Prevent climbing by a host of animals, pets, reptiles and snakes. To attract purple martins to your yard, start by getting birdhouses designed specifically for purple martins since they can be picky about where they nest. Since no predator guard is 100% fool proof, this quick and easy tip can further decrease the chances of one of these critters from slinking their way up your martin pole. Protecting Your Purple Martins from Owl and Hawk Attacks Every year many purple martin colonies have to deal with the inevitable hawk and owl attacks and the losses of their martins. I would like to get that in use again though….they eat so many mosquitoes and that would be a help to us.
It is the largest swallow, and can demonstrate some extraordinary aerial acrobatics to catch a flying insect. ; Add supplemental perches above and below purple martin houses to give birds a safe spot to roost and preen.
There should be no wires leading from the ground or a building to the martin housing, do not place the housing close to a . Houses can be made out of wood or metal. Keep your bird houses safe from predators with a premium Round Pole Ravenox Guards. Donald Campbell, the manager of Green Cay , escorted me out to the purple martin houses. Interesting Facts About Purple Martins That Will Make You Go Wow. ROUND PURPLE MARTIN PREDATOR GUARD: Ravenox Gourds are constructed to protect birds from aerial threats with deep cavities. I was there to install the predator guardsthat Mr.Updike (a fellow Purple Martin Conservation Association forumite) from Delaware had so graciously donated to Green Cay. The songbird of North America, the Purple Martin is the most sought-after backyard bird. Few things are more soothing or relaxing than sitting out on the back deck in the evening and watching the superb aerial acrobatics of these delightful birds. Coping with Avian Predators at Purple Martin Colonies . Purple martin colonies have no coordinated response to predators. This predator guard is designed to fit the Trio family of poles like the MPQ and DP-16 (Posi-lock) purple martin bird house poles. Like a chicken coop, a garden, and a meadow with grazing livestock, a purple martin home is a single location with a high concentration of prey, making it an attractive … Now we all know that Columbia is “Famously Hot.” It’s best to use a wooden house here in South Carolina because metal housing can cause the houses to get too hot and “cook” any residents and eggs that are nesting inside. Use starling traps and sparrow traps to decrease nest site competition from these non native pests.
A typical Purple Martin house looks like a big rectangular box with 6 holes in each side. Some are even octagonal and can be multiple layers tall. Thank you for posting. Snakes can climb up any pole and can even thwart many predator guards. Whether a martin colony is located on a public park, at a school, or in your own backyard, Purple Martins are vulnerable to aerial predators such as hawks and owls, and ground predators such as raccoons, snakes, and squirrels. Take steps to deter predators, such as using baffles on birdhouse poles and managing house sparrow populations so they do not take over martin houses.
John Tautin. Operating a purple martin colony is a very pleasant and self gratifying hobby. Read … Purple Martin Conservation Association 301 Peninsula Drive, Suite 6 ... a serious predator of martins, were it not relatively rare. By using purple martin pole guards, (predator guards) and owl guards you can increase the success of your purple martin colony. Purple Martin Predators. They do not all attack the predator but do assemble as a crowd to confuse predators and make it difficult to focus on one bird. Having the opportunity to look after one or more purple martin homes can be both a fun and challenging pastime, fun because of the incredible bird-watching opportunities, and challenging due to the presence of purple martin predators. Bluebird trails, Tree swallow boxes and purple martin landlords can all benefit from using snake netting (actually bird netting) on your poles. European starlings can also take over purple martin houses and should be kept away from these nesting areas. Narrow access holes don’t protect against terrestrial threats. fencepost, and keep the ground below the housing cleared of any tall vegetation in which predators could hide.