Purple Martins Nest Building in Troyer Gourds 2018
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- Опубліковано 8 кві 2018
- Purple Martins nest building in Troyer Gourd Rack System. This is early April 2018, and it does not last long. I do put pine needles in the gourds, because they do not build much of a nest.
Thanks beautiful!
Try a rack system, if you have some room. Start a colony. You will never regret. Watch my video, on the Full Troyer Rack Assembly
It's important to have your house or gourds ready when they do arrive. No Sparrow or Starling nests inside. Have fresh pine straw set up inside, for the Martins. Not every early Martin that stops, will stay. Some will circle, or even land, then take off late evening not returning. Do not get discouraged, and keep your Martin house ready. They feed high in the air, and there has to be a food source. No food, no birds. If it is too cold, the birds may not have reached you yet. Establishing your first pair or two is very critical to Martins coming back. It will take a few years, but it grows as you fledge more birds. When Martins socialize in the mornings and evenings, that is when more birds are attracted to all the commotion. Passing birds stop more at my colony in the evenings. It is important to sit outside in the evenings, to see what is happening. Nesting Sparrows are not a good thing for your colony - keep them cleaned out. Starlings are very persistant, so it my take drastic measures to eliminate them. Do not get discouraged, and keep trying to get your first few pairs. You will be gald you stuck with it.
Thank you for comments. I will take the advice. The weather is warming soon so I will keep on eye out for them.
I’m new to purple martins I live in E TN I thought I saw some in March and haven’t seen them since is that normal
Do you have a Martin house up.
Yes I do. My neighbors have one up that was used the last few years but I’m not seeing any on them either.
Debbie's Delight make sure they have been cleaned out, with fresh pine needles inside. See my other videos on setting up the nest material. I use diatomaceous earth on the pine needles, for killing mites in the nests. It works. It still may be early for you, it's been cold there. They follow the food, and feed high in the sky. Make sure the houses have been cleaned out and ready.
Mark, no sooner did I post I had a group of lovelies visit and now I have a pair setting up for nesting 😍
Debbie's Delight Congratulations . Just remember to keep the Sparrows and Starlings out. "Big things have small beginnings." Hopefully there will be a few more birds to come.
Very nice! Did you purchase the complete Troyer system? Also is that a 2" or 3" pole?I've been very fascinated with these birds for some time and am now looking to start a colony. I live in northern Indiana and there is a lot of open fields. I'm worried on the stronger wind days the 2" square post may not hold up with all the gourds on it like a 3" will. Thanks!
Call Adam Troyer at : 814 587 0076. Order a catalogue. I bought the 12 rack system that can expand to 18 gourds. It's a one piece pole that slides over a 24 inch ground stake. Mine has gone through some pretty heavy wind and thunderstorms, here in Texas. This is the best system out there, and the Troyer's are great to do business with. Did you watch my video on complete assembly? I take mine down, clean everything, and put away at end of season. Very easy. Don't put it off, get one so you can get your colony established. It can take a few years to get going. You will not regret it. Use me as a reference, they are great people.
2" Square pole. Very strong. The Troyer's are in Pennsylvania. The catalogue has pictures of their place. Unreal colony.
@@manko717 thanks for the number and info! I was going through their website and like the systems they sell. I see you have a combination of horizonal and vertical gourds, do you have preference, or have you noticed if the Martin's do? From the research I've been doing the horizonal offer a little better protection. I also noticed the extra venting you added! I'll watch your other video now.
@@robh5416 I added the 6 Horizontal gourds when I went to 18, total. I put 2 Horizontal gourds per level. I give them a choice. They like them all. I added Vents because the gourds get hot, later in the season, before the fledge. I keep the vents plugged until the nights get into the 70s, consistently. I lower the gourds, remove all the plugs. I vented the access hatch, and another vent off the back or side, depending on Horizontal or Vertical. Texas gets hot before the last birds fledge, and 5 babies in a gourd will get hot. I learned by watching the first couple years. They did well last year with the added air flow. Will be adding another video of an S&K house I put Troyer Entrances on. Don't be afraid to add vents. It is simple. Try making the perches I designed. The birds love them. It's important to have your system up early. Check the Purple Martin Conservation website. The Scout Arrival report for your area. People report when birds start to show up, nationally. It will give you an idea as to when you need your housing in place.
@@manko717 the perches look great! Just a little dowel and cotter pins to snap over the front? Simple, but like you said they loved it, super effective! Thanks again for the info and advice!
How do I go about getting these perches?
Send me an email. Manko54@hotmail.com. I can make you some. I will be producing them.