Ooooh, nothing like a garden in spring for bringing in the migrating birds! Sounds lovely, Gary. I really think purple martins are beautiful. That shiny purple-black coloration is remarkable, and they have the prettiest little heart shaped faces. Of course, you kind of have to see them close up to appreciate that, but still, they are sweet looking. You are right...they prefer their nests to have a long open "run way" leading up to it, and not be enclosed by a lot of trees. An open backyard or field with a pond or lake nearby is ideal for them. But still, to have them stop by your house is fun, I'm sure. The goldfinches I had during the cold snap (along with the fantastic summer tanager) have moved on. I have seen one or two single ones this past week, but they didn't stick around. The lone yellow-rumped warbler who fed every day with the summer tanager is still here, and still eating seed. (I swear, the birds don't read the books!!!) My white-winged doves have made one or two appearances at the feeder, but mostly, they are laying low again. They probably won't be very active for another few weeks, yet. The Carolina wren is very active and very vocal right now, and the cardinals are busy, but I haven't seen any cedar waxwings yet this year. And the great-crested flycatchers haven't arrived. I'm waiting to hear the first loud THREEEEP from them. I envy your painted buntings. Hope I get some this year, too. Marcia

Yes; I saw the vintage Purple Martin house, but I didn't respond on that forum, since I don't often post there. You folks are use to my Purple Martin/Native birds rants; they may think I'm odd. LOL I certainly understand why she was pleased and honored to have something from their friends house; I would be, too. But with all due respect and kindness, I would never offer it as serious housing for Purple Martins. With a lot of work, meticulous modifications, and careful monitoring it could possibly be used for Purple Martins, but that's a big "if." I would repair it, paint it, love it, and display it in a garden or on a porch...but I would block the entry holes so it couldn't be used by birds. Purple Martins wouldn't stand a chance in it, and it would be come a breeding ground for the destructive and non-native European House Sparrow. These type of (often lovingly and artistically crafted) wooden houses were very popular in the mid-50s to late 60s, before the marked increase of non-native English House Sparrows and European Starlings and the consequential decimation of the native Purple Martins and Bluebirds. For Purple Martin housing to be safe and productive, for it to allow the largest numbers of eggs to be laid and the largest percentage of the chicks to fledge, it must offer... ...Large cavities. The standard now, to provide plenty of room and safety from the reach of hawks' and owls' claws, the compartments need to be 7x7x12 inches in houses, or gourds of 10-11 inches in diameter. Owl resistant tunnels, and starling resistant (SREH) shaped openings ensure even more safety. This house could be modified so every two compartments became one. A SREH tunnel could be added and access port set into the second room. Of course, this would change the artistic lines, but it could then possibly produce healthy and Purple Martins. ...The compartments must be well ventilated, but easily drained and protected for rain. ...You must be able to access the nests for monitoring. The houses should have doors that open; my gourds have 4" wide access caps in the back. By performing nest checks, you ensure the safety and health of the chicks. It's all a numbers game if they are not going to become extinct. Get the most number of eggs, and ensure as many chicks as possible live to fledge (fly off for their first migration). Purple Martins are big birds; in a large compartment or gourd they can lay up to eight eggs. These chicks will be as big as the parents in three weeks. They need a lot of room to be healthy. ...The housing must be able to be raised and lowered for the nest checks. My gourd rack uses a pulley system with ropes to glide the hub, holding the eight gourds, up and down the pole vertically. You cannot "tilt" a pole without breaking the eggs. Another of the many joys of Purple Martins is that they've "imprinted" on humans; they want to nest near them. From the time before Columbus, native Americans along the east coast were encouraging them to nest near their communities; they knew the benefits the PMs provide by eating so many flying insects. PMs do not mind their nests being "checked." I check my nests every single day; I handle the chicks; I change out wet, dirty, or mite-infested nesting material. As a reward for this work, I have a 100% fledge rate over the past three years. Nest checks and proper housing provides wonderful results. ...If you allow English House Sparrows or European Starlings near the Purple Martin or Bluebird housing, your PMs and BBs will suffer. Their eggs will be broken; the chicks, and often even the adults, will be killed. EHS and EuSt control is key to the success of our native songbirds. Sad, but true. I'm still hoping and praying to attract a new colony here at our new/old house. My gourds are up and waiting, with pre-made nests of aspen shavings, and decoys alluringly arranged on the perches! Again, I hope they lady gets years of decorative pleasure from her lovly folk-art house. I would repair it, paint it, love it, and display it in a garden or on a porch...but I would block the entry holes so it couldn't be used by birds. Use the house for lovely and safe decor, and set up a small gourd rack with 4-8 gourds and you could fledge 24-48 chicks in one season. It's the best of both worlds. Happy Martineering! Here is a link that might be useful: A wealth of free Purplel Martin info and help here

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.

Leslie...I use either aspen or red cedar shavings. Either is fine. These are the big shavings, not the "sawdust." I buy the big bags at Tractor Supply. What's left over at the end of the season is used to change out one of Harry's seldom-used puppy pillows. Some people use pine needles, just rake them up in the fall and save them. Make sure they're really dry before you put them in the gourd. Some folks use chopped straw. Sue...I prefer to use gourds, either natural gourds that I've modified, or Super Gourds from the PMCA. If you're interested, I can email you all sorts of info on them. Gourds provide much safer housing for martins. They're safer from preditors, wet weather; and far easier to maintain than the houses. Also, there's much more room for the two rather large adult martins and 6-8 of their chicks. This SuperGourd has a reinforced hanging tube so rainwater can't drip inside from the hanging wire. The lid to the right is the access port. I take the photos through here. There's a PVC elbow added to the back of the gourd for additional ventilation and I enlarge the seven drainage holes on the bottom. I number each gourd so I can keep accurate records which are then sent to the PMCA to be included with all the other landlords' data. There's an incubating female peeking out of this gourd. This is a tricked-out SuperGourd. I added a porched double-wide tunnel the front. The pairs of martins love to sit on their front porch, and it makes it almost impossible for owls or hawks to pull out the chicks. The male is on the right.