purple martins

15 years ago

will p.m and b.b live in my gourds together thegourds are p m gourds.all they are doing today is fighting only 1

pair of p.m. have come so far.what do i need to do?

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Comments (6)

kendra2003
15 years ago
Is this your first time attracting Purple Martins? If so, you need to get the Bluebirds to move to a house separate from the Martin's rack. Otherwise the Bluebirds will probably scare off the Martins. If you have an established colony, it shouldn't be a problem. Excellent information on this can be found here and and here
bandjzmom
15 years ago
I agree with kendra. If the Martins have already chosen a gourd, I would close off the other gourds for a bit. Put up a Bluebird house elsewhere in the yard for the Bluebirds asap. If you had an established Martin colony, they would not allow the Blues to nest there. Martin housing is meant for the Purple Martins only.
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What a treat! Thanks for sharing. I read such a discouraging article in the Chicago Tribune last week. It was about a bird tagging location near the Illinois/Wisconsin border that has been functioning for forty years. At first I thought the article said the number of birds had declined by ten to twenty percent, then...no, the number has declined TO ten to twenty percent of the migrating birds. They blame pollution and the declining habitat along migration routes. One of the tiny birds photographed had been recorded on migration from Northern Canada to South America. Our bird population has never come back more than a few percent from the die-off during avian flu a few years ago. I almost never see a crow or blue jay -- who thought I'd miss *them*?
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If at all possible, I will try to get a video. He was on top of the nest box just outside my kitchen window and facing the main tomato garden. Wrens are great for keeping tomato plants bug-free. He's hopping up and down on top of the box. Sometimes with both feet, sometimes on first the left foot - hop, hop, hop - and then the right foot - hop, hop, hop. Sometimes his hops take him up a couple inches; sometimes a foot or more. He has both wings dropped down with his head bobbing. Then holds first one wing and then the other out at various angles and contortions...all the while doing the multi-footed polka, and singing his fool heart out the entire time. He flies straight up a couple feet and then zig-zags back down to the nest box top. Again, singing that fool heart out. I expected him to have a major coronary at any second. She looked at him; she looked in the box, (a very fine Coveside chickadee box, with slate squirrel guard, by the way) did the birdy version of an eye roll, and zoomed off. Her mama raised her better than to hang out with that sort of boy. But then...good girls and bad boys...we know how that story plays out at times!
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And now I interrupt the "end of the season" blues... ... to report about 20 Purple Martins are over my front yard and gourd rack right now. They are zooming around, soaring, circling, calling and chattering, and all-in-all being absolutely delightful. Even without grabbing the binoculars I could make out a few newly-fledged PMs bumbling along. I don't think these are "my" birds. They've been overhead for about an hour. Then they began dive-bombing and zooming by the gourds as fast as they could. After 15 minutes of that, two got brave enough to land and look inside a few of the gourds. Now there is a new fledge perched on the top pulley, as high up as he can get. He's chattering and bobbing, puffing up and looking all around in a very proprietorial way. Fledges all look the same, but I'm certain this is male. He's going to be a real (but delightful) pest next season as a SY, and an awesome beauty the next. Could he be the one to help produce my first 8-egg nest? It's August 13, three days past their latest departure date ever, and they are still being very good medicine.
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burwoodbelle
Original Author
15 years ago
Hi Kendra,I have had scouts before in early March, but never a male/female pair at any time.I have put up gourds for 3 years now.I would love to keep them here,I will work at getting the bluebirds away from my Martin gourds tomorrow. Thank you for the info.
Pat
lisa11310
15 years ago
Burwoodbelle. I just put up my first Martin house so I will be watching you. I live a 5 minute walk from a lake where there are several established colonies, I hope to see some at least checking it out this year. So far only a HOSP has looked at it and he got away before I could get the 22 out. He has not been back. I was hesitant to put up a Martin house but Hubby got it for my Birthday so I have to try! If all it attracts is HOSPs it will come down!
burwoodbelle
Original Author
15 years ago
Well I took my P.M. gourds down today.I put up an 8 compartment condo where the gourds were,I cleaned the gourds realy good,will it be ok to put gourds back up tomorrow.The martins are still around,but have not seen them on the condo.Moved the gourd the bluebirda were in to apost about 40ft.away hope they go to it.(not yet).
Pat
bandjzmom
15 years ago
Pat, The Bluebirds should probably accept the gourd that you moved if they were already showing a lot of interest in the gourds. The Martins will nest in a house or in gourds. Since you had 4 Bluebirds so interested in gourds on the Purple Martin pole, maybe you should just leave the house (only)up for a bit and see if the Martins will go ahead and claim a compartment. That way, you won't have to chase the other birds off of the gourds. Just an idea.~~Angie

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purple martins

Comments (6)

kendra2003

bandjzmom

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purple martins

Comments (6)

kendra2003

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