The Ecological Problem that Caused Purple Martins to Disappear

[@williamjaeger5940]

Another great video! Thanks!

[@nesthollow5159]

I appreciate it. Sorry it took so long to put a new one out. I had spent a year making an educational coloring book - with most of thr effort happening in the last 6 months. But it's finally done so I'm back at working on videos as much as I can. I hope you have a good bird season :)

[@rayellebishop8168]

You are amazing.

[@Lou_Mansfield]

this is like a detective story interveaving the civil war, a little town, and historical figures

[@jameslomenzo1139]

I drove up to Griggsville, Illinois in 1992, it had an amazing museum there in the townsquare. I put my first two Trio 12 unit aluminum houses up in 1994,and had a few pairs of PMs that year. 1995 a Trio castle. I lost my small colony in 2006, but in 2021 a lone older male showed up, few days later a female' successfully raised two babies in a plastic Gourd hung underneath the houses. Since then I've modified the aluminum houses to bigger compartments and added 3 nice Amish houses with 24 Troyer gourds, I didn't use predator guards back then but I do now but im still having a hard time getting them to establish a colony, 2021,one pair, 2022 one pair and none in 2023,and none so far this year,only seen an older ASY male fly over a few weeks back. They are a mystery for sure. Eastern Bluebirds are doing great, and Tree Swallows, i have 8 wooden houses for them. I don't have house sparrows. Thanks for the article about the Greencastle Purple Martins. I had read some of it in J.L Wades 1987 book Purple Martins America's Most Wanted bird.

[@nesthollow5159]

That's awesome! Hopefully you can get more Martins. But they can be a challenge even without house sparrows. Do you have bluebird boxes near the martin housing? I read somewhere that you want to get a good PM colony established first then attract bluebirds and swallows. Apparently, PMs are a bit shy of Bluebirds and tree swallows when they aren't in as big of numbers. Griggsville is amazing. Glad you got to see it.

[@jameslomenzo1139]

@nesthollow5159 I have 4 wooden bluebird houses and 2 Troyer SuperGourds about 30ft to 100ft from my PM houses, Gourds. Bluebirds have been nesting here since 1990, they're not any trouble, they use wooden houses, I can say the Tree Swallow are, They go after the tall high houses with PM gourds but I don't let them nest there, they will drive off an unestablished Purple Martin colony plus there numbers are high here in Middle Tennessee, the 4 wooden houses in the park behind me, has 2 Tree Swallow nest, and Bluebirds have 2 also starting on their 3 brood. I saw an ASY male fly over the houses 3 weeks ago, I have the perfect set up, these 3 Amish house's cost $535 each with 15ft pole, deep 6x12 compartments with nesting trays ,made of ABS strong plastic, I have 4 nice Troyer gourds on each house with brackets, very good open spot. I just can't understand what is going on. When I first got them back in 2021, a ASY male showed up on May 6th, then a female successfully raised two babies. Here in Middle Tennessee if you don't get PM'S by the end of May it's pretty much over, maybe some SY's will come in, you never know. Thanks again.

[@nesthollow5159]

@@jameslomenzo1139 it sounds like you do have a good setup. So puzzling then. And you're right about the end of May. It makes me soo sad how short a time all the swallows are with us.

[@oh_k8]

Coopers hawks and sharp shin hawks are a huge problem for purple martens.

[@nesthollow5159]

Oh definitely. I've seen situations where one is just perched on or near one of the apartments. I saw a report once about owls at night raiding the area. The difference is house sparrows aren't native whereas our birds of prey are. But I know what you mean where it just becomes a hunting frenzy 😢