H. sparrows are never to be trusted. I had a co-worker tell me that he had bb's in one box and hosp in another about 20 feet apart. I told him the bb's will not be safe. He said the hosp were not bothering the bb's. He came to work and told me the hosp went into the bb box and killed the babies when they were trying to fledge. 1 bb baby survived. I know you really can't do anything because the box is not in your yard. It is a shame the owner doesn't take care of the box. The purple martins are gonna have a hard time :(

Karen

Thanks for letting me know that, do you know when purple martins nest or lay their eggs? I've only seen what look like full grown martins ( from quite a distance away that is) some have greyish colored undersides, like breast ad belly and looks like a little eye stripe, but not sure because again watching through binoculars and going by the few pics I've been able to take that came out good enough to see a little detail. I guess I'm wondering if all the Martins are now grown enough to defend themselves if sparrows become a problem or threat, or if what I am seeing now is maybe Martin males and females that are preparing to nest?? I am going to google and see what I can find. Also, the house has no baffle underneath and there is a small creek behind houses here in neighborhood and I have personally seen more than a few snakes back there and neighbors have killed a water moccasin in their diveway. I may try to talk to neighbors and see what they say, apparently the had an interest in hosting martins at some point or house wouldn't be there I guess??? Thanks again!

Hi there ams! I hope that bluesman chimes in on this one pretty soon. He is an expert in regards to the Purple Martins. I think that what you are seeing are adult martins who are there to nest. The nests are possibly already done, and they are now close to egg laying time. What a shame that these folks allow this to happen. The Martins are indeed in danger. The House Sparrows should never be allowed to nest with them. I wish that people would not put up the houses unless they are prepared to make a comittment to monitor them and keep the Martins as safe as possible. JMHO.

I was afraid that might be the case, they all look around the same size (martins) and info I found today said that the martins usually start to arrive here in February and look for nesting spots. In addition to All the other potential dangers/problems with the house/location where these martins are possibly planning to nest and raise babies, same neighbors also have a HAMM RADIO tower in their back yard and every year around late spring/ summer a great horned owl perches up there on and off and and hoots, I've heard him and seen him up there several nights in a row before. Is there anything I can do at this point, like put up a safe Martin house, or will they stay there now regardless? I'm hoping that if I talk to neighbors and explain the situation, they will do something about it. I feel sick at the thought of the martins going through whole process and end up losing babies or being harmed themselves. If I thought there was a possibility that they would relocate this late in the game, I'd gladly put up a safe place for them to nest and make sure it stays that wAy, although I'd be learning as I go, ughh, whole situation makes me nervous. I'm going to post the pics of the house and the birds tonight, I'm pretty sure the house is not the ideal layout either, it has little porches with metal railings on both floors and another railing across top and from what I've read so far, that makes it easy for owls to get to them. Thanks

ams, Should you ever decide to become a Purple Martin landlord, there are several really great forums which are dedicated to the Purple Martins. There are many nice people there who would give you all of the info you would ever need to do a good job. It is a farily big commitment though. The martins come back to the same place to nest each year, but if their home site is burdened with problems, they will sometimes change over to a new and more desirable site.

That is so horrible! Maybe you can put up your own Purple Martin houses, then ask the neighbors if you can "buy" their old one, then trash it. I doubt they even notice it's there and would be glad to get rid of it for free