Comments on: Purple Martins

By: PurpleMartins-R-Us

PurpleMartins-R-Us — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 21:34:06 +0000

I am not sure where you get the “changing on a daily basis” (that is your schedule not any landlord I know) but yes, I change nest material if there are blow flies -as some that monitor Bluebird trails do also.
As far as opening up the can re: other things “Landlords do for martins that martins wouldn’t do for themselves”, you said it best yourself…bird feeders and baffles galore.
I am also pretty sure that there were plenty of tree snags before Europeans started clearing land for grazing, development and aesthetics. But a complete tradition shift has occurred in Purple Martins (as well as Chimney Swifts for that matter) and the scales are tipped against them without our efforts.

Taking a hard line, non interference stance, Pandas, California Condors and Whooping Cranes would be hurting.

By: Usagizero

Usagizero — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 05:44:03 +0000

Well that clears it up for me, the eye color helped a lot, sadly i don’t think i’ve seen any purple martins around, just grackles. I say just, but i do like how they look, especially when the sun hits them just right.
One i got a shot of today: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tfangel/4544654282/

By: Birdchick

Birdchick — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 03:33:04 +0000

I bet purple martins survived just fine before Native Americans put up gourds and I doubt the tribes changed their nesting material on a daily basis or treated the gourds with pesticides.

That’s great that you are a “landlord” and you love your martins but if you are doing things that martins wouldn’t do in the wild (ie changing nesting material on a daily basis) that’s not conservation. That’s caring for a pet.

By: PurpleMartins-R-Us

PurpleMartins-R-Us — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 01:40:39 +0000

The only part I don’t agree with is about how European settlers began this birds dependence on humans. It has been documented that Choctaw and Chickasaw Indians would hang up dried gourds for these birds long before Europeans arrived and according to the Purple Martin Conservation Association, the purple martin has undergone in the last several hundred years, a “tradition shift” where they no longer recognize natural tree snags as nest sites. Are they pets? I understand you argument there, but as a purple martin landlord I take pride in keeping this bird safely off the endangered species list, which according to the PMCA, would probably be the case had humans not taken to putting up housing.
Then again from my blog (www.MyPurpleMartinBlog.com) you can probably gather how feel. Great pics.

By: DaveABirding

DaveABirding — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 22:52:05 +0000

Enjoyed that post. Good pics and informative.

By: Baby Safety Guards

Baby Safety Guards — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 19:32:18 +0000

Because of this, houses for purple martins need at least four rooms and openings. Baby Safety Guards