Jon Meyer
- Columbia, MO
- Boone County
- I started my colony in 2008 with one pair and two lone males. The pair fledged 4 young and in 2009 all 4 of the adults have returned and the subs are starting to arrive as well. I see a lot of empty houses in my area and several more that have been overrun with sparrows. Its a shame that more landlords don\'t take a more active role in protecting the animals they are trying to attract. If anyone needs help in getting started or in better maintaining what they have, please contact me.
- 9201 HWY V v
Columbia, MO 65202
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- Posted: April 2009
Jeffrey M. Kezele
- St. Charles, MO
- St. Charles County
- I have only been an active landlord for 3 seasons but have had great success. In '06 I had 2 pairs, in '07 4 pairs and in '08 I have 13 nesting pair,61 eggs and I am waiting for my babies to fledge. I will update this page later in the year to let you know the final totals. Much of my success I owe to the PMCA and their excellent web site. And, as a future landlord, the first thing you should do is to join the PMCA and go through all the archives. Then post a few questions on the forum and become an active participant there. Besides calling my cell phone, the Forum is one of the quickest ways to get an answer to a question . I have answered my phone in a changing room at Macys and spent a 1/2 hour with a new landlord addressing their concerns, so I will answer my phone and/or call you back ASAP.
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- 314-322-7969
- Posted: July 2008
Dennis Doetsch
- Swansea, IL
- St. Clair County
- This is my 5th year hosting martins. I have read and studied just about everything I could get my hands on concerning martins in the last ten years. I tried to get martins for 6 years before I was successful. I cut down trees and moved housing several times. I still have what I would call a border line site for martins, but I do live on a small lake. I always had males every year trying but the females would not stay. I have helped several people attract martins and I would love to help anyone. Give me a call or email if I can help in any way. I have 15 pair and 77 eggs this year.
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- 6185315996
- Posted: June 2008
Jeff Kezele
- St. Charles, MO
- St. Charles County
- I have only been an active landlord for 2 seasons but have have had great success. Much of that success I owe to the PMCA. But,I have also learned plenty on my own and would be more than willing to share my knowledge and experience. I can be reached on my cell at any time during the wake hours.
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- 314-322-7969
- Posted: May 2007
Lowell Beenenga
- Tonica, IL
- LaSalle County
- I've kept martins now for 10-12 years, having banded for 6 years, receive about 40-50% of my prior years birds back the next year. I'll drive to your site (within reason) 20-30 miles to give you an insite on your setup. I'd like to see you get your own colony.
- 409 E Wauponis St.
Tonica, IL 61370
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- 815-442-3471
- Posted: April 2005
Julie Clapper
- Payson, IL
- ADAMS County
- With my husbands help, we maintain a healthy and growing colony that constists of two metal housing units with gourds hanging below and a 12 unit supergourd rack. We started with one house in the early 1990's. We've made mistakes, had good luck and bad, but desire to have martins sharing our air space is strong. Each year our setups get changed/improved as we learn. Happy to help/encourage someone who is in need.
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- Posted: March 2005
William T. Karns
- Eldorado, IL
- Saline County
- I have had an active colony for over 10 years. Last year I had approximatly 45 to 50 nesting pairs. I also have several nesting pairs of Tree Swallows and Bluebirds.
I am disabled from the coal mines and do not drive long distances, but I try to help people in my area each year start Martin colonies. I have helped several people in the Eldorado area the last few years, and have been very successful. Anyone wanting
help with martins in my area please feel free to call. I am truly dedicated to birding, especially Martins.
- 620 white Rd.
Eldorado, IL 62930
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- 618-273-3609
- Posted: February 2005
Troy Hart
- Big Clifty, KY
- Grayson County
- I have had martins for 6 years I have 3 houses and 54 gourds. The houses are two t-14s and one 16 compartment house on a pivet post. I built all my houses myself at a friends house. I have had over 34 pair of nesting martins at my site.
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- Posted: January 2005
DENNIS DOETSCH
- Swansea, IL
- St. Clair County
- I have an active colony in 2004 after 6 years of trying. Presently I have 3 pair with babies and 3-4 other Martins staying. I'm 10 miles east of St. Louis right next to Belleville Illinois. I am willing to help any prospective Martineer in this area in any way I can.
- 412 Crestwood Drive
Swansea, IL
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- 618-234-4886
PAUL HAMILTON
- Minooka, IL
- I have had a successful site for the last four years. Starting out with one pair in my second year and improving each year to three nests last year producing 7 that successfully fledged. Small by many standards but very enjoyable and better each year. I have a Trio Grandpa that has enlarged compartments, starling proof doors and a sparrow trap, plus four Super Gourds. I would be willing to help anyone with any info. that would help them attract Purple Martins. (40 miles SW of Chicago, Near Joliet)
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TONY AMBROSE
- Pana, IL
- I would be interested in mentoring anyone new to Purple Martins. Last year was my first year at successfully attracting martins to my site. I have a gourd rack that I built myself from Chuck Abare's plans. Hanging from it are 16 natural gourds with rain canopies and access lids. I also have a T-14 and an aluminum M12K. I had 4 nesting pair in 1999. They laid 18 eggs and all 18 fledged. I've been reading about Purple Martins about 3 years and attended Martinfest 1999. I contribute most of my success to the Purple Martin Forum and the PMCA! (south of Springfield on Rt. 29 about 50 miles)
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Dennis Smith
- Round Lake, IL
- Lake County
- (2008) New T-14 with SREH\'s 2 gourds also with SREH. S&S repeating trap. No landlords in the area that I know of. I live in the north east section of Lake County next to a small wetland. Looking to hear from any landlords whether they have birds or not.
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- Posted: June 2008
Grace Talusan
- Mahomet, IL
- Champaign County
- I recently put up an S&K house in my backyard --- I play the Dawn Song constantly --- I\'ve only once seen PMs fly by (and one even landed on it!!). I\'ve trapped and destroyed six sparrows, but now there are at least two sparrows that are nesting and won\'t go near the trap! I rip out their nests at least 3 times a day and sometimes even block up the holes. Everytime I play the dawnsong, sparrows instantly appear and start nesting! There\'s a purple martin house down the street from me, but I believe that it\'s empty. There\'s another active colony that\'s about a 5 minute drive from me. I\'m losing hope.
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- Posted: May 2008
Gregory Keltner
Tammy Swanson
- Colona, IL
- Henry County
- I have put up a 12 unit Martin house in Jan of 2007. There is a person across town that has 2 very large housing units that are full every year. I\'m hoping to attract some here. I have a pond with a waterfall & my yard is very bird friendly. Our town is small & surrounded by the Rock & Green river along with a canal. Any advice is welcomed. Thanks
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- Posted: April 2008
David & Loretta Ross
- Marengo, IL
- McHenry County
- We had two 8-unit houses in Kansas and always had 8-10 nesting pairs. We put up one house when we moved here two years ago and have had no activity whatsoever. In Kansas we would have 20-30 birds every evening on the power & telephone lines behind the house. Here, everything is underground. Is that a problem? I\'d sure like to have Martins around. I see houses all over the area and have never seen a single martin fly over. Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
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- Posted: May 2007
RAY & STOKES
- METAMORA, IL
- WOODFORD County
- I'M RETIRED AND VERY INTRESTED IN PERSUING PURPLE MARTINS. I SEE THEM COME BUY EVERYDAY, JUST LOOK AT MY HOUSES AND SOMETIMES LAND ON THEM BUT NEVER STAY VERY LONG . I DID PLAY THE CD SONG FOR A LONG TIME LAST YEAR BUT HAVE ALMOST GIVEN UP ON GETTING THEM TO STAY, BUT I DON'T WANT TO GIVE UP MY DREAM OF HAVING THEM STAY HERE AND ENJOYING THEM.I AM DOING SOMTHING WRONG, IVE BEEN TRYING FOR SEVEN YEARS. CAN ANYONE HELP ME?
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- Posted: June 2006
dennis tipsword
- pana, IL
- christian County
- hello, this is the 16 of may, and i found 5 dead martins today they say its because of cold weather, and no encicks have you had this promble.
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- Posted: May 2006
Carole Quille
- Mundelein, IL
- Lake County
- We are new to this; I gave my husband a martin house for Christmas and we have put it up. This is April 23,2006; we have seen only tree swallows and sparrows so I think we should close up the holes for a while longer. Does anyone know when the young martins looking for new housing will arrive in our area, i.e. northern Illinois about 35 miles south of Wisconsin? I'd like to converse by e-mail with someone who has a colony in this general geographic area.
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- Posted: April 2006
Paul Alepra
- Kewanee, IL
- Henry County
- I put up a house last year and all I had were Sparrows. I have purchased a decoy and a sound recording to start this year.
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- Posted: March 2006
Tim Criswell
- Belleville, IL
- St. Clair County
- My wife and I purchased a house last year in August. It came with a martin house installed in the backyard with the telescopic pole already lowered. I cleaned 4 or 5 nests with verying structures and nesting material out of it but have no way of knowing what kinds of birds they were. I plan on raising it by March 1st this year hoping that there is already an established colony returning. It is closer to overhanging tree branches than it is supposed to be by the information I have read. I am looking for a person to correspond with so as things progress, I can take the right action to make the effort successful.
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- 618-293-6615
- Posted: February 2006
Mike Wieland
- rockton, IL
- winnebago County
- 13 years ago I started with a basic martin house. After several years of nothing but
starlings and sparrows I gave up. 3 years ago I renewed my quest to be a martin
landlord and purchased 4 gourds 2 decoys the dawnsong and daytime chatter cds. Last
year I had a few visitors but none have nested. This year I have not seen any martins yet but have a bigger desire than ever to succeed. I recently put up 2 bluebird houses and after only one day had bluebirds nesting and doing a great job scaring off sparrows.
- 6603 shirland rd
rockton, IL 61072
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- Posted: June 2005
terry trowbridge
- greensburg, IN
- decatur County
- I have no colony experience period. I have a new pond and someone mentioned putting up a martin house for lowering bug aggraivation. So I got on line to read about them and I\'m already in love with a bird I knew nothing about just a few days before. I guess I\'d never even seen one to my knowledge. But just reading about them has made me want to invite them to live in my space. And I don\'t want to get discouraged and give up on the idea from doing the wrong things off the bat. I have a good area for a house plus water near it too. I just need some advise. Some of these houses I\'ve looked at on line are expensive I thought for a bird house. I didn\'t realize they were that pricey. Anyway, thats some about me and my martin experiece which is none. All help appreciated. Thank You, Terry
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- Posted: April 2005
Ron Banchak
charles e zwiener
- festus, MO
- jefferson County
- We have had a martin house up for 3 years and cannot attract a martin. It is plastic and has 12 homes in it. We have read every thing we could find. We even heard to put a small transistor radio on low in one of the houses and it should help, but, to no evail. Please help if possible. Thanks.
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- Posted: April 2005
GENE BROWN
- Dixon, IL
- I had a few martins last year--How I got them I don't know. Luck I guess. I cleaned the house, disinfected it, and put the covers on the doors last fall. About 3 days ago I saw a martin on top, but have not seen him again. Was this a scout? When do I take the covers off the doors? THANKS Gene
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- 815-288-4041
TOM & JEAN PRILLAMAN
- Potomac, IL
- Vermilion County
- We have been trying to attract a purple martin colony for 6 years. We have purple martins come by and look and get in all the nests and even hang around for a couple of weeks but none have ever taken up residence. We have 8 gourds and 1 house. We play the morning song between 4AM and 7AM. We have our purple martin housing next to a lake and the right amount of distance from the house and from the trees. We have predator guards and owl gaurds also and 2 purple martin decoys. We also put pine straw in the nest cavities. A male stopped by on April 6th and on April 22nd of this year--2004. Any suggestions or help would be welcome!
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- 217-987-6478
BETH NAGEL
HAROLD DUNN
- Rock Falls, IL
- Whiteside County
- live on the Rock River..have 12 room house up for 2 years [4 gourds under it] have had a few scouts but no real interest
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SUSAN GIDON
KATHLEEN KOKOSZKA
- Algonquin, IL
- McHenry County
- We are in a suburban area 30 miles west of Chicago. We do have a dog who likes to chase the birds in our yard. I'm afraid she would keep the martins from nesting at all. Can I create a purple martin community?
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JON CROFT
- Mattoon, IL
- Coles County
- A bit confused on new house, when to put it up.
- 712 Piatt Ave East
Mattoon, IL
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- 217-234-4716
MIKE BROWN
- Momence, IL
- (50 miles south of Chicago, 13 miles east of Kankakee) Next Spring will be my first serious effort to attract Purple Martins, although we have had a Trio Castle up for many years. After gathering much information from many web pages, I realized that the house was in the wrong location and have now moved it to an open area. Also I plan to modify the rooms to make them larger. Beyond that, I'm a real novice. It would be great to have someone check out the location, show how to do nest checks, etc. Reading about it is one thing, but actually doing it is another.
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MARK NITZSCHE
- Edelstein, IL
- A few martins fly around the house and land in the trees nearby. I had one wooden 6x6x6 house with 4 Supergourds and decided to try a T-14. Both houses are currently up and waiting for martins this Spring. Can't get wither house close to mine but I have it +/- 60 ft. from the neighbors. Any help would be appreciated.
- 312 East Lakeshore Dr
Edelstein, IL
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- 309-274-5004
BOB TWARDOCK
- Champaign, IL
- I've had a nesting pair for 2 consecutive years, with others showing interest, but don't know if they've raised young. Lots of problems with sparrows. Need help with sparrow control.
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- 217-359-1588
JASON ELDER
- Cary, IL
- I have recently purchased a martin house, mounted the pole, etc., and am wondering when I should put it up. I live along the Fox River, and the pole is in a large, open spot adjacent to the river. There is martin activity in the area, but there are also many sparrows...
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MELISSA YARD
- Collinsville, IL
- I received my first house for Christmas this year. We purchased 5 1/4 acres of land we will building on in a couple of years. My father started my intrest and I would like to start this year. I have just started the information seach and would love any information anyone in the St. Louis area could provide for me. Thank You.
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