Purple Martin Forum

Doug,

I am concerned, as well in SE PA. It is almost time to put up the houses and gourds and the weather has not been consistent enough yet

After the Spring of 2016 wiped out my fledgling colony, I am fearful of changing weather patterns.

I think (hope?) the next two weeks for PA will the turning point. I had to plug the holes on the house because the bluebirds were thinking of moving up!

And thanks to family and friends, I am now a 12-gourd rack owner.

After the disastrous Spring of 2016....I remain hopeful.

Are they all pure white?

Thanks to Bobby and Mitch, I now own the Benjamin Marauder 22 in addition to my Hatsan!

Found an "overkill" scope for it, as well.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CQ ... UTF8&psc=1

Pest species will not stand a chance!

Try Beeman Kodiaks.

A quality pellet at a fair price. The Kodiaks have a rounded top for accuracy.

I would seat the pellets in the bore, that gives them a better spiral to improve stability.

Hope this helps.

Mike

Tim, It happened to me with my first breeding pair. Only a landlord knows how bad it feels to lose eggs to these nasty little creatures. After they destroyed the eggs, like you say, it was "ON" I have shot and trapped them unrelentingly (glue traps work well in cavities) Sometimes, when I am feeling...

It has been a really bad Spring for Martins.

Lots of rainy and cold weather has hurt the population. Hopefully, it has also slowed migration and all the ASY have not come through.

Thanks, Toy. It is only other landlords that understand our sense of loss. I also remain hopeful, my 2015 pair did not arrive until Memorial Day last year. Update: I saw my male this afternoon. He looked good. I lowered the house and cleaned up some compartments that were messy from the bird feces a...

And guess where in PA I live! I am pretty certain my female from last year died during that weather. I actually saw 4 Martins on my house On Saturday. But only sporadic appearances from the adult male since then. I think the weather has been 'ok' since then? , not great... but it is into the mid 50s...

Thanks for the input.

"I bought an inexpensive ($500) set up and I can consistently shoot dime sized groups bench rested at 30 yards. The down side to PCP rifles is that the initial investment is much more expensive. To me though, it was the best move I ever made as my sparrows never have the opportunity to get gun shy."...

Peter,

A happy picture like that always cheers me up! Keep up the good work.

I live in a rural suburb surrounded by mushroom farms, so I can keep the population in check by shooting and the crows are trained to police up the bodies!

Are they taking the food? Are they avoiding your housing?

Martins will huddle together when distressed.

Great news, Kyler.

Exciting times watching martins pair up and move into your housing.

I use and recommend the Hatsan 95 vortex. http://smile.amazon.com/Hatsan-Rifle-Combo-Vortex-Spring/dp/B00K6PPMM0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463241990&sr=8-1&keywords=hatsan+95+vortex+.22 And just imagine! If you are amazon prime and have the PMCA as your smile charity (like I do) the cost of the rifle ...

Thanks for your encouraging words, Doug. My male is trying to lure others to my housing. Hopefully, he is up to the task! If nothing else, maybe he can attract a new female! It is heartening to know there are so many "in the cause" out there. If we all can keep breeding and eliminating pests, someda...

I use Sevin dust on all my bird housing, very small amounts.

It has never bothered any bluebirds, tree swallows or Martins and I have never lost a bird to insects.

Keep up the good work.

If you know that it is HS that are going in, try a mouse glue trap.

I have caught pairs with them in bluebird houses. And trapped with them in Martin housing when they were going in and out.

The only real option for an animal that has grown smart, is to kill it.

A good pellet gun that can remove pests is a 'must' for a landlord. I shoot every pest bird that comes to my yard.