Hi Lisa, Yes, I would think that they would have their houses up already. My friend who lives in North Dakota has just had her Martins arrive, so it is time. It is absolutely NOT too late to get nesting Martins. It is VERY important to place the house in the very best location possible. Martins need large open flyways from all directions. They do not want to nest next to large trees, but they do not like to be too far away from people either. Location is EVERYTHING to them. Proximity to the Bluebird housing should not be too much of a problem for them. I wouldn't put them side by side intentionally, but many Martin landlords have BB's nesting in close proximity to their sites. What you absolutely cannot do is to allow any other cavity nester to nest inside the Martin house. It must be monitored very closely. If you see another species of bird is interested in the housing, then it needs to be closed up until you see Martins on it or around it. YES, there are many websites where Martin landlords come to discuss their colonies and are very willing to answer questions and offer advice to those who are newbies and trying to learn and establish colonies. Here are some Purple Martin sites: http://www.purplemartin.org/ http://www.pmclubhouse.com/isapi.dll?c=h&htx=page http://www.michiganmartins.com/ http://purplemartin.org/mentorprogram/index.php?loc=MI http://www.chuckspurplemartinpage.com/ Hope that helps you!! Keep me posted on your progress?~~Angie

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

Well it is on a pole and I think with the help of my husband I could lower it, I don't know if I have any Purple Martins or not....it is really high and it is out on 1 acre where they have full clearing to swoop in and land and all the trees we have are not near the house. I want to thank you for the link and I will read up and then decide what to do next. I need to start paying attention to that part of the yard, I used to look with my binoculars but admit I have not done so lately. I would really like to provide a home for them so I will work on it. I am fairly new to the Garden Web and just discovered this wonderful thread on bird watching which I love to do. Thank you for taking the time to answer me:) Dusty

Socks, I'll also refer you to the link I posted earlier. There's so much information at the PMCA site that you may enjoy reading. Purple Martins have the unusual distinction of relying upon man made housing for safety while breeding. If there's not enough housing in one colony, they'll search for another place. If my housing were to be destroyed and not replaced, they would search for another but would come back here first to see if housing was available. If they didn't have housing, they would find shelter in trees but would not breed. Once breeding is over and the young ones have fledged, they will start to gather in large groups called "roosts" and prepare for migration. The smaller roosts will meet up with larger groups to form "super roosts" and these are visible from radar! The roosts are generally in trees and they gather for the night. As far as the same birds returning year to year, I can't prove it with my little colony but I do recognize certain birds from year to year. The only way to really prove that is by banding, but you have to be certified to band birds. There are couples that prefer certain housing units over another. We proved that this year by only opening the newer housing first. They kept on checking out the older ones and the minute we opened them, they swooped in and made themselves at home. The young birds (SY) will come back to where they hatched. If they find housing, they will settle in. If not, they'll search nearby. Here's a picture of my current 108 unit set up. Pay no attention to that leaning pole....it's been up for a while!