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 the basics you will need
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Mike writes in from Lexington, KY., like so many others wanting to get started... I would like to have a Martin house. I don't know where to get one or what it should or should not have. How high does it need to be? In other words I don't know squat about it, I just want to have them around and help care for them. Can you give me some basic information? Here's what you'll need to get started- Let's talk about housing first since it's the key element. I'll be right up front and not waste anytime getting to what I like the best. I'm very partial to the "T-14" Martin house because of my own personal success with it and understanding it has the features both Martins and Martin landlords look for and need. Also, and very important, it's a proven success and well known throughout the Martin community. The T-14 really shines when compared to commercial houses in my opinion and it's a fact, landlords prefer condominium style housing. With that in mind the best advice I can give you is to purchase a pre-built T-14 if you're "not handy" and don't want to build your own house. Otherwise, if you "are handy", I'd suggest building your own because it's fun and you get to add any personal touches you wish to the already functional design features. I chose this option and built a handsome T-14 from plans. If you're a woodworker and enjoy building things, nothing is better than having the satisfaction of creating something really nice and getting a humble chuckle when people ask "where did you get that?" The T-14 is a super Martin house and is also available in kit form, which is very sweet for you folks who want the best of both worlds! The next two elements can get a little bit more complicated but let's just keep it simple. If you live in North America East of the Rocky Mountains chances are good that you can attract Martins to your housing. This is true because West of the Rocky Mountains Purple Martins have adapted differently than they have East of the Rockies. Western Martins are suited to natural housing while Eastern Martins are just about solely dependent on human supplied housing. That's why your chances are good to attract Eastern Martins. Check out the migration sightings from 2001 to see the states and provinces where landlords spotted Martins and get an idea of their migration range. Now, what about house location on your property? The subject has been studied thoroughly but again, let's keep it simple. In general if you have an open area with in a 120ft of your dwelling and a clear approach for Martins to fly in and land, you have it made! You can read some more tips on attracting them and once your questions get more specific and curiosity takes over, learn more by investigating/reading all you desire on PMC and the World Wide Web. Most importantly, by checking out Purple Martin Central regularly you'll find helpful and interesting information and feel part of the community. I know when you first start out there seems to be a zillion questions, just take it slow and keep it simple, right? A word of caution; everyone has a valuable opinion and things can get mucked up in a persons mind trying to decide on who is right or wrong and what to do. When you're trying to decide on housing and other matters, it all boils down to making knowledgeable decisions based on the information at hand, correct? Like everything else, you just do the best you can and it will work out, that's what makes it fun! Hope this helps you get primed up and ready to go! 
By the way, a good height for your house is between 15ft and 20ft off the ground. Read more on attracting Martins and what they like. |
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Copyright © 1998 to present Jeffry Blair.
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