Purple Martin Forum

Doug;
Glad to hear your good news, you are giving me a glimmer of hope down here in Hanover. Here's hoping there are more on the way.

Hanover Bill.

RD; I'm glad to hear there is at least one Purple Martin in our area, gives me a little hope. I have been checking the Independence Wetlands every couple of days since it seems to be ideal Martin habitat, but so far nothing but Tree Swallows and of course Starlings and Sparrows. I figure the month o...

I was wondering if there have been any migration studies done to indicate the route of Martins that end up in certain parts of the northern United States? In other words, where do Martins that end up in my area of Western Pa. migrate through, do they come through Texas or Florida or some other route...

RD; Good to hear an encouraging report coming from a fellow Pennsylvanian. Here's hoping we in Pa. benefit from the influx that's coming. How is your site in Beaver County doing, any sitings there yet? I stopped yesterday to check on the Independence Wetlands housing and no Martins, just a few Tree ...

Several recent mornings I have looked out my kitchen window to see one or two birds circling my Martin house. My eyes not being what they used to be I ran for my binoculars and out the back door I went, only to have my excitement squashed as I realized they were Tree Swallows. The same thing happene...

Jeremy; Don't feel bad, at least you live in an area where there are Martins, I'm sure they will find you sooner rather than later. I on the other hand am beginning to realize that I live in one of the most Martin barren areas in the country, in Southwestern Pa. In fact the county I live in has had ...

Wow!!!! Birdy Girl, thats all I can say about those pictures and your set up. No wonder I can't get any Martins up here in Pa. If I were a Purple Martin and flew over your place, thats as far north as I would want to go too. No need to go further with those accomodations. Great set up, continued suc...

C'mon now Delma you aren't going to give up that easily. At least you are in a part of the country where there is a pretty good population of Martins. I, on the other hand have learned through my exhaustive research that I live in a county in Western Pa. where there is virtually no Martin population...

Rempel; Sounds like you are doing very well. I am in my second season in Western Pa. and have learned that Martins are quite rare in my area, so to me yours sounds like quite a success story. I have yet to even spot a Martin. It seems like geography plays a very important part in success and failure...

Toyin; So glad to hear about the activity at your site, you are giving we Pennsylvanians some hope. I am down here in the southwestern part of the state waiting for some activity of my own. As I educate myself about Martins I have learned that Pennsylvania populations are not that good so it is grea...

I am jealous of all of you Martin enthusiasts in Texas and other southern locations, it seems you have a real advantage over we poor northerners. I think I live in the most Martin barren county in the country, Beaver County in southwestern Pennsylvania. Seems we are in a sliver of geography where fo...

The more I read the Forum and educate myself about Purple Martins the more I realize that success and failure appear to depend largely on your geographic location. It appears that it is much easier to establish a colony in the south than in the north and in my particular case I seem to be in an espe...

Just wanted to thank everyone for the great response to my question regarding adding gourds to my existing house. It sure is great to have a forum such as this to gain much needed information. I'm sure I will have many more questions in the future, so thanks again.

I am ready to put my housing up again this year around the first of April. Last year was my first attempt to attract Martins with no success. The closest I came were a couple of Tree Swallows which were looking over my housing. I have a recording of the Dawn Song so I am ready with that. I am locate...

I have been trying to establish a colony in Beaver County, Pa., which is just northwest of Pittsburgh. No luck so far, and I was wondering at what point do I figure that I am not going to attract any Martins this year, and begin focusing on next spring? Also since I haven't attracted any Martins to ...

I am trying to establish a new colony in Beaver County, Pa., which is just north of Pittsburgh. I was wondering if there is anyone in this area who has been successful in establishing a colony, and if anyone knows if this is a particularly difficult area in which to attract Martins. Obviously I have...

I have been trying to establish a new colony and so far have had no luck. I have however managed to attract several Tree Swallows to look over my house, which begged the question, is this a good sign or a bad sign, does their presence indicate that there should also be Martins in the area, and if so...