Bird Houses

LilRhody · Mar 5, 2002

Thinking about building a Purple Martin bird house. I have been researching them, but, have not read any 'real life' accounts on housing these creatures. I know the difference between Theory & Reality...My question: How imperative is it to erect a house in an open field? I have a spot along my tree line that abuts my side yard. I was hoping to place the house there for aesthetic reasons. I'm open for suggestions, however, my woodworking skills are very limited.

P.S. I'm sure Bird may have a tip or two on what to build

Bird · Mar 5, 2002

<font color=blue>sure Bird may have a tip or two</font color=blue>

Nope, don't have any myself./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif However, a good friend (long time co-worker) and his wife are avid bird watchers and they have several Purple Martin houses on a small lot in town, so I'd say being in an open field is not necessary. The thing that is necessary (or so I've always been told) is to have them as high as possible and that it's absolutely necessary that you have them on telescoping or breakover poles (or some other arrangement) so you can regularly get to them because if you don't regularly clean out the sparrow nests to prevent them from nesting there, you'll never have Purple Martins.

MarkV · Mar 5, 2002

I’ve been told that with out a water source---pond, stream---near by, it is unlikely you will attract Martins. I don’t know if that is fact but my father-in-law has always said that. He has always used gourds for Martin houses.

MarkV

heehaw · Mar 5, 2002

i have 6 martin houses, and usually have martins very early every year; what Bird says is true..you also need a clear path from some direction..they like to glide into the box. i actually have 8 boxes, 2 are home made, very nice houses, 12 holes, the holes are the right size and all that stuff; but when a local hardware store went out of business, i bought their metal houses, and the martins haven't built in the wooden houses since..probably 8 years...last year wallyworld started selling martin houses made from pvc; they look really good, and are cheap, @ $30; but it takes a triangular pole, which cost another 30 or so..this will be my second year with this type house, and i'm not real impressed yet..the roof is dark green, which i think causes it to get to hot..but i have them up and will try them one more year..if i don't get any better results, they will be sold and i will get some more metal houses.
when i bought the metal houses, the store had a beautiful redwood martin house, i bought it too; went for 4-5 years and only saw one martin even go inside the dern thing, so i took it down an painted it white, left it up for 2 more years, and finally gave it away..
heehaw

Wingnut · Mar 6, 2002

there are several things to keep in mind if you want birds to populate your house(s). As HeeHaw noted ... Martins are pretty finicky. And they go back to their last nest site unless they die or it's already populated. So ... usually, you end up attracting juveniles who're building their first family.
As with real estate ... location is critical. High up, but ... close to people. Remember, their food source is bugs (on the wing) and bugs like people. The houses that seem to work best are those higher than close surrounding stuff, with wide open spaces but close to a house. Martin houses can do very well in a city or town if the conditions are right.
You need to do a good job cleaning the house before the season starts ... and keep the blasted sparrows out until a martin takes residence ... you get one, you'll likely fill the house - they're gregarious.
Telecoping pole definitely makes life easier.
Good luck!

TWINKLE_TOES · Mar 6, 2002

If you had asked how not to do it, I could write a book. Check this link, it has some good information about location and much more.
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.purplemartin.org/main/mgt.html> Purple Martin </A>
Al

LilRhody · Mar 6, 2002

TwinkleToes, nice web-site you linked. I have a feeling that I'm going to have to scrap the Martin house. If I stick the house in the middle of my field/yard (like the web-site suggests); I do not think the pleasure of watching these birds (that is if I can attract them in two years or so) outweighs the fact that I would have to mow around the pole that the thing sits on. Maybe I'll research an owl box instead (already have bats...lots of bats

)....The research continues............

TWINKLE_TOES · Mar 7, 2002

LilRhody, go for the bat houses. They are pretty cool little critters. Did you read the part, where the Purple Martins do not feed on Mosquito's, maybe the bats would do a better job. Bat houses are a lot eaiser to build.
Al

RanchMan · Mar 7, 2002

My grandfather had a purple martin house (really more like an apartment due to the # of nest-boxes it had in it! ~24) he constructed and put in his yard, at the back of the lot.

He lived in town & always had tons of PM birds. It was up about 15-20' and about 50'-60' from the house, but it was within about 15' or less from oak trees that were much higher than it was. Additionally, it was near (but below) the power lines at the back of the lot (chain link fence with brush along there too.)

I guess they did have a "sailway" over the house and through the yard from 2 directions (his house and backyard neighbor). Don't know if Central Texas PM are less finiky than those in RI, but he always had good luck. (then again, maybe we just have more bugs and lower housing costs down here! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif)

I'd say don't give up until you give it a try - what's the worst that could happen?

Arkie · Mar 7, 2002

Since bat houses were mentioned, my wife just brought one home the other day.Is there anything special you have to do to attract bats or do i just hang this thing up on a tree and wait? We always have a couple of bats flying around our house during the summer. Is there some kind of bat bait?/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

patrickg · Mar 7, 2002

Open area away from trees, especially trees taller than the bird house helps. High helps too. Of course there are always exceptions to the "rule" (since the birds don't read the rule books) but following the ornithological straight and narrow works best. Side note: Of course some folks will have success with the worst preparation. Some folks walk across the street without looking in either direction but it isn't the best practice.

Bird related observation: A week or so ago we got some snow and single digit temps after mostly mild weather for weeks. Some of the birds we have been feeding all winter, mostly redwing blackbirds and goldfinches, showed up the morning after the snow in droves double in numbers from typical turnout. We had 150-200 redwings and maybe 100-150 goldfinches. We have two sunflower seed feeders shared by finches and blackbirds and two thistle seed feeders which are 99% used by finches (one of these requires the bird to hang inverted to get at the seeds). After the snow it was a veritable feeding frenzy. I observed two blackbirds hanging upside down eating thistle seed (never saw this before or since). There was a lot of activity at the feeders but not a lot of feeding. As soon as one bird would land on a perch another would replace him or the bird on the perch is so concerned with proximity of other birds flying by that they are on guard and not eating.

As we have a few visits by cardinals I was at the window with a camera and saw the following. A blackbird standing on a finch in the final few pecks of pecking it to death. I summoned my mom and wife to see it as I thought it unusual behavior but before they could get to the window the blackbird flew off carrying the finch in its feet. I know that maybe a minute before there was no finch on the snow at that spot so it wasn't "road kill", the redwing blackbird killed it and flew off with it. I got a picture of it before it flew off but as it was a "grab shot" I didn't have time to fuss with the controls and as the camera was on automatic the predominately white snow background edged the exposure lower so the birds don't show full detail. Nevertheless they are clear enough to tell who is doing what to whom.

Anyone ever seen the like of this event? I never heard of a redwing blackbird killing an adult bird of any species before. Perhaps this was a behavior brought on by the "feeding frenzy" like demeanor of the birds that morning. Possibly some survival mode triggered by the sudden harsh weather.

Patrick

forestcreature · Mar 8, 2002

http://www.batconservation.org/

everything you ever wanted to know about bat housing...

LilRhody · Mar 9, 2002

I'm going with RanchMan's advice...Thanks everyone for the info.

heehaw · Mar 18, 2002

just thought i'd throw this out for those of you that are looking into martin houses; the martins arrived at our house last week, and so far, they have not started visiting the plastic houses, they are all over the metal houses, i think they are trio brand or something like that..i will not put up any more plastic houses.
heehaw

kbarrett · Mar 18, 2002

Patrick,

Years ago I maintained a few bluebird houses and unfortunately House Sparrows (actually not a sparrow)
pecked the young bluebirds to death on their nest.

It takes persistence and a strong stomach at times to help
out our blue feathered friends.

kbarrett · Mar 18, 2002

I hope to move into my new home by 5/1. We've been renting a 100 year old farm house from my sister in-law for awhile and just this last summer found out that about 100 bats (that we could count) share the same house!

On the southside there are a couple of out of commissioned chimneys in which they apparently live in the small crevice between house and chimney (I think??)

Anyway, they're neat to watch as the swoop out at dusk. However, it is not too much fun when they get in the house!
We had two visitors this past summer. Well, let me just say that I dare anyone to keep their composure as one of these flies around your head in your own home.

It took three days to get the second one out. As freaked out as we were, I think he was more freaked out than we were and was happy to get out of there.

rmorgan · Mar 19, 2002

Arkie--

I was researching bat houses last year and came across these pictures of one at the University of Florida which is pretty remarkable. I've read that they now have >60k bats!
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://web.uflib.ufl.edu/ufarch/bathouse.htm>Florida bat house</A>

Bat houses need lots of sunshine and are best close to water. Regarding both bats and martins, attracting them--especially north of the Mason Dixon, give or take--can take a few years, but I think both are worth trying for. Good luck!