Purple Martins… birds that make great neighbors. Not only do purple martins birds help keep insects at bay they also have a pleasant chattering call and a stunning purplish blue color to enjoy.

US $49.99 End Date: Friday Sep-10-2010 2:04:12 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $49.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list

US $149.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Thursday Sep-09-2010 12:55:00 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $164.99 Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list

US $397.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Thursday Sep-09-2010 14:36:52 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

US $275.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Sunday Sep-12-2010 5:35:02 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $400.00 Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list

US $35.75 (0 Bid) End Date: Wednesday Sep-08-2010 17:01:36 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $39.95 Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list

Pages 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | more

Whether you are hooked on bird watching or just like to know what you are looking at, knowing your birds is important. In this article, we take a look at Purple Martins.

As the name suggests, Purple Martins are a colorful bunch. Only the males actually have a purplish blue color. Females tend to be dark brown with bellies that are whitish. Male or female, they have a distinct appearance.

Purple Martins are members of the swallow family. They are found throughout North America, but migrate to South America in the summer. They are a larger bird noted for their triangular wings. They have a deep whistle and often made metal sounding trilling calls.

These are a much loved bird by homeowners in the spring and summer. Why? They are insect eaters. Specifically, they have been touted as mosquito eaters. While they do eat mosquitoes, they tend to go for larger insects that make better meals. Still, anything that eats mosquitoes gets a thumbs up in my book!

When it comes to nesting, Purple Martins like to be up in the air. They build nests in niches or gourd like areas. The use twigs and dry grass for the structure, but line the interior with green leaves. This is believed to help maintain humidity for the eggs. The female Purple Martins will lay three to seven eggs. Oddly, the first eggs tend to result in stronger chicks than the latter eggs. Once hatched, the parents feed the chicks insects ranging from beetles to ants. The chicks remain in the nest for roughly one month.

As a member of the swallow family, Purple Martins are social birds. They are seen migrating in huge flocks. They nest in colonies of these flocks. They are also receptive to human habitats, which means you may see them in your backyard and on golf courses.

They are an interesting bird to keep an eye out for when you are birding. They are certainly worth adding to your life list, although they are not really a difficult sighting to find.

Author: Richard Chapo

Rick Chapo is with NomadJournals.com – makers of birding journals that make great bird watching gifts.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Chapo

Banding Purple Martins

Over the last 3 days Mark Newstrom and I have banded close to 200 young Purple Martins. This year marks the first year of a color banding program to track birds. I have posted photos and a video clip for anyone interested.

More About Purple Martins Birds 

Mark and I went to a couple of new colonies this morning and in beautiful weather we banded 34 more young Purple Martins. One of the colonies already has both young fledged and flying around and chicks that are no more than 2 days old.

Purple Martins Birds 

Purple Martins are birds that are colony nesters – meaning, they prefer to live almost like humans in apartments. I was able to visit a colony maintained by some very nice folks outside the metro area.

Purple Martins Birds Have Landed In The Lakes

In 2000, people in Portage Lakes decided to build houses for Purple Martins in hope of reducing the insect populations. The birds were counted on to target insects that had been plaguing the region.

Purple Martins Birds 

If there was a ten most wanted list for birds, Purple Martins would be on it. Over a million people in North America put up Martin houses in hopes of attracting a colony. If only it were so easy. Purple Martins are picky house hunters.

Purple Martins

Purple Martins are rare on the the west coast of Canada. Unlike the eastern race, they only breed along the coast. Years ago they nested in dead trees along the south coast of British Columbia.

Purple Martins Birds 

I had seen and heard reports of Purple Martins being seen, so it was a thrill to finally see some ourselves. The lady to whom this birdhouse belongs was so kind and welcoming to us, which we appreciated greatly.

Technorati Tags: gourd, houses, purple martins birds

Martin gourds and bird houses need to be properly designed for purple martins to prosper. This article reviews what you need to consider for your martin gourds.

Purple Martin Bird House Minimum Requirements

Native Americans were the first humans to attract breeding pairs of Purple Martins using Purple Martin bird houses.

They would use hollowed out gourds hanging from trees to promote nesting. No one truly knows when this practice started, but it is thought that it was done to help the Native Americans control flying pests.

Mating pairs of birds would protect their houses from predators like crows and hawks, which in turn protected the Native Americans’ food crops. They soon found an added advantage to having Purple Martins around was that they consumed large quantities of flying insects. The Native Americans quickly learned that hanging more gourds meant fewer flying insects. Purple Martins started to rely on the artificial bird houses provided by humans and today, the Purple Martins in the eastern area of North America are wholly dependent on martin bird houses for breeding.

US $49.99 End Date: Friday Sep-10-2010 2:04:12 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $49.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list

US $149.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Thursday Sep-09-2010 12:55:00 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $164.99 Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list

US $397.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Thursday Sep-09-2010 14:36:52 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

US $275.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Sunday Sep-12-2010 5:35:02 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $400.00 Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list

US $35.75 (0 Bid) End Date: Wednesday Sep-08-2010 17:01:36 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $39.95 Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list

Pages 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | more

Purple Martin bird houses are made from wood, plastic and metal. There are also natural and plastic gourds used as Purple Martin houses. Regrettably, not all commercially made martin bird houses are properly designed to protect a colony of Purple Martins. Since Purple Martins are completely dependent on nesting sights supplied by humans, it is crucial that the housing provided for nesting satisfy a few minimum requirements.

Minimum Requirements for Purple Martin Bird Houses:

Martin houses should be easily accessible for inspecting nests and performing general maintenance. Climbing up tall ladders is dangerous and tipping houses does not work well. A system that permits the house to be lowered and raised vertically works the best.

The size of the nesting compartment is crucial. Each compartment should be at least 6 inches wide x 5 inches high and 9 inches deep. A larger size is alright, but any thing smaller will not work. A nesting compartment at least 9 inches deep will provide enough room for the family of Purple Martins to escape the reach of flying predators like owls.

White martin bird houses (including gourds) are better than dark colored ones. Research has indicated that white houses are 10 to 15 degrees cooler than dark ones. Houses that get too hot could cause fledglings to jump out of the nest before they are ready.

Nesting compartments should be accessible through hinged or removable panels. As a landlord you’ll have to clean out old nests, perform nest checks, control insect pests, get rid of unwanted pest birds and perform general maintenance.

Proper ventilation is crucial. Several " diameter holes at the top of the nesting compartments will allow for ample air flow. This feature is much more important in the southern breeding areas. Controlling heat in the nesting compartments will actually increase the survival chances of young birds.

Starling Resistant Entrance Holes (SREH’s) are very important to the survival of the Purple Martin colony. Many martin houses are fitted with SREH’s, but if your martin bird house is not, adapters can be bought or made. There are many styles of SREH’s but the height must be precisely 1 3/16 inches high. This is crucial since anything larger and European Starlings will be capable of getting inside and anything smaller will stop the Purple Martins from getting in.

New research has shown that porches inside and outside the compartment are very beneficial. The porches should be at least 3 inches x 3 inches. They should be located no more than 1/8 inches beneath the bottom of the crescent shaped opening. These porches help the Purple Martins negotiate the tighter openings while making it more difficult for European Starlings to get inside.

Purple Martins have several predators but the European Starlings clearly do the most damage. European Starlings were introduced into the U.S. in the 1800’s. The trouble is that the starlings take over the nests of Purple Martins. They are very hostile nesters to the point that they will kill nesting Purple Martins to take over the nest. Since martins only produce one brood per year this is devastating to population levels. If you have starlings nesting in your martin bird houses they must be eliminated. House sparrows are another problem bird that is not native to the U.S. They likewise must to be removed when detected in martin bird houses.

Once you are ready to establish a Purple Martin colony you need to decide on the best location. Purple Martin bird houses should be as far away from trees as possible. A good practice is to keep your martin bird house as far away from trees as possible. If a tree is 50 feet tall the house should be at least 50 feet away from that tree. Tall trees conceal predators that prey on Purple Martins like hawks and owls. Martins are sensitive of this risk and will not nest in a place where they don’t feel safe. The more open the area is around the martin bird house the greater your chances are for attracting a colony of Purple Martins.

Providing a nesting place for a colony of Purple Martins is a big commitment. It demands you, as the landlord, to get involved. You will have to monitor the martin bird house for unwanted nesting competitors, perform routine nest inspections and clean the nesting compartments. Keeping Purple Martin bird houses in your yard takes some work, but it is worthwhile. These gorgeous wild birds are a joy to watch and beneficial to our environment, but they need our help for survival.

Author: Rob Huff

Purple Martins

It was a perfect day to get some more spring chores done outside and so I decided to get my purple martin gourds "furnished" and hung up on the gourd rack. The purple martins have arrived back in Minnesota.

The Purple Martin Connection

Many people spend days carving and curing gourds to hang from wires or mount on poles. The birdhouse manufacturers have also thrown their hats into the ring, producing durable, attractive artificial Purple Martin gourds.

My Purple Martin BLOG

The daily comings and goings of a Purple Martin colony in south florida and information on attracting, housing and caring for purple martins.

Purple Martin Gourds

The large, mansion-like houses, made of wood, plastic, aluminum, or some combination of these, supplanted the natural gourds as the favorites of Purple Martin landlords; but the gourds, like the martins themselves, are making a comeback.

Ten Reasons Why People Fail to Attract Purple Martins

Housing not painted white. Our first couple of years we put up gourd Martin houses, not painted just natural. Finally we painted them white and the Martins did come!!

Technorati Tags: artificial, bird, gourds, house, houses, martin gourds, purple martin, purple martins

If you have any questions regarding the content in this website, about the products that are mentioned, or just any questions at all don’t hesitate to contact me at the following address. I’d also love to hear any feedback on the site if you’ve found it helpful or have some ideas about how I can improve the site in some way.

Please contact me at  webmaster @ gourdbirdhouses.net!

I will reply to all messages as soon as possible.

Technorati Tags: bird, birdhouse, birdhouses, contact, gourd, house, houses, us

GourdBirdHouses.net is dedicated to providing quality information on the subject of gourd birdhouses.

Here you will find helpful reviews, informative information and tips and much more. This site is in the format of a ‘weblog’ so that each time I post new information, it will come to the top of the front page. This means that you can check back here frequently to see new updates to the information found here.

You can navigate through the site by using the menus on the sides of the page. Also don’t hesitate to follow the links you see in bold throughout each post to learn more about the product being spoken about.

I hope you find the information I provide valuable and helpful.

Technorati Tags: about, bird, birdhouse, birdhouses, gourd, house, houses, us