Species of Interest-Purple Martin

Purple Martin

Whether or not you believe that Purple Martins eat a lot of mosquitoes (a controversial subject), many home owners would like to attract martins to their property. And as the Greater Grand Forks Greenway develops, why not have martin houses all up and down the Greenway? These birds are great fun to have around, to listen to as much as to watch! So here are some of the things you ought to know if you aspire to be a martin landlord. If you are starting a new colony, your houses will most likely be populated first by young (one-year-old) birds. They come back later, up to six weeks after the adults first begin arriving around April 20. So, have your martin house or gourds up by May 20 or so. Then be prepared to battle the house sparrows for a while. They can be legally trapped, or simply be persistent in tearing out their nests. This task is much easier and safer if you have a house that can be easily raised and lowered - some martin houses slide up and down the pole by use of a pulley. However, even if you choose to tolerate the House Sparrows, there is a good chance that if the martins are seriously interested in your units, they will succeed in gaining control of a compartment. There will be battles with the sparrows for a while, but eventually they seem to work it out and then peacefully coexist. Certainly in established colonies, the martins will be quite tenacious. Once you have a colony established, be sure to give your houses a good cleaning each fall, and do something (even take them down) to keep them from becoming a roosting haven for House Sparrows during the winter.

Purple Martin

The other thing that you need to know about Purple Martins is that they require a lot of flying space around the house - something like 40 feet in every direction. So if your yard is closed in by trees that will be close to and also higher than the martin house, you are not likely to be successful. However, an established colony will continue to be used for quite a while after trees have encroached on the martins' preferred flying space. Martins also seem to require that the ground surrounding the pole be clear of tall grass, shrubs, and the like. This is perhaps because they want to be able to spot any predators that might try to climb the pole.

For more information as well as offerings of martin houses, gourds, and all the accessories you can possibly imagine, visit the web site of the Purple Martin Conservation Association.

For information on the Purple Martin Association of the Dakota, please visit their web site.

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