Kendra, Do you have the house away from tall trees? Martins are nor like helicopters smile..They like to zoom in and zoom out. The best way I like to tell people is imagine they are the fighter jets and your house is the aircraft carrier or the airport. Nothing can block the flight path to the runways and consider the open areas near your colony the runways. It is the martin's nature not to want to slow down when entering or exiting the colony site. This puts them at greater risks of getting caught by the Cooper's or Sharp Shinned Hawk. If the martins do not have these open flyzones to and from they will not colonize a new site. Give them everything they seek Kendra is my point. You may also want to try hanging about 4 well natural gourds under the T-14. Martins love gourds but make sure these gourds are also starling resistent like your house is. That is very good that you have taken the steps to protect the martins from those no good murdering starlings and that is a huge step at getting a martin colony started. Anyway I just thought I would give you some tips and if you try and envision your martin setup like it is the airport and the martins are like F-16's you will see what I mean. You acnnot attract a nest seeking woodpecker to an open field Kendra and you cannot attract a martin to a woods or in the midst of tall trees or even buildings that may block the flyzones. Now at the same time make sure the martin house in within at least 120 feet of your house without blocking the flyzones. Martins like nesting near man because they have learned that the threat of hawks is not as great. Glad you love the martins Kendra..I know I do. Just keep on trying and make sure you do not allow the Hosue Sparrows to nest in the house either. They are just as bad for American birds as the starlings and there are traps for dealing with them...Mike

Lily, every one that enjoys any species of birds is lucky, too! I am very proud of my little PM colony though. I don't know where they're nesting, but I have a pair of catbirds that visit my nectar feeder every day. Yes; they have a sweet tooth hidden in that sharp little beak! I use an older style Opus nectar/"oriole" feeder. It has rubber plugs that function as bee guards. I took two of them off and was surprised at all the other birds that love sugar water when they can get too it. I've seen chickadees, house finches, purple finches, Hairy and Downey woodpeckers, and hummingbirds all using it, along with the expected orioles. Of course, I don't have a photo of the catbird on it, but this is the nectar feeder all the yard birds enjoy.

That's great to hear! Control the non-native EHSs and you'll get Blue Birds, or Tree Swallows, or Chickadees, or Nuthatches, or...any of the other native cavity-nesting lovelies. Did you know EUHSs are the main culprit in the near extinction of the native BBs and Purple Martins? Thanks to good "landlords," they're slowly coming back. My friend has had a pair of BBs raise three clutches a season for the past three years in her small suburban back yard in Delaware. The poor blue birds are desperate for housing. She didn't think she'd attract even one pair. I had more confidence in her birding skills and wasn't the least bit surprised at her successful fledge rates! LOL Each year she has at least two pairs of BBs and one pair of Tree Swallows. This year she also discovered nesting robins, cardinals, and house finches on her little property! She's planted the shrubs and areas these birds love. She added fresh water that's always available and she's in the bird business. I've had "fly by" attacks of bluebirds the past four springs. They zoom by my houses (set up in "perfect" BB habitat, LOL, with water, supplelmental treats, and not an EHSs in sight, and they still haven't built a nest. This year they did actually land on the box, so I'm considering that a step in the right direction. I'll keep trying; in fact DH set up another house for me in our neighbors' empty field/yard. (With their blessings, of course!) I do have nesting tree swallows and a pair of chickadees are seriously considering one of the nest boxes in the front yard.

Isn't it, Lisa! Don't you just want to kiss those yellow lips? I know I do! LOL (But I don't.) No, I don't over-handle them, but Purple Martins, unlike many other native birds, have imprinted on humans from before the time of Columbus, and are not put off by human "assistance" when done in a calm and safe manor. I lower the gourd rack nearly daily and check the nests...well "nest" this year. When the chicks are between 10-12 days old I remove them from the nest and put them in a basket lined with a towel. I loosely cover them. Then I quickly remove all the old nesting material, check it for parasites, and refill the gourd with clean wood shavings or pine needles. I add about 1/2 teaspoon of Sevin dust under the shavings, form a new nest cup toward the back of the gourd, and replace the chicks. I have the materials all ready and can change out a nest in less than three minutes if it's not heavily invested with mites or blow fly larvae. Thankfully I've never experienced the latter and have had only minor out breaks of mites that were cured with a nest change and tiny sprinkle of Sevin. I've had adult birds dash into the gourd before I was finished and wait for me to return their chicks. They swoop around and fuss at me, but they are not distressed at all. By carefully monitoring their PMs, landlords will have higher fledge rates (The number of hatchlings that live to fly off on their own at 28 days of age.) It's all a numbers game with them; "every martin counts." By offering larger, safer, dryer nest sites (such as gourds or large 7x7x12 wooden cavities) ...by offering pre-built nests to conserve the returning adults strength... ...by daily (or as often as possible) monitoring to head off any potential parasite or predator problems There will be stronger adult birds to produce more eggs, and more viable eggs, with hatch and grow quickly into more strong and healthy martins. The same holds true for our native blue birds, chickadees, nuthatches, and woodpeckers, and other cavity nesters that have been killed off at alarming rates, some (such as the blue bird to the point of near extinction) by the imported non-native European starling and English house sparrow. Some birds will abandon their nests and young if they are interfered with. It's best to study the species, talk to experts, consulst the Audabon society and your local bird clubs, and do your best. I'm happy to say that for the past four years I've had 100% fledge of all the PM eggs laid at my colony. Even if you just offer a large plant saucer of fresh water daily, you're helping our native birds. They're a gift from Heaven, enjoy them. I'll jump down from my "save the Purple Martin" (and all cavity nesters!) soap box now. LOL Here is a link that might be useful: Purple Martin Conservation Association