from Starlings and House Sparrows, it becomes important for humans to do all they can to protect these birds.

Following time tested practices will give you the best chance at attracting Purple Martins to your backyard.

It's important that you learn all you can. Simply placing a house up may be enough to attract wrens to your backyard, doing the same for these birds will only lead to hatching more house sparrows and starlings.

Beginning a New Colony

Enjoying Purple Martins More

Locate your housing in the center of the largest open spot available, at least 30 and not more than 100 feet from human housing. So many people fail to attract Purple Martins because of placing their houses too close to trees and human habitation.

There should be no trees within 40 feet of the nesting site and preferably further away. In the South you can get away with placing your houses within 25 feet of trees. While you may see others having success with housing close to trees it better that new colonies be established as far away as possible from trees.

The height of the house should be in the range of 10-17 feet with 12 - 14 about average. Don't attach wires to the house or pole. Predators can use them to get to the birds.

As you begin to attract Purple Martins to your nesting site,

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you'll need to take precautions to protect them from predators. Some of the predators are raccoons, snakes, squirrels, and owls. The use of baffles on the pole can detour predators that climb.

In the South where fire ants are numerous, try keeping a ring of petroleum jelly on the pole. Don't kid yourself, snakes can climb just about anything so wrap bird netting around the pole. Snakes will have to be cut out of it but you'll still have your birds. If a colony gets raided by a predator the whole colony may relocate and never come back.

It's been said that adults are rarely attracted to new breeding sites and while mostly true, last seasons second year birds come back as adults and start new colonies if they didn't mate the previous year. Once you've attracted Purple Martins that nest successfully you'll be able to attract them back and add more with time. The first pairs have to experience nesting success or they won't return. In my own case it was and adult male that started my colony. He hung around the season before but never stayed the night. I can't really state as fact it was he without banding but I feel safe saying it was the same one.

Understanding Colony Startups

Attracting Purple Martins to a first year colony is typically begun with last year's young (Sub-Adults). These are the ones that (generally speaking)colonize new sites. They begin arriving about 4 weeks after the first adults show up in an area. So for new colonies, if you see adults at other sites, you can expect the second year birds in roughly four weeks.

Purple Martin Starter Home

Since the first time nesters arrive later than the adult scouts, it's best to keep your houses closed until it's time for them to arrive. Otherwise you'll be giving House Sparrows and Starlings a 4 - 8 week head start.

Migration is a staggered occurence. Birds arrive for 8-12 weeks in the north, 16-20 weeks in the south. The first birds back nest in the south and have been recorded as early as December in Florida.

These birds can arrive and begin nesting up through the end of June, range wide, so keep your housing ready, don't close it up, or let other birds use it. Never allow any other bird to use your housing. Even if you get no birds this season. These birds look and visit housing througout the season and if you let other bird nest, you may never get the ones you want.

Your chances for attracting Purple Martins will be better if your housing is easy to manage. Choose a pole that telescopes, or is equipped with a winch or rope & pulley, and housing that has easy access to the compartments. housing is easy to manage. An easy to manage system will make cleaning House Sparrow and Starling nest easier giving you a better chance at attracting Martins. Choose a pole that at a minimum telescopes. The better choice is to get systems that are equipped with a winch or rope & pulley. Housing that has easy access to the compartments is also important as you'll need to be able to track and record the number of martins in your housing. Easy access makes for faster end of season cleaning.

Placing a handful or two of dried white pine needles, dry twigs, or straw may be helpful in attracting Purple Martins. A supply of mud close by can be helpful to those of the species that use mud to place around the opening. Not all use mud.

When attracting Purple Martins color of housing should be considered. Houses and gourds should be white, or a light color. White housing seems to attract them best and the color reflects sunlight. Temperature extremes can be detrimental to the young birds.

The Cavity floor dimensions have in the past always been 6 inches by 6 inches, and have been and still are good at attracting Purple Martins. But, larger cavities 6 - 7 wide and 8 - 13 deep have been proven to be preferred by these birds maybe because they offer better protection from predators and rain. A round entrance hole of 2-1/8 inches is the preferred size opening although they will use an opening in the 1-3/4 - 2-3/8 range.

Due to Starling competion, manufactures are making houses and gourds with Starling resistant entrance holes (SREH) These may be cresent shape or a host of other shapes. These types of openings are highly recommended in Starling areas which is most of the nation.

Some people have had success attracting Purple Martins to nest at a new site by playing the Dawnsong. This CD is available from the PMCA. Played early in the morning it's said to at least attract them to the housing. It may not get them to nest but it may get them to take a look at your housing.

Don't close the shop down too soon. Keep your houses open until late August, as this years fledglings will be searching for next year's breeding sites in late summer.

Closing Your Housing

When you do close down your housing, give it a close inspection. Remove all nesting material and scrub with a 10% bleach solution (1 part bleach to 9 parts water). Let it air dry before storing for the winter.

Take care of any repairs now so you'll be ready in the spring. If you choose to leave it out for the winter, be sure and plug the entrance hole. otherwise, House Sparrows and Starlings will begin to use it in late winter, making it impossible to get them to leave in the spring.

This is just a basic guide to attracting Purple Martins. Consider ordering one of the books mentioned and joining The Purple Martin Conservation Association to get the most out of being a Landlord. PMCA

When it comes to attracting Purple Martins one has to be willing to never give up. Some get them in a year or two and others may take twenty or more years. You'll have to decide how much patience you have. It took me four years to attract Purple Martins and for the past few years it has definitely been worth it.

Watch As This One Suns Itself One Cool Morning

Watch A Nestling Peeking Out

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