Blazerman Posted March 8, 2013 Posted March 8, 2013 Last year when some folks up the road were moving they had a moving sale and I stopped by. Along with all the other stuff I bought that I didn’t need, I purchased a large purple martin house that the guy had taken down from his yard. He said he never did get purple martins in it so he cleaned it up to see if he could sell it. Since it included the pole and everything I bought it thinking I could it up at our property on the Meramec. I did some searching on line and it looks like March is a good time to put it up so I am getting ready to do it. I know a lot of people on here are into all kinds of stuff so I was wondering if anybody has any experience with purple martin houses and could offer some pointers. One thing I am wondering is do you put it up and plan on not taking it down? Or do you install the pole in the ground so it can be taken down from time to time? Like to clean it out? Also, from what I read, it says try to put it up where there are not too many trees nearby. How far does it have to be away from them? Any help would be appreciated.
Justin Spencer Posted March 8, 2013 Posted March 8, 2013 They like to circle the house before landing so the bigger open area the better. It will help if you can take it down every year to clean it especially until a colony is well established. I need to clean mine and replace a couple old wooden ones I have, scouts should be here in the next couple of weeks. "The problem with a politician’s quote on Facebook is you don’t know whether or not they really said it." –Abraham Lincoln Tales of an Ozark Campground Proprietor Dead Drift Fly Shop
Blazerman Posted March 8, 2013 Author Posted March 8, 2013 Thanks for the reply Justin. We have a Bluebird house that has had a pair of Bluebirds for at least 5 years now and every year they raise a bunch of young ones. Hope to have the same luck with the Purple Martins.
Justin Spencer Posted March 8, 2013 Posted March 8, 2013 I built a bunch of bluebird houses also and every one gets filled every year. I clean them out once a year also, and they usually have 3 or more nests on top of one another from the previous summer. If you add another put it at least 100 yards from the first to avoid any conflicts. Good luck with the Martins, sometimes they take a year or two to get started. "The problem with a politician’s quote on Facebook is you don’t know whether or not they really said it." –Abraham Lincoln Tales of an Ozark Campground Proprietor Dead Drift Fly Shop
Fishmeister Posted March 8, 2013 Posted March 8, 2013 I bought mine from a neighbor as he was moving to a Seniors home. Mine has a cable system to lower for cleanout and stays out year round but does need to be cleaned each spring. It is located in a open area and has a big 4 prong pearch located close to it. Martins are a pleasure to have, I look forward to their arrival each spring. Of course, their is a multitude of info on the web about these interesting birds.
Dutch Posted March 9, 2013 Posted March 9, 2013 I saw a scout about 3 weeks ago so I put mine up and am patiently waiting for them to come.
jdmidwest Posted March 9, 2013 Posted March 9, 2013 They seem to work better out in an open area. They need to be cleaned out every year. "Life has become immeasurably better since I have been forced to stop taking it seriously." — Hunter S. Thompson
ness Posted March 9, 2013 Posted March 9, 2013 Jealous! Those are some cool birds. Whenever I've seen an active PM house I have enjoyed watching them. Haven't seen any in several years here in the burbs John
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