Dear Jeanne- I just joined GardenWeb because I happened across this posting the other day and I wanted to comment about your birdhouse. I hope there is some sort of notification system that lets you know there was some activity on this old post from last year. Maybe someone can help me learn how this forum works. I know my comments are late coming. I'm curious how the birdhouse worked out this summer. My comment is a combination of congratulations and criticism and I hope you will find it helpful in planning any winter projects for next spring's birds and garden. I am active with The Purple Martin Conservation Association and am signed up as a "mentor" for folks in my area who are interested in learning more about martins and attracting them to their home. In this case- I'm sticking my neck out with some "outreach" that's unsolicited. And I must be clear- I am not a representative of the PMCA- I'm just a lover of native cavity nesting birds. If you are interested, you can find a mentor close to you at the PMCA website. The birdhouse that you and your husband made is a commendable beauty of craftsmanship but sadly it's a disaster for native bird conservation. I will include a link to some information about martin biology and at the PMCA website you can download file explaining ideal housing specs- and even buy plans to build state of the art perfect housing (which is quite an undertaking) There are really only three kind of birds who will nest in close proximity to eachother, English House Sparrows, European Starlings and Purple Martins. The first two are introduced non-native birds who compete aggressively with our native cavity nesting birds for nest sites... including wrens, blue birds and tree swallows as well as most of the woodpeckers. (starlings have been known to kill woodpecker nestlings in order to take over the wild nest site that the woodpecker excavated- so this isn't just about man-made birdhouses) The non-native birds have behaviors that our native birds did not evolve competing with. This is not a matter of "good vs. bad" it's a simple matter of biology and the problems that introducing non-natives can cause for the local ecology. It would be better to provide no nest sites at all- than to provide nest sites which are only hospitable to these invasive non-native birds as you will only be increasing the burden on the local cavity nesting birds. Every breed of bird has specific needs- and it is quite amazing how - if you provide the perfect nest site (the right size hole, the right depth cavity, the right height off the ground, perch or no perch, in the right location in your yard) AND you provide an environment free from aggressive competition with the non-natives... you can cultivate a bird family of a specific variety with almost the same assurance as planting a specific seed in the ground. You should never put up a house with the idea that "some bird" will make a nest there- every bird house you place should be so specific that you know exactly which bird you are targeting- as if you sent them a unmistakable written invitation...and when you see your efforts rewarded- it is oh so satisfying!! Bird houses should never be placed on climbable poles as they just become "egg shops" for snakes, and raccoons. (The auger could not be a more perfectly designed snake ladder.) Also bird houses should not have plantings at the base of the poles as these hide predators from view. I hope this has been helpful- best wishes- Sarah Here is a link that might be useful: About Purple Martins

Countrygrl, I use exterior primer (Zinsser) and paints, just like you paint your house with. I get it in the mis mix section at HD, Lowes, or find it at Habitat Restores as well as in the trash behind stores, etc. Here in California, there are SOOO many regulations about how you're allowed to throw anything away, so many people just dump it where they can get away with it. It's good for us, lol. I sprayed underneath this with a can of car undercoating (get it at auto supply stores), so if it ever collects water underneath, it can't soak in. Someone here suggested it a while back and it works really well. It can also be painted. Linda

The purple martins took off for South America yesterday. It was sooner than I expected. I'm a little sad. Every year, I get used to seeing them when I come home. I always take some time to watch them. It is so relaxing to take a few minutes to sit on the bench to watch them soar around the sky and talk to each other. It is great to invite friends over to sit under the tree, have a glass of ice tea and watch the martins. That last set of babies fledged and boy, the colony didn't waste any time at all. I saw them late yesterday morning and had a sense that they were getting ready to go. Their fluttering around the house wasn't quite their normal behavior. By noon there wasn't a purple martin in sight. None came into the birdhouse at dusk last night and this morning, the house was still empty. So I took the house down this afternoon and cleaned it out. Got it ready to put into the attic until Christmas/January. I sure do miss them already! Carol

And now I interrupt the "end of the season" blues... ... to report about 20 Purple Martins are over my front yard and gourd rack right now. They are zooming around, soaring, circling, calling and chattering, and all-in-all being absolutely delightful. Even without grabbing the binoculars I could make out a few newly-fledged PMs bumbling along. I don't think these are "my" birds. They've been overhead for about an hour. Then they began dive-bombing and zooming by the gourds as fast as they could. After 15 minutes of that, two got brave enough to land and look inside a few of the gourds. Now there is a new fledge perched on the top pulley, as high up as he can get. He's chattering and bobbing, puffing up and looking all around in a very proprietorial way. Fledges all look the same, but I'm certain this is male. He's going to be a real (but delightful) pest next season as a SY, and an awesome beauty the next. Could he be the one to help produce my first 8-egg nest? It's August 13, three days past their latest departure date ever, and they are still being very good medicine.