wow. look at their mouths! lol why are you holding them?

Hi Kat! Yes; martins have very wide, and very soft, mouths. They eat only flying insects and often zoom around in the air with thier mouths open, scooping up everything that's in their way. Kinda like those huge whales that eat only krill.

I check all my chicks at least once a week, and normally every day. I check the nesting materials to make sure they're dry with no visible signs of mites or blow-fly larvae, both of which can be fatal to the chicks. I also check the individual chicks to ensure there are no sucking parasites on them, and that they are well fed, developing normally, etc. I have picked up newly-hatched chicks when it was necessary, but they are so tiny and tender. I prefer to not handle them until they are 3-4 days old.

Purple Martins are "imprinted" on humans and nest only in human provided housing. It does not bother them to handle and inspect their nests or chicks. They don't "abandon" the nests as some birds will. Tree Swallows, chickadees, and bluebirds will tolerate a bit of "help" but not to the level PMs do. I normally check them only a couple of times to ensure there's no mites and that the English House Sparrows have not killed the chicks.

Some of the PM adults circle overhead while I'm doing the nest checks; some stay on the top perches; some go off to hunt insects. Some actually stay in the nest; I have to nudge them over with my finger to be able to count their eggs/chicks. Of course, some stay just to flog my head every once in a while.

As soon as I start cranking the rack back up the pole (with the boat winch that's attached at the base of the pole) the adults come zooming back in with beaks full of food.

Of course, I do the checks as quickly as possible, and only in the shady part of the afternoons.

Here's what I hope to find - well fed chicks resting in a clean, dry nest.

The brown goop on the walls of the gourd is cured construction adhesive. I smeared it on the floor and walls used a plastic fork to give it "texture." After it's dried and cured (winter project) it provides good support for the nesting material and adds traction for the chicks when they start using their feet. I don't have to add this to the natural gourds.

That's interesting, Caroline. My son tells me our barn swallow nests have attracted insects. I didn't ask him what they looked like, but does that indicate a problem for the swallows?

They probably have mites - tiny, pepper-speck-sized red bugs. When the nests are overrun with them, which can happen in very hot or humid times, the mites can reach such an infestation that they can kill chicks outright, from loss of blood, or cause young chicks to jump out of the nest before they can fly.

If you wish, and if you can safely reach the nests, you can sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon of Seven dust into each nest cup. It will kill the mites quickly and not harm the chicks. Check a couple days later and reapply if there seems to still be a large number of the blood-suckers.

You can get Sevin at Lowe's, Wal-Mart, or any garden center; it's in a round, yellow canister. It's safe for the birds. It can save the chick's lives.

I've only had 2-3 bad mite "blooms" in the nine years I've been keeping martins. Since I offer gourds it's easy to contain the problem. They can't travel across the metal arms to go from one gourd to another.

I do nest changes when the chicks are 10- and 18-days-old, and/or anytime I see mites. I remove the chicks to a covered box; remove all the old nesting material to a trash bag, wipe out the gourd with a paper towel spritzed with liquid Sevin; add new cedar chips for nest material, add 1/2 teaspoon of sprinkled Sevin dust, and put the chicks back in their now clean and pest-free home.

I can do a nest change in less than two minutes (once I have all the materials in place.) I try to help every chick that hatches live to fledge. Controlling pests gives the birds a great advantage.

If you handle infected birds or nests the red mites may get on you. They cannot hurt or you; they will not multiply in your house. They just crawl around looking microscopically creepy. Rinse your arms and hands off outside with cold water. Take a shower. They'll be gone. They want bird blood, not humans'.

Thank you, Caroline--from me and the swallows.

That's so cool.....Thank goodness for people like you.

You are amazing! Thanks for informing us on your birds
Marie

Thanks Marie; the birds are amazing. I'm just their faithful, indentured servant!

I do have other birds; I love and enjoy them all. I'm just trying extra hard with the martins since their numbers are dwindling due to lack of housing and predator (House Sparrow) stress.