(Manns Harbor, NC ~ Roost Project)

The Purple Martin is declining species native to the United States & Canada. They are the largest in the Hirundinidae family and have 6 close cousins.


Purple Martins measure, on average, 7 1/2 inches (19 cm) long and weighing 1.9 ounces (55 grams). The average life span for a Martin is 2-5 years, although some can live 6-7 years. The oldest Martin on record lived to be 13 years and 10 months. For hundreds of years people have been putting up housing and helping these amazing, bug eating, friendly, graceful flyers. They arrive at the start of spring and leave on the edge of fall. As their young fledge, they leave their breeding grounds to form large roosts. These roosts can even be seen on Doppler radar as half or whole donut shapes and can number in the thousands. After a few weeks, the roosts begin to break up as the Martins begin their journey south, traveling thousands of miles to Brazil where they over-winter. They repeat this cycle every year, from the time they are born, till the time of their death. Migration alone is a major contributing factor of Martin deaths. Bad weather, predators & accidents are only a few of the dangers these birds face as they travel north to south and back north again. Their numbers have declined significantly over the past 50 years and its no wonder why. Add to this the introduction of the House Sparrow, European Starling plus deforestation and it is a miracle these birds are surviving at all.

Gone are the days of simply erecting a Purple Martin house, sitting back and getting Martins. I myself, have never even seen these days, but I have heard they did at one time exist. For the next generation, people who are 'wannabe' landlords need to be well informed, educated, keep up with the latest improvements and have the much needed time to care for these much wanted birds. Most people, however well intended, never pick up a book, ask a friend, or search the Internet looking for information. Unfortunately for the Martins, most people hear the infamous false rumor that Purple Martins  'solely' eat mosquito's, rush out... buy and erect a house... then let it fill up with Sparrows & Starlings wondering why they can't attract Martins. This needs to change.

Is it true that Martins are mosquito hogs? Unfortunately, no. Although Martins have been known to eat some mosquito's, this is not their 'main' source of food. The link below "What Do Purple Martins REALLY Eat"is the only known study on this topic which was printed by the PMCA back in 1990. Ironically, Martins are frequently seen dining on dragonflies, which is a known insect to feast solely on mosquito's. Even though the Purple Martin won't rid your yard of those pesky mosquito's, they do however, eat many other nuisance insects... like bees, wasps, stink bugs & horse flies. So don't lose heart! The martins are still bug eating machines.



Northern vs. Southern Martins

It is my opinion that the techniques needed to attract Martins differ according to where you live. I believe there is very much a North-South thing happening here. If you live in the South, in general, attracting Martins is fairly easy. Your season starts early and ends early. The birds, in general, are plentiful. You have the pleasure of large Martin roots in the fall while they are all migrating on their way to over winter in Brazil and you get the majority of them flowing through on their way back north. So in some ways you have the best of both worlds. Southern Martins are more used to gourds and generally accept hole modifications. This is not to say that Southerners don't have their problems, strong storms, drought, extreme heat, all contribute to nest failures.

Northern landlords have their work cut out for them. Up North, the Martins are used to metal/aluminum housing, as this is what's mostly out there. Martin babies imprint on their surroundings and search out similar housing when they mature enough to nest. They are less likely to give a good attempt at entrance hole that is not round. They also do not readily accept different housing styles. Bottom line is, Northern PM's are picky and there are FAR fewer of them. Our season starts later and seems to be over way to fast for our liking. Northern Martins are exposed to cold/wet climates which can lead to nest failures. We just saw out worst year in years in spring of 2002. There have been hundreds of Martins found dead in compartments all the way into Canada. Mother Nature can be cruel for martins across the US.  

Having giving you a glimpse into some Martin behavior, below is a list of things that can help you in your effort to attract there marvelous birds.

*If you do not have the time to properly care for these birds, please do NOT erect housing*
Tips For Attraction

If there is one golden rule to attraction, it would be.. there is no 'golden rule'. Each site is different and has it own pluses and minuses. The only golden rule for a 'successful start' of a colony is not to let ANY other species of bird nest in your Martin housing, but Martins. I have seen Purple Martins nest in the most God awful housing. Having said this, I also believe the Martins that lived in these conditions were doomed to perish. So you see, technically, you can erect a Martin house and potentially attract Martins, but it doesn't mean you should.  

#1 Have An Attractive Site

Some people, like myself, get lucky and attract Martins right away. While others try for years with no success. I believe the number one on the list is having a attractive site. What is an attractive site? This simply means evaluating your yard and making the best with what you have. Martins like as open of an area as possible, far away from trees & shrubs. If you live in a heavily wooded area, then Martineering is not for you. If there is only one or two trees in question, then trimming, moving or taking down a few will certainly increase your chances. Your Martin house should NOT be within a "minimum" of 40' from the tips of the tree branches, or drip line .... 60' or more preferably. If you live on the water you can certainly get away with the 40' rule by placing your housing on a pier or directly over the water. Trees equal predators to the Purple Martins as this is where hawks, etc. will hide and wait to ambush them, so they tend to avoid housing next to trees. The PMCA has a great PDF document called...

#2 Take A Drive

To see if there are any active colonies in your area, take a good look around your town and see if you can spot Martin housing. If you see any Martins on a certain style housing, consider starting out with that style housing. When the young Purple Martins fledge from a house/gourd, they imprint on their surroundings and typically seek out that same style cavity the following year when they return as SY's for their first year of breeding.

If that particular style housing does not meet the recommended standards, then you can either make the recommended modifications, or go with something completely different that is already built to these recommendations. It is better to have a different for your area Martin friendly house, rather than a house that is seen all over your area that is not Martin friendly (meaning that it cannot be modified).

Martineers are special people. I have yet to meet one person who has a colony not be willing to share every piece of knowledge they have learned over the years. Stop and see if these landlords would be willing to talk with you. You might be surprised to hear of more enthusiasts like yourselves. If you happen to run across a near-by colony, get excited! You can easily attract one of their offspring. I believe this was the case with me. There is a large colony about 3 miles East of me. I did just as I am suggesting and now I have a close Martin friend and some PM's to boot!

#3 Choosing The Right Martin Housing

DO NOT go rushing out to the nearest Home Depot, Menards or home improvement store to buy whatever Martin housing they have. Research available housing on-line, as well as in the stores.

ALL MARTIN HOUSING IS NOT CREATED EQUAL

Which kind of housing you chose is a personal choice. Basically, there are 5 types of housing....

Metal - Wood - Plastic - PVC & Natural Gourds

Which ever style house you choose should at least have three basic things. If not, don't buy it and find one that has these qualities....

1) Securely attached on a pole that can 'easily' be raised & lowered.

2) Accessible compartments for nest checks, replacements & cleaning.

3) Large compartments such as 7"x12"(or at least the capability to enlarge)

Adding to and/or making modifications to housing with these three qualities is at least possible and not a complete waste of time and money. You don't have to buy the most expensive housing out there to attract and host happy & healthy Purple Martins.... but don't buy the cheapest either.

The PMCA sells a wide variety of proper housing, plus a portion of the profit goes into their study programs. Martin Marketplace

One important thing to mention here is to never attach ANY wires, of any kind, to your housing or pole. This includes clothes lines. Also, do not let any vegetation grow up your pole or anywhere near it. Doing so only invites climbing predators, such as snakes, squirrels, etc. to raid a potential nest. You should keep the area mowed under your housing as well.  

#4 Starling & Sparrow Elimination

OK, so you have evaluated your yard, picked the most open spot, selected your housing and have it all set up and ready to go! Before a Martin sets one foot on your housing, you can bet that House Sparrows & Starlings will! Even if you do not see any activity, lower the housing at least once a week and check for any nest building. If you find nesting material, make sure you identify which species is nesting and then take the appropriate action.

Starlings & Sparrows are not a US protected species and they are viewed as a menace to our Eco System. Therefore, killing, trapping and removing of their nests is perfectly legal and encouraged. You may need to destroy several S&S as well as their nests to get your yard under control. I never knew how many I had until I put up a Martin house. They came out of the woodwork! This will be a never ending battle, so be prepared to maintain this aggressive approach for as long as you have housing up.

Some people will tell you that it is OK to let S&S nest in  Martin houses and that they will all get along fine.... This couldn't be further from the truth! Oh they may appear to coexist at first, but eventually they will drive any Martins you have nesting away, if they haven't killed them or their young first. Bottom line is... Martins, House Sparrows & Starlings don't mix.

Depending on where you live, will determine how bad of a problem you have. Usually, once you start eliminating them, you will see them less and less as the season progresses. They generally hit my site in waves, so to speak. If you have a serious Starling infestation, you should consider using special Starling Resistant Entrance Holes, or SREH for short, to start out with.

Having said this, you should also know that the PM's are not generally used to these SREH entrances and if you have an unestablished site, you may potentially detour some would-be Martins wile keeping the Starlings at bay. Again, depending where you live, Southern Martins will usually accept these SREH entrance holes much easier than Northern Martins. There are three types of Starling Resistant Entrance holes or SREH. They are Excluders -Crescents & WDCs. Even with these modifications, S&S control is still vital for a healthy colony.

#5 Dawnsong & Daytime Chatter

The Dawnsong is a recorded call of a adult male Martin (ASY) flying high over his nesting site in the early pre-dawn hours, calling in other Martins... typically the second year birds or subbies (SY).

The Daytime Chatter is a recording of an active colony. Purple Martins like to be around and nest with other Purple Martins. They will come investigate and land at a site that they think is established much easier than at an un-established site.  These tapes/CD's "put the word out" if you will, to let the Martins know where you are. I STRONGLY suggest investing in one or both of these tapes... Especially if you do not live near active colonies. If I had to choose between the two CD's, I would recommend the Daytime Chatter.

*USING YOUR COMPUTER TO SCHEDULE AND PLAY DAWNSONG AND DAYTIME CHATTER WITH OUTDOOR SPEAKERS TO ATTRACT PURPLE MARTIN*


#6 Decoys

Following in the same footsteps as above. A decoy is simply that. A fake bird made to give the allusion of a perched Martin to draw in other Martins. Martins like to be around other Martins. There isn't any hard proof that the decoys work, but many landlords used them, including myself. I believe they are worth a try. I have heard of Martins trying to mate with decoys, so this tells me this fools them enough to make them believe it is a fellow Martin. Here is a link on how to make your own.

#7 Get Involved In The PM Community

On your journey to attract Martins, you are bound to hit some speed bumps along the way. This is where it is invaluable to have other landlords to turn to for help. The PMCA Forum is a wonderful start. This is where I started and believe me, I had questions. I would also suggest looking into any local groups and/or societies. You might be surprised and find one near you. At the very least you will have knowledgeable landlords responding to your specific questions and will learn what to do in certain situations. Every day will be a learning process, and you never stop learning. This is the beauty of it, in my opinion. At the very best you might just make some lasting friendships along the way, as I have.

# 8 Patience

I know its HARD, but you must have some patience with this hobby. Some will see results immediately, others will not. The worst thing you can do is switch things around every other day. Martins like stability, so before you make a change, make sure you are doing it correctly. If you are not sure, wait until you are. I am not saying not to make changes, just make them educated and correct the first time. Experimenting can be a good thing, Lord knows I have done my share. If you make an error in judgment, don't beat yourself up, learn from it and move on.

#9 Tree Swallows & Bluebirds

Be prepared to have Tree Swallows and/or Bluebirds take an interest in your new set up. Even though this is intended for Martins, other species will also think it looks like a mighty fine place to nest. Unlike S&S, many birds are protected by law and actually are a joy to have around as well. I recommend being prepared with at least two BB boxes in case such an event takes place. Even if you are not interested in these other species, you may have to offer them housing in the form of a Bluebird box to keep them out of your Martin set up. Keep in mind, if you allow ANY other species to nest in your Martin house, you will not get Martins. If you encounter investigating Bluebirds and/or Tree Swallows see this link for a protocol with steps on what to do.

* Getting Martins is only half the battle. Once you attract them and entice them to stay, you will need to maintain your colony and keep them safe from predators and mishaps. *


*WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE AN INJURED BIRD*

Perhaps you have found a chick that has fallen out of it's nest in the past. Or maybe you will in the future. Do you know what you are supposed to do in such a situation?