Instructions
Purple Martins
Purple martins, the largest member of the swallow family in North America, spend their nonbreeding season in Brazil, then migrate to North America to nest. These beautiful, clean, interesting birds have bubbly personalities and a distinctive, pleasant song, explaining why more than one million people in North America (referred to as landlords) provide for their housing. Another reason for their popularity is that they are known to eat their weight in flying insects every day.
Purple martins are very friendly toward humans; they actually seek out sites where there is abundant human activity. Birds living east of the Rockies only live in human-supplied housing. They no longer seek out natural nest cavities. Their homes should be human-built apartment houses, painted white, mounted 15-20 feet above ground, and close to permanent water sources. The unit should ideally be placed in the middle of a 40- to 50-feet-square open area within 100 feet of human habitation.
Birds are site-faithful. Once they have bred successfully in a location, they will return to that same place year after year as long as properly maintained housing is available. In fact, they are often willing to wait two to three weeks for their shelter to be opened. Ensure their housing is in good repair by removing the old nesting and then cleaning it with a 10 percent bleach solution. After cleaning, rinse the housing and allow it to dry.
Purple martins often use sticks, twigs, bits of straw, pine needles and leaves as nesting materials with items varying from locale to locale. However diverse these items are, they all play an important part in the bird's nesting habits. For example, green leaves are used to help keep eggs moist while pine straw, usually long soft needles such as white pine, keeps the floors warm. The floors need to be well-covered to improve hatching success and provide a better environment for the young. These needles are nontoxic, they absorb water, and they drain and dry quickly, all very important in the purple martin habitat.
Monitoring and maintenance are important to attracting and keeping a successful martin colony. Landlords should perform nest checks at least once per week. Martins do not mind being temporarily inconvenienced, staying in close proximity to their house while they watch what is taking place. The babies can also be handled without fear of the parents' abandoning the nest or colony. Cracked or punctured eggs should be removed as should any dead birds. It is also important that starlings and house sparrows not be allowed to invade existing purple martin colonies.
How to Use Pine Straw for Purple Martin Nesting Houses
To enjoy an active purple martin colony, individuals must take a vigorous approach in managing and maintaining the martins' housing environment. This may include providing clean housing and supplemental food, controlling predators and making available proper nesting materials, including pine straw, also known as pine needles.