This article reviews how to attract purple martins to your purple martin gourd or nesting boxes. I’m sure you will find some great tips for keeping your purple martin gourd or birdhouses popular with our delightful friends.

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Purple Martins are the largest swallows in all of North America, measuring in at seven and a half inches long with the male of the species featuring stunning, iridescent purple colored feathers. Today, the subspecies of these songbirds are completely dependent upon human intervention east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States to ensure they aren’t in danger of becoming extinct. For this reason, many gardeners and homeowners work diligently at being conscientious landlords, providing the ideal nesting boxes for the Purple Martin to breed.

Here are some important factors to remember when trying to attract breeding Purple Martins to your garden:

The Right Place and Time

Picking the absolute right location is imperative for attracting martins as nesting boxes should be placed in the open-most spot, the farther away from trees the better, and no closer than 30 feet to human housing.

It is actually a myth that the first martins to arrive in the spring are "scouts" looking for the best new breeding sites before the rest of the flock arrives a few weeks later. Purple Martins will return to the same location year after year, provided they aren’t in danger of predators or overrun by other, larger species of birds. So, these "early birds" that are seen earliest in the year are either on their way to their usual nesting spot, or they’re simply just the first to arrive.

The very first martins to arrive usually make their yearly debut around the first of February in the southernmost portion of the U.S. with some even arriving sooner in the middle of January in most of Florida. The majority of the sub-adult martins, last year’s hatchlings, will arrive four to six weeks later for the upper third of the continent, two weeks later for the middle third, and two weeks after that for the remaining third.

Regardless of your location, keep your martin house open through the end of August as the hatchlings from this year will be ready to find next year’s breeding place in late July or August.

The Best Housing

The best nest-boxes, birdhouses, or gourd-shaping houses for martins are painted white, or a very pale pastel as the birds are attracted to lighter colors, which also keeps the inside cool for the nestlings. Openings should be starling-resistant at no larger than 2-1/4" in diameter, no smaller than 1-3/4" and located one inch from the floor of the birdhouse.

7 x 12 inches is the optimum size for nesting boxes, although they may be as small as 6 x6 inches. If you’re buying a pre-made nest-box or building your own, be sure to check these measurements for the best results for attracting Purple Martins to your garden.

West of the Rockies, the nesting habits of martins are somewhat different than in other locations of the country as in the Pacific northwest, the birds will nest in single units and gourd-shaped boxes, but not in multiple, apartment-style boxes that Purple Martins in the east will use. Also, in the southwest, martins will nest exclusively in cacti that have "pre-drilled" holes thanks to another bird, the woodpecker.

The best housing for martins will also offer protection from the elements as well as predators, and should feature poles equipped with guards to keep creatures such as snakes and squirrels from the nests inside. Purple Martin birdhouses should be stored indoors for the winter months, or completely sealed up, as other birds, squirrels, and some insects will set up shop before the martins arrive the following spring.

Author: Roy Thomsitt

To choose your purple martin bird house purple martin bird house, bird bath fountains, plus other garden decor please visit the gardens-and-decor.com web site

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Purple Martin Gourd – Purple Martins

Purple martins have arrived!!! Grandpa and Gigi bought these innovative Purple Martin houses at a recent Home and garden Show in San Antonio. Tom and his dad put it all together and the very next day we had birds! Each bird supposedly eats approximately 2000 bugs and flying insects a day! The gourds hover above our garden…hoping these birds will be a natural insecticide!

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It was a perfect day to get some more spring chores done outside and so I decided to get my purple martin gourd "furnished" and hung up on the gourd rack.

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Bird houses can be a great way to attract birds to your yard and if you want a unique natural look, the gourd bird houses may be the way to go. The first thing that comes into mind when it comes to creating bird houses is to find the perfect gourd. This can surely help in saving effort and money.

Gourds can be easily found or grown in the garden. Gourds are distinctly identified by their eye-catching colors and markings. They can even be said to resemble alien forms. This happens especially during the late summer and they can be very entertaining to the eyes.

Gourds will normally be something that have to be intentionally grown. To grow one, certain steps have to be taken and regular tending must be done. Apply fertilizer in the soil where you plan to plant the gourd. For a plant grown in the space of the garden, a half dozen seeds should be placed. Then follow properly the directions in the seed packet. Thereafter, the plant should be regularly watered and the fertilizer reapplied every month. For creating bird houses, a large gourd has to be cultivated. This type normally takes 130 days to mature.

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Turning the Gourd into a Bird House

Once you have the right gourd at hand, it can be easily crafted to make a good bird house that you can put in your yard or garden space to attract the birds.

Working with the gourd is relatively easy. It is just like working with the wood. However, doing so will require some tasks to be fulfilled. These steps are necessary to make a bird house successfully out of the gourd.

1. Put hot water with soap in a pail. Get the gourds and soak them. When at least 30 minutes have passed, take out the gourd and clean it.

2. Cleaning the gourd will require the use of a scrub. Do this until the gourd is entirely clean. Just take into account the possibility of discolorations in the gourd. This will not normally take off so do not fret over the stains.

Dry the gourds after cleaning.

3. Select the dried gourds that have the right length for your bird house. a diameter of 8 to 14 inches will be proper enough.

4. Make sure that the walls of the gourds are properly measured so as to make it most comfortable for the birds. It should be at least quarter of an inch thick so as not to make the bird house too warm.

5. Next detail to work on is the hole for the birds to enter. Most of the gourd bird houses are created for martin birds. A hole of two and a half inch are normally sufficient for the martins to enter into.

Drill a hole also at the bottom of the cage for the drainage system.

6. Clean out the insides of the gourd. Scrape out the seeds inside. You can also pour water inside to make sure that the dusts created by drilling are removed.

7. Preserving the gourd is also necessary. Purchase copper sulfate from hardware shops and follow the instructions on how to prepare the mixture. Soak the gourd in the preparation for 15 minutes and let it dry.

Make sure your hands are properly protected with gloves in preparing the mixture.

8. Paint the exteriors of the gourd house. White house paint is normally used to make the bird house to easily attract the birds. Just ensure that no drain holes are left unclogged.

9. Then, make a hole on the top neck of the gourd. This is to give way for the wire that will be used to hang the bird house.

Being closer to the birds is not a difficult task. Again, you only need the gourd at hand and some handy skills. Build a gourd bird house and the birds will come to you.

Author: Lee Dobbins

Lee Dobbins writes for http://birdhouses.garden-g8way.com where you can learn more about bird houses and find out about more about gourd bird houses.

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Gourd Bird Houses- A Step-By-Step Guide To Making The Best Gourd

Gourd bird houses are very simple to create. Even small children are capable of making these homes for birds. If you are new to making gourd bird houses, just follow these simple steps and you will soon have your own gourd bird house.

Gourd Bird Houses – How to Make a Gourd Birdhouse

This is to give way for the wire that will be used to hang the bird house. Being closer to the birds is not a difficult task. Again, you only need the gourd at hand and some handy skills. Build a gourd bird house and the birds will come.

Natural Organic Gourd Birdhouse for Wrens And Chickadees

Don’t tell the Chickadees at my house about that myth!! They DO use hanging birdhouses. The birdhouse is 11" long from tip of the stem to bottom. The circumference is 18.5" at the widest part of the gourd.

Organic Natural Gourd Birdhouse

All gourd birdhouses and bird feeders are one of a kind. They cannot be duplicated. Mother earth is the designer of all these beauties.

Organic Natural Wren Gourd Birdhouse

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