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Purple Martin Housing information |
Realizing that you want purple
martins to nest in your
backyard is the first step in
what can become a wonderful
way to be an active part of
conservation, get closer to
nature and carry on an age old
tradition of providing a place
for purple martins to nest.
If you live East of the
Rocky mountains in North
America, chances are you may
very well be able to lure
these beautiful songbirds to
your yard. How will you entice
these birds to the martin
houses that you will provide
for them? Just read on.
The first part to getting Purple
Martins to select your
site is
LOCATION.
Remember to
be realistic about the
locations you have in mind to
place a Martin house
Keep in mind that if you have
a Homeowners Association, it
may be more difficult for you.
You may have to check with
your HOA to see if having a
bird house is
allowed.
Ask yourself,
Where is the most open area on
your property? Sometimes a
backyard may NOT be the most
Purple Martin friendly
habitat. Would you consider
placing the purple
martin bird house on
your front lawn?
These are
some basic parameters that you
can use as a guide.
(Though there are many
exceptions in real
life.)
1.
Martin houses (or
martin gourds) should be at
LEAST 40 feet from
trees...preferably more,
though in the 'South' it is
said that Martins are not as
preoccupied with this.
2. Housing
should be no further than 120
feet from your home. And as
close as 30 feet. My
philosophy is keep it on the
closer side. You will enjoy
your birds more and they
actually benefit from the
added protection we
provide.
3. The
purple
martin bird house
itself should be AT LEAST 10
feet up in the air. Preferably
15 feet. Though once
established, within a colony,
they will tolerate lower
heights.
4.Keep
shrubbery away from the bottom
of the martin house or
gourd
rack.
Types
of Purple Martin
Housing
1. Aluminum
2. Foam
3. Gourds
4. Plastic
5. Wood
ALUMINUM Purple Martin
bird houses
PROS:
Look nice!
MANY different styles to
choose from.
Traditional Martin house look
to newer stylish models now on
market.
Last forever
Fairly light weight
CONS:
Fairly expensive.
Least expensive is around $80
for 8 small compartments (6x6)
Some houses range -$200-$500
and even more.
Harder to modify as you may
have to cut metal to enlarge
rooms.(depending on
manufacturer)
Poor insulation capabilities,
even though more expensive
models usually have insulated
roofs..
The
compartments can be enlarged,
by cutting metal to enlarge
the compartments to 6x12, but
that cuts down the amount of
rooms on the house by half.
It is strongly encouraged to
enlarge the compartments to
both protect the Martins from
predators and to increase
clutch size.
FOAM Purple Martin bird
houses
PROS:
Excellent insulation...as it's
made out of...you guessed it,
INSULATION material.
Very light weight.
Fairly easy to modify as
insulation material can be cut
with box cutter or hand saw.
Makes a great do it your self
project.
CONS:
No pre-manufactured foam
housing available.
Quite fragile unless covered
with some other material-which
will increase the weight.
Not considered the most
attractive house.
Purple Martin
GOURDS
PROS:
Birds seem to love them.
Can be quite roomy inside.
Less domination of multiple
compartments by 1 male.
Countless variations and
combinations.
Natural gourds are budget
friendly.
Natural gourds are very light
weight.
Environmentally friendly.
CONS:
Natural gourds need seasonal
repainting to increase life of
gourd.
Natural gourds can crack and
break.
Natural gourds are labor
intensive to prepare for use.
Not as "compact" as a
traditional
house.
There are
natural gourds and plastic
artificial gourds. It is
recommended that all gourds
have access ports for easy
cleaning and nest checks. I
use both plastic and natural
gourds. Statistics show that
number of eggs laid, number of
eggs hatched and number of
surviving young is greater in
gourds vs “houses”.
PLASTIC Purple Martin
bird
houses
PROS:
The least expensive way to
start trying to attract Purple
Martins.
The lightest -which may or may
not be a consideration.
Easy to modify rooms-no power
tools needed.
CONS:
May look the least
expensive-which you may or may
not care about.
Sunlight (UV rays) can degrade
the plastic over a period of
time. This can make the
plastic brittle and
translucent. If light is able
to enter the house it will
increase the temperature and
can lead to premature fledging
and loss of birds.
Most plastic housing
compartments are 6x6 which is
technically sufficient for a
Martin but not
ideal.
Again, the
compartments are easily
enlarged to 6x12, but that
cuts the amount of rooms on
the house by half.
You'll
find peoples opinions on
plastic housing is quite
heated.
WOOD Purple Martin bird
houses
PROS:
Excellent
natural insulation.
Can be a fun do it yourself
project-for the handy-person.
Environmentally friendly and
look nice too.
CONS:
Heavy as
sin.
Needs occasional repainting to
protect wood.
Also need tools if
modifications are
needed.
Be forewarned-DIY
does not mean less expensive.
If you do want to make your
own purple martin house, check
out the purple
martin bird house we
have found.
If you still don’t know what
type of martin housing you
want to offer, look at your
budget and what appeals to
you-esthetically.
Purple Martin
POLES:
Wood,
Steel or Aluminum? Square or
Round? Pulley, Winch or
Telescopic?
The purple martin pole may
well be one of the most over
looked and under appreciated
ingredients, when it comes to
hosting Purple Martins. A good
pole can turn a strenuous task
into a pleasure.
There are
2 things you should consider
when choosing a pole.
1. How heavy will
your housing be?
2. What is your
budget?
Why is weight an important
consideration? Because if you
know you want to have a large
heavy wooden house and/or you
can't lift heavy objects(bad
back?) Then you can cross a
telescopic pole right off your
list. Conversely, if you
choose a smaller aluminum
house and are able bodied a
telescopic pole may be a
budget friendly option for
you.
A pre manufactured heavy duty
pole with all the bells and
whistles can run you a couple
hundred bucks. That’s a big
price tag for a pole. If you
don't feel like paying that
much for a pole, then your
dreams of a huge 24 gourd
system are just that...a
dream.
Less expensive telescopic
aluminum poles start at about
$60.00. Also, if you are the
Do-It-Yourself kind of person,
you could rig a pole yourself.
Just make sure that lowering
and raising the pole
NEVER changes the
directional orientation of the
individual compartments. For
example; if compartment "A"
faces North, then it must
always face North. Purple
Martins are very sensitive to
this and will abandon a nest
if it changes its
orientation.
Winch
vs Pulley vs
Telescopic
Winch:
These poles have a small
handle that you crank to raise
and lower the housing. Easy on
the back. They usually have a
safety mechanism that keeps
the housing from falling down
on your head if you
accidentally let go of the
winch handle.
Usually
the most expensive
option.
Pulley:
A rope that attaches to a
pulley at the top of the pole
is used to lower and raise the
housing. The ropes can
sometimes come off the
pulley-which means the house
will be stuck-a very bad
thing. Also the ropes can fray
and if not noticed, can
eventually break-also a very
bad thing. Also be aware if
the rope is accidentally let
go of, the house can come
falling down. Usually on top
of your head. Some poles of
this type come with a safety
pin that you leave in place
until the house is down to
just above head level. Then
the pin is removed and you can
lower the house the rest of
the way. If they don't come
with this feature, it is an
easy DIY task. You should
never stand directly under the
housing when raising or
lowering.
Telescopic:
A pole within a pole within a
pole. You raise up the poles,
by hand, one section at a
time. Care must be taken on
round telescopic poles, that
the house is kept facing the
exact same way and that the
pole is not extended beyond
the length of the pole. (Trust
us this happens!)
These
poles are not suitable for
heavy housing not only due to
the difficulty in raising and
lowering but the stress load
on the pole itself. The
least expensive
option.
IMPORTANT
SAFETY
NOTE
All
poles that utilize a rope or
cable MUST be inspected
regularly or SERIOUS injury
can result. Ropes and
cables do and will fray and
snap. Replace cables as
needed.
Also
remember that all housing
should be lowered in case of
severe weather to prevent
damage to housing and the
pole. (No pole is 100% bend
proof.) And NEVER
lower a pole when lightning is
in the area!
PurpleMartins-R-Us.com
features purple martin
houses and purple martin gourd
racks that combine a great
selection of housing options
pre-matched with poles to
assure the proper combination
of strength and value.
Feel
free to contact us for any
questions you may have.
These other Articles may help
you to learn what you need to
do to lure purple martins to
your yard.
Everything that you need to
house martins in your yard is
available right here.
Article
© purplemartinart.com
2008 |
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