Purple Martin Colony Monitoring: The Upgrade to ReoLink

When it was raining & cold, I was so ready for this season to get started! Now with the heat and humidity, I vacillate between wanting it over & done versus enjoying the show. The problem with trying to enjoy the show right now is all the bugs that attack me when I'm outside. I'm starting to realize, it is my destiny to just experience some minor suffering to do the outdoor things I love.

We are in the stage right now where there are tons of feeding trips occurring in my colony. With only 5 nests fledged, the vast majority of my nests have young, ranging from 1-day old up to 20 days old. That's a LOT of food requirements. Take THAT bugs!! It's amazing to watch how fast the adults deliver food, then depart on another hunting trip. I can always tell when there's another nest preparing to fledge because the fledgling escort crews show up and the normally-very-quiet colony (during this stage), starts becoming very vocal. So, I go watch.

The small escort crew (because the other adults are working - feeding their young!)

It always fascinates me and I ask - HOW do they (the escort crews) KNOW there are young martins about to fledge? Does a martin-wide memo go out in the Purple Martin Kingdom to notify them all of the date & time they need to show up? I need more information, please (and send me a copy of that memo!).

Today's escort crew is small, compared to others. Probably because the vast majority of my colony are parents engaged in feeding their young.

I recently received a lot of questions regarding how I monitor my colony. Which system? Does it record all night? Does it use WiFi - or do you have to connect via an Ethernet cable?

After using the Browning Trail cameras for years to monitor my colony, I was getting tired of having to change out batteries, retrieve & replace the cards every day, but the most daunting realization - I realized I was probably missing some of the owl's activities because the limitations that are always a 'feature' of game cameras. If the owl's attack was too fast, if she was out of range or even didn't cross the required pixels to trigger the camera, or the camera didn't trigger fast enough, I wouldn't know about her attacks. It was time to improve my game. I had already spent a lot of time, effort & money on my systems and the caging, so, why not verify it's working? 

I realized Bob and I had set this up about 5 years ago and while I knew all the answers about it then, I had forgotten the very, very deep details about this system. Details that are critical to choosing a system for this particular application. So, I'm documenting them here, and sharing them with you, in case you ever need them. The best part? NO MORE batteries, NO MORE cards, and NO MORE missed activities!

We decided on 4 Reolink RLC-511W cameras (look for the cameras & package deals like this one to be on sale!). The most important qualities for me:

- Zoom - Optical Zoom (digital zoom is too pixelated)! (my cameras are 75' from my colony). I've dedicated one camera to each rack - zoom & focus the racks (3 racks) and the 4th camera to monitor the overall yard (not zoomed in). 

- Night vision (they have an IR range of 100'). We added the IR illuminator, which extends the range of the IR out to 300', just to ensure complete coverage. Because "100 feet" really means, "only about 50 effective feet". That's true with all the "night-vision" cameras I've ever tried.

- Most importantly - continuous recording, all night long. Living out in the country, I found motion detection just isn't something I should use. Rain and every large bug that runs / flies across the screen triggers the recordings and I would sometimes miss the owl.

- WiFi - we didn't want to run yet another wire to connect it to the router. 

My 4 Reolink RLC-511W cameras + the IR illuminator. Bob built these shelves for me, making the whole system easy to remove for winter storage. 

The NVR system (2 TB) storage allows me to record continuously all night. In the morning early hours, the system will FTP the files to another drive where I can then view them on my computer screens with my morning coffee (at 15X speed!). I use "VLC Media Player" (free download) to review my recordings quickly. You can increase the speed of the review, or just pause the video and drag the slider button to watch the video for changes! Now I can see the whole colony and not miss a thing!
 

The NVR system combined with a cheap monitor! 

ccc

A quick check of the monitor and you can see if there are any issues before bedtime!

Behind the Scenes:

We found these weather-proof boxes at Lowe's. The top one contains the 'dongles' (3 wires per camera - 1 with a reset button, 1 for an Ethernet cable connection, and one for the power connection) coming from the cameras. Ugghhh - tuck that stuff away in a box and wear a face shield when you open the box and it all comes sprawling out over you!

 

2 weather-tight boxes - Lowe's and Home Depot carry these.

The IR illuminator is mounted on a saw horse next to the cameras. It can be easily maneuvered to highlight the right parts of the racks. Just don't point it at the ground too much or you get a lot of reflection from the grass! Ask me how I know. 😏

Outdoor plugs and weather-proof covers on our patio made the task of setting up power for the cameras a breeze. Direct power is required if you want to record continuously. None of the night vision cameras will record continuously on battery power alone. 

Outdoor power supply with weather proof cover.

Some electrical cord hangers and you have a neat, organized patio and no one tripping over the electrical cord!

By removing the 4 screws that are used to mount these boards to the porch posts, I can quickly disconnect the wires and bring the cameras inside for winter storage in our unfinished basement.

The cameras stored in our basement. Keeping them out of the winter weather extremes will help extend the life of the cameras.

I created this video in the process of documenting our setup. 

Yes, it's an outlay of cash. Is it worth it? I emphatically say, "YES!" It has been the last piece of the puzzle that I needed to give me insight to what was happening with my colony every night and give me the information I needed, in case I needed to quickly adapt in order to thwart her ability to catch martins.

This is a video from the camera that I use to monitor the entire yard:

I am so happy to see that the owl's attacks have been lessening every year. I'm not going to mention a number because I don't want to jinx myself (or my colony). But knowing what's happening in my yard every night is helping me to sleep more peacefully. And, I've repurposed the Browning cameras to watch the activities on my trails so I can see if Molly is still hanging around! Win, WIN!

 

The Cornbread Story - A Recipe for Success

The weather here in Texas County, Missouri has been less than ideal for raising baby purple martins. We have had lots & lots of rain. Lots. Then, if it wasn't raining, it was cold. Or, it was raining AND cold. My nest check on May 16th revealed that I had 5 pairs (according to the official, "how do you count your pairs" rules) of purple martins. Meaning, 5 nests had eggs. I knew all of the rest were also gearing up to start laying. Then the weather pooped out on us and I thought they would lose all the existing eggs and any that were laid in the meantime. 

During a nest check on June 1st, I discovered that was not the case. I found a lot of nests with 1 to 3-day old nestlings. So, the purple martins had shaken their fist at Mother Nature and said, "We SHALL carry on"! I did find 2 dead nestlings and 3 nestlings missing from another nest (there were originally 5 eggs and only found 2 nestlings). Not bad for a brutal 3 weeks. And sub-adults arrived about around May 20th, so lots of fighting going on. As of today, June 20th - I have 82 pair with 266 nestlings, and 66 eggs still to hatch. My oldest ones (from the May 16th nest check) started fledging yesterday!

I've been seeing some posts on various purple martin groups where landlords without predator guards have discovered they've sadly lost their entire colony to a snake or raccoon attack. What makes some of these losses even more difficult is that some of these landlords were given the predator guard information 2 to 3 years ago. Such needless loss.

I have been thinking about my father-in-law a lot lately and the very funny things he did - that will relate to this post.

Dad and his garden

When Bob's Dad was still alive and we were building our new homee here, he would frequently invite us over for dinner. One of his favorite sides was cornbread. One night, as we were eating it, I noticed that the cornbread looked gritty and more importantly, tasted like we were eating ground up cornmeal. When I asked him if he had changed the recipe, he said, "yeah, I decided not to add flour. It doesn't need any flour anyway - it still rises and tastes good". 

Bob Jr. and Bob Sr. - Dad loved coming over & supervising the construction of everything at our new home site here in Missouri. Even the pond.

"Welllll...that's debatable", I thought (to myself), "are you losing your tastebuds"? Hehe. As time went on, he started leaving other various things out of the recipe; salt, milk (instead, using water), etc., so I started making the cornbread and bringing it over. His only rule was, "NO sugar". I could abide with that one.

On June 5th, my neighbor asked me if it was too late to set up his site for purple martins. Well, no, if you get it up quickly (next 2-3 weeks). Sub Adults are still coming in to my site and all my gourds are full. As I gathered the information to give him, and prepared my spiel for him, I thought of my father-in-law and laughed - "there's a really simple recipe for success".  

The recipe to hosting purple martins successfully - and KEEP hosting them far into the future - is really simple. 

The primary ingredients - good, manageable housing; good housing location (at least 60 feet +) from trees, removal/eradication of non-native nest competitors (HOSP & starlings), and more importantly, after you attract them - ADD a predator guard to your poles to keep them and protect them.

So, what ARE the required ingredients for a long-term successful site (click on the table below to enlarge)? 

My Recipe Card: 

 

 

As I gave the 'recipe' for success to my neighbor, I thought again of the cornbread story. He setup a quick, homemade gourd rack on June 13, 2025. As of today, June 20th - he has 2 pair of purple martins that look like they will settle in and hopefully nest this year. I'm sure these pairs are overflow from my site and that's why I have no plans to expand my housing. It's so much fun to watch his face when he sees them landing and investigating his new site!

Bob and I laugh about it often when I'm making a dish and he'll quip, "you don't need no milk in that...you probably don't even need cornmeal....!"...and we'll laugh at the fond memories of the funny things his Dad did...and I realize how much I miss him.

 

Purple Martin Season 2025 Is Here

Dear Missouri Landlords,

Purple Martin Season 2025 has begun here on Gobbler's Knob! For the first time ever in my 19 years of being a purple martin landlord, 1 adult male and 2 adult female purple martins arrived at the same time on Feb. 28, 2025.

As of today, March 7, 2025, there are now 8 purple martins here and the first tree swallow of the season is flitting around and singing with glee as he has 14 nest boxes from which he can currently choose!

Here's a short video that I captured on the 28th of the purple martins' arrival. 

Time for Missourians to get your racks / housing up!

Wishing you all a great season!

Purple Martin Housing Cleanup: To Clean or Not to Clean?

Well, it's more nuanced than that. After finally having some frost, we've reached the perfect weather window in Missouri where I can start cleaning out my purple martin gourds and storing them.

Since we live in Missouri, where we often get snow & ice in February & March each year (right at the time the purple martins are arriving), I cannot wait until then to clean my gourds. So, I do it every Fall, after the first frost. This year, I thought of my past militant attitude towards cleaning out my gourds - **sparkling clean and NO spots!**, and decided that I wanted to share some thoughts on how I now clean my gourds and clarify some nuanced thoughts on *why* I clean them.

My required gourd-cleaning protection (click on picture for an enlarged view)

For the last 2 years, I'm finding that I'm not quite as concerned as I used to be about getting my gourds sparkling clean. I AM focused, however, on killing the mites, fleas, etc. and their eggs. But, it's not ONLY  for the benefit of the health of the purple martins that will nest there next year. It's also a concern for where I store the gourds. I store them in our shop where I have other things that I would like to keep mite-free. Things like our side-by-side and my native wildflower seed storage bins. A bout of warm weather would result in those eggs hatching and not be a good thing for me (or Mr. Freeze) to encounter.

A couple of years ago, I bought this 100-gallon livestock tank (100-gallon livestock tank - True Value) and I love it! I can soak 14 to 16 gourds at a time in it at a time. Put them in to soak one day, then wash them out the next - and I don't have to kill myself trying to clean all 84 gourds in one day.

100-gallon Livestock Tank from True Value. 16 gourds in the tank

Many people just pull out the old nest material and rinse & dry their gourds / housing. And if you store your gourds in a place where you don't care if there are future outbreaks of such insects, you probably don't need to worry about the Bleach soak. But if you do care, then here is what I do:

• Remove all the old nesting material. 
• Rinse out the remaining loose material.
• Add water and bleach (enough bleach to make a 10% bleach-to-water solution).
• Shove all the gourds into the tank and ensure all the air bubbles are removed. 
• The longer the gourds soak, the easier they'll be to clean out. 

I'm finally done for this season, just in time for the freezing winter weather. I do have a few repairs to make this winter to some of my gourds (broken tunnels, torn treads, etc.), but I can take my time with those. 

I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Look What Mother Nature Dragged In

 I have been keeping a log book of all my purple martin arrivals and nest checks since time began. Okay, well really since I became a landlord in 2007 with my first pair. I love writing in it each season with my mechanical .09 pencil. Something about writing with a pencil that I just love. I start each season by writing on a new page, "Season 20XX". Then, I start writing when the first purple martin arrives. 

This year, my notations began on March 4th with the first ASY male arrival. The only others so far:

• Mar. 12th - 3 martins here;
• Mar. 14th - 6 martins here - supplemental feeding;
  
• Mar. 20th - 11 martins here - supplemental feeding;
• Mar. 21st - rain;
• Mar. 22 & 23rd - 68 & 70 degrees - over 25 martins here.
• Apr. 1st - too many to count....over 50 at least.
  

As I scanned through my notebook to see what was happening on these same dates in past years, I wondered if my son or my grandsons would someday find my Purple Martin notebook and be curious enough to read through it. I'm sure the grandsons would get a good laugh reading some of my notes, knowing how bird-crazy their grandmother was. I wonder if they would marvel at the handwriting and feel a warmth of familiarity and that will open up a flood of memories? The same way I loved to read the notes that my grandmother wrote in her letters and especially in her Bible? I've been feeling rather down about aging and thinking about my own mortality lately and the best way for me to work through stuff is to write about it. Not today, but soon. Moving on.....

Today, there are more than I can count but I'm sure I have over 50 martins now.

Yesterday evening during my walk, I saw my martins zooming just over the tops of my native wild plum grove. There are thousands of these moths swarming the fragrant, snow white blooms. I ran to the house and grabbed my camera and of course, by the time I returned, most of the martins were headed to bed, but I did manage to catch a few on video catching a snack for bedtime. I LOVE seeing this - it's one of the many reasons I love to talk about native plants and how many insects they host. And those insects are now feeding many of the birds here today. Now you can see why I preach, "GROW NATIVE"!

Here's a short video where I managed to capture a few purple martins & tree swallows snagging a moth before bedtime.

 Not only are the purple martins swarming in, so are the tree swallows. I have a LOT more tree swallows than I have nest boxes for them. Check out how many TRES are twittering around my fields right now in the video above.

In 2021, a bluebird and tree swallow pair nested in this same paired configuration and last year, I had 2 tree swallow pairs nesting back-to-back in those same houses. According to the 'rule' book, when setting up tree swallow grid, they need about 100' between their nest boxes, but we love to break the rules here. 

This past weekend, I decided to take my last two spare nest boxes out of the garage and pair them with a couple of nest boxes on other posts.The new nest boxes certainly weren't doing anyone any good in the garage, so why not find out if lightning will strike 3 or 4 times on Gobbler's Knob? 

In the past 2 days, I've also discovered that I have 2 pairs of nesting bluebirds! After the Polar Vortex of 2021, our local bluebird population was devastated. Where I had had 3 - 4 pairs of nesting bluebirds every year prior, I had none in 2021 and only 1 pair last year. I was thrilled to find 5 blue eggs in one nest and 2 eggs in another nest yesterday, and I encountered a male bluebird guarding another nestbox north of my house. Keeping my fingers crossed this is the year they rebound!

Purple Martin Season - 2023; Are You Ready?

Fellow purple martin landlord extraordinaire, John Miller (St. Louis) found the cute picture below and recently shared it on the PMCA Forum. It was just the motivation I needed to get back to writing on my blog. Well, that and a couple of messages from long-time readers.

I took some time off from writing for a bit to focus on some other things. But, as time has gone on, I've realized how much I've missed it and how cathartic writing is for me. What better topic to kick my blog off again than the imminent Purple Martin 2023 season in Missouri!

Reports are coming in from many southern states that they many sites are actually spotting them much earlier than in prior seasons. Knowing that information, yesterday, Feb. 25th, it was 60 degrees here and winds were blowing from the south - literally, the exact conditions that have predicted their return every year. I thought for sure I would see one but thankfully, I didn't. 

 

 

Checking my records, my earliest arrival happened on February 28th, 2016. As I looked at the forecast for the rest of this week, I'm a little concerned they may think it's a great time to mosey their way on up to Gobbler's Knob and confirm their reservations. While it is always exciting and heartwarming to see them arrive, Missouri weather is so danged unpredictable and while I have my colony trained to accept supplemental feeding, it's not my favorite thing to have to do.

Speaking of supplemental feeding, I checked my favorite supplier last week - Rainbowmealworms.com, and they are once again OUT of my favorite cricket size (1"). So annoying. It seems we are still suffering the stupid side affects of Covid - 3 years later.

I haven't seen a tree swallow yet either - normally I see one or two of them arrive with a purple martin in tow. I like to imagine that they met somewhere over the Gulf and teamed up to make the journey north to my site.

My wonderful husband has made sure that I have plenty of housing on hand. How cute is this house??

TRES nest box with slot entrance and bird spikes to prevent owls from landing on the box.

What IS bringing me joy right now is the fact that our local bluebird population appears to be rebounding from the devastating impact of the Polar Vortex of 2021. Remember that? I didn't see any bluebirds that year, and had only one breeding pair last year. From the numbers of them frequenting my yard this year so far, it looks like we will have a much better bluebird year.

So, Dear Missouri Landlords, I hope you're preparing your sites! They're on their way and they are in a hurry!

Don't forget to check out the PMCA Scout Arrival site to watch their progression northwards!

*If you have a Facebook account, don't forget to check in with us at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/purplemartinfanatics

 

Purple Martin Sub-Adults Arriving in Missouri

For those of you trying to attract purple martins to your site, NOW is the prime time in Missouri!

On April 29th, 2021, I reported a male sub-adult (SY - second year) arrival at my colony. Sub-adults, or "SY" (second-year) birds are the birds that were hatched last season that are just now reaching our borders during migration. 

I also spotted 3 sub-adult females, but the PMCA asks that we report the sub-adult males, since they're a wee bit easier to identify. Well, "easier" is subjective.  Some sub-adult males are easy to identify because they have large groupings of purple feathers (the indicators of a male martin) speckled about their chest & throat. For others, it can be more subtle.

When I first started out as a landlord, I spent hours taking pictures and following a bird that I suspected was a sub-adult male, only to realize it was a sub-adult female. It takes awhile - especially, because the purple feathers that you're searching for can be few and far between or so many that it's obvious. When I absolutely couldn't identify him using his feather markings, I would just wait for him to make the typical male 'clicking' sound and THAT was the indicator that sealed the ID game! 

In this photo, the SY-Male on the left is checking out an ASY-Female on the right. There are a couple of small purple feathers on his chest that are glowing in the sunlight, another one under his left wing and a couple behind his legs.

In this photo below, this SY-Male has several purple feathers on his upper chest that makes him a little easier to spot.

In the photo below, the SY-Male has several small purple feathers under his chin. He is standing guard over his SY-Female (R).

This SY-male in the photo below was super-easy. He already has almost the full adult head covered with dark purple feathers.

In the photo below, the sub-adult female on the left is probably paired up with the ASY (adult) male on the right.

If you're a new landlord this season and awaiting purple martins, now would be a good time to start playing the dawnsong at your site. You can play it on a portable CD player, from your car's CD player with the doors open, from your house with the windows open or from your cell phone. It should be played in the wee hours of the morning (starting about 5 AM through until about 9 or 10 AM). Then start playing the daytime chatter. Purple martins like to be around other purple martins and that will help draw their attention to your new sites.

If you're still not sure of your ID skills, just watch for a bird behaving like an out-of-control, hormonal teenager. That would be the SY male.

Purple Martin Season 2021 Has Begun

My first purple martin 'scout' of this new season arrived on March 8th, 2021. It was 65 degrees and winds were out of the southwest - great migration weather. The awful polar vortex that hit the southern states just as migration began created a worrisome start this year with thousands of birds dying, including untold numbers of purple martins that had just literally landed at their home sites. 

But it appears that some things are returning to normal and it was such a joy to see her circling my colony Monday afternoon. I still haven't seen any bluebirds since I found 3 dead in a nestbox on Feb. 13th. I also usually have tree swallows that arrive with my first purple martin, but I still have not seen one of those yet.

Missouri landlords should be raising their houses now - you can check out the Purple Martin Scout Arrival map live at this link to see if there are any reports submitted near your area. If you would like to report your own arrivals, you can use this link and create an account if you need to to enter your data.

https://www.purplemartin.org/research/8/scout-arrival-study/

This is today's map (my report is the purple dot with the red circle around it).

I hope you have a great season and as always, you can reach me via this blog by commenting below or email me at purplemartin @ centurytel dot net.

Living the Quarantine Life on Gobbler's Knob

With the final mass gourd cleanup completed and 2 coats of Pig Snot (my favorite car / motorcycle wax) applied to my predator baffles (which makes them super-slick!), I can now say that the Purple Martin Season of 2020 is officially closed. 

We had a great Purple Martin year - 80 pair with over 305 young fledged. This year, everything seemed to get started about 2-3 weeks later than usual. On average in past years, we would normally only have  2-3 pair still trying to fledge their young around the first or second week of August. This year however, I still had around 25 pair up until August 18th. A very late season. 

We had 4 confirmed kills by the Great Horned Owl - a 75% decrease over the last 6 years and that is definitely something I can live with. Last Fall, we opened up the East field even more by cutting down a few Eastern red cedar trees, and it worked - the hawk attacks were also greatly reduced. I was so relieved this year to have fewer successful attacks. While the trees were well over 150' away from the colony, in the prior years, the speedy little Sharpie and the Cooper's hawks had learned to use the trees for cover on their approach to the colony.  

With a lot less stress this year from hawks & owls, it was much more fun to watch the martins fledge their young - they haven't a clue about Covid-19 and what the world is suffering through right now. But they do have their own worries - owls, hawks, bug supply, and climate change, just to name a few.

Bob and I notice that when my purple martins are here, along with the nesting bluebirds, tree swallows, chickadees, tufted titmice and others, we hardly ever see any bugs flying through the yard. The birds seem to keep the population of flying insects very controlled.

It is only after the nesting season ends and the purple martins have left for Brazil that I start to see more bugs around my yard again. Thousands of dragonflies appear, the Pennsylvania Leatherwings cover the Bidens and multiple wasp species descend on the Goldenrod. 

Check out the video below, taken A view into some of the September & October bugs:

After all the other native wildflowers have gone to seed, the New England Asters, goldenrod (did you know that Missouri has over 23 species of goldenrod?) and bidens bloom & continue to provide food for the bees:

And the fields light up with a sea of yellow and purple flowers. Yes, life is good here on Gobbler's Knob.

Pennsylvania Leatherwings on Missouri Bidens

Bumblebee with filled pollen basket on Goldenrod

A Wasp party on Goldenrod

Bidens, Indian grass, Goldenrod and Pickerel weed provide cover and food for insects, quail and all the other wildlife that choose to live on Gobbler's Knob.

Purple Martins: Winnowing-Natural and Unnatural

This Guest post was written by my good friend in Corpus Christi, Mr. John Barrow - purple martin landlord expert and all-around good-guy-extraordinaire. Thanks for sharing, John!

Winnowing Definition: (referring to a group of things, people, animals) to reduce something's size by separating the ones that are useful or relevant from the ones that are not. 

           I have been contemplating the effects of the post-fledge natural winnowing process on a colony this season and, I am becoming convinced that a great deal (or majority) of hatch year (HY) loss occurs in the week or two after fledging occurs.

          At my colony we had moderate drought in 2008, severe drought in 2009, and a banner year in 2010. In 2008 we had numerous jumpers--at one point we were rehabbing a dozen nestlings. In 2009, we had severe brood reduction due to weather related events--nearly all in the nature of fewer eggs produced; many that were not incubated. I recall we had only one jumper, but had 62 nest starts from 45 pairs. This year (2010) we had laying and incubation of large clutches of eggs, with only one jumper that was returned to fledge.

          Fledging each year, occurred in most cases over several days. That scenario, which is probably typical, results in separation of the family unit as adults take their new fledges to a presumably safe location and, starting individually, teach them to find and catch food. Prior to fledging adults have already reduced feeding of nestlings to encourage fledging, and as the post-fledging training occurs, those left in the nest lose weight, often to critical levels. This is what, in most instances absent mites, etc., I believe, causes jumpers. Not an easy problem to deal with. You can stuff the jumper with food and stick it back in the compartment you believe it belongs in. But that doesn't increase the feeding by its parents. These late fledges are really in a battle against time to get out of the nest, fly capably, and remain with their family group, in order to survive.

           Add to this other typical behavior like the adults returning to the cavities with newly fledged young--a form of post fledging memory stamping--and the ensuing confusion as these newly fledged young are attacked, chased and threatened when trying to reenter what is often someone else's turf, you almost certainly have more family unit separation and confusion.

          There has been little study done of the effects of this post fledge winnowing period, and I suspect study would be difficult and for the most part subjective. But it is something I have been reflecting on. Did my adult pairs of martins that fledged 3 young/per pair in 2009, and were probably better equipped to train that lesser number and keep the family unit intact, have a substantially lesser effect on the overall population, then those pairs in 2010 that fledged 6 or 7 per nest; but, that had more difficulty in training the individual fledges, locating and preserving a safe and secure locale for staging that provided a reliable food source; and finally, in keeping the entire family unit intact for the requisite training period to allow the young to become independent? I think there are signals that the overall population fluctuation of a certain area in a good year, may not be significantly different than in a marginal year.

          What does it matter? Assuming there are substantial losses during this post fledging period, what can be done to reduce it? Winnowing in this light is defined as reducing the number of birds in a species until only the best ones are left. It is natural selection at its purest.

          It is not maintaining a colony so large that it becomes a magnet for predators, not only endangering adults during the nesting process, but more so, becoming an attack zone for recently fledged hatch year birds whose survival is dependent on their having a safe and secure training area to learn basic survival skills as part of a family unit. It is not offering housing that serves to maximize the confusion of family units returning to housing as part of post fledging memory stamping at the colony, be it housing that is too closely configured, or stacked row on top of row; it is not building a colony of the size or in an area beyond the capacity of the immediate food supply.

Predator Guards: A Story of Love and Betrayal

Per the PMCA, pole-mounted predator guards are an important part of being a conscientious and successful landlord, yet at the beginning of each Purple Martin season, as sure as the sun rises in the East and sets in the West, the inevitable debates regarding whether landlords should use predator guards or not begin on the multiple online forums. Yet, I have never met a purple martin landlord that wanted to set up purple martin housing so they could offer 'free food' to a raccoon or a snake.

Screenshot taken from video by Dan Pancamo (Full video linked below). The bulge in the snake's head is from the first 8-day old nestling he just consumed.

So many Purple Martins are lost each year to snake and raccoon attacks. It makes me sad every season to read about the losses - sad for the landlords who worked so hard to attract them, sad for the purple martins who died needlessly, and even more sad for the loss of what could have been a productive site contributing to the overall population and well-being of the species. We need MORE purple landlords hosting these magnificent birds - but not just throwing up a pole and a house / gourds and ignoring it, because, that's where the predators will take advantage.  What we need are MORE purple landlords that know how to make their sites safe AND productive - the very pleasant side effect of that is the landlord has an even more enjoyable season.

After all, who wants to pull a snake out of their purple martin housing, or clean up the blood & mess after a raccoon attack? That's not 'enjoyable' to me. Who wants the stress of not knowing whether the surviving martins will return in the next season?

A landlord removed the predator guards for one night and found this snake in the cavity the next morning - full of 3 nestlings.

Many experienced landlords are well aware that after a predator attack, the surviving martins may never return - in fact, many sites remain empty for years afterward. People don't go out and buy chickens & ducks and then not protect them from the resident coyotes, raccoons & owls, so why are our purple martins - a resource that is so much more precious - treated as expendable?

A fourth nestling was found on the porch and had been squeezed to death by the same snake in the picture above.

The impact of a predator attack is well documented by the PMCA and by landlords who have experienced the regrettable losses firsthand - they will be the first people to tell you - "Don't let it happen to you".  Check out the link below to see what is the number ONE reason for why people lose their martins.

See the PMCA page: Twelve Reasons Why People Lose Their Purple Martins

By the time the martins get here, they have already had to deal with a multitude of obstacles and aerial predators. The PMCA estimates 50-60% of purple martins are lost during migration both to and from Brazil.  With such challenges and losses already, it becomes even more critical to protect them when they get here. I am a firm believer that we should NOT create a free 'all-you-can-eat buffet' for any predator by giving them free reign and unhindered access to our nesting sites.

The Basics- Recommended Predator Guards (from the PMCA): 

Pole Guards—Also called predator baffles, pole guards are cylindrical or conical in shape and help prevent raccoons or snakes from climbing up the pole.  No matter if your pole is 12 or 20 ft tall, round or square, metal or wood, it can easily be climbed by snakes or raccoons.  Pole guards are commercially available (PMCA recommends a quick release pole guard for ease of use) or you can make your own. Per the PMCA, they should be installed at least 4 ft above the ground (higher if possible), 8 inches in diameter, and 2 ft long.

Netting—For those in areas with large snakes 1/2 - 3/4" bird netting can be used as a secondary line of defense.  Netting should be placed above the predator baffle in puffy layers, ensuring there is no space for the snake to climb between the netting and pole, or over the netting. 

Electric Fence Guards -  If you have an electrical outlet nearby, or can connect to a fence charger, this is a great way to protect your poles from any climbing critters. The only drawback to this method is, unless you have your fencing also plugged into a backup power source, then a power outage would leave your poles open to a predator attack. Even a fence charger can fail though, so backup guards are still needed, in form of baffle and netting.

Predator Baffle w/ Netting - Materials & Mounting:

The combination of a cylinder / pole guard with the netting mounted above the guard will predator-proof your poles and protect your nesting martins.
You can purchase a 'quick release' predator baffle here: https://www.purplemartin.org/shop/

...or you can make your own.  Here's a link on how to make your own predator baffle / cylinder guard: https://www.purplemartin.org/uploads/media/8-2-predatorbaffles-496.pdf
**Note: A good coat of Carnuba car wax helps prevent your metal baffle from weathering and helps keep it smooth & slick so a predator cannot grasp it and bypass it. 
(See the bottom of this post for my DIY ideas for predator baffles).

For mounting my netting above my predator baffle, I use the following materials. 

My 'frame' to hold the netting - a piece of fencing - cut so that there are 'arms (wires)' to support the netting and hold it out
approx. 8" from the pole.

The top of my predator baffle is mounted up as high as I can comfortably reach. I then set the netting frame on top of the baffle and zip tie it together around the post. I can then just cut the zip ties and lower the system for nest checks later, then re-secure the frame with new zip ties.

The netting is approx 3/4" (you can use both 1/2" or 3/4") mesh layered & 'poofed' out and hooked on the wire frame hooks. The netting is available at Lowe's, Walmart, etc. Here's a direct link if you want to order from Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Easy-Gardener-604-7-x-20-Bird-X-Protective-Netting-For-Fruits-Vege/21945377

 

Electric Fence Guards: Some landlords prefer this method and if you know anything about electricity, then this is the absolute best way to go. You'll want something insulating your pole to ensure your pole itself is not electrified. The landlord below uses a four-foot tall piece of PVC pipe around his pole, then wraps that with approximately 24" tall hardware cloth. The hardware cloth is then attached to the 'live' wire. The few inches open at the bottom are left in case a bird comes in contact with the pole, he / she won't be electrocuted.

Photo provided by Malcolm Stephens, an experienced landlord who takes the protection of his very large purple martin colony very seriously.

You can either purchase a solar-powered fence charger or buy one such as the one below and enclose it in a weather-proof container.

Photo provided by Malcolm Stephens, an experienced landlord who takes the protection of his very large purple martin colony very seriously.

I am not an expert in this area, so if you'd like to try this method, you can either: Login to either of the most popular Facebook Purple Martin Forums (Purple Martin Fanatics or the Purple Martin Conservation Association) and ask for assistance with setting this up, or if you don't have Facebook, send me an email at purplemartin@centurytel.net and I will put you in contact with an expert who can advise you.

Snakes - Large & Small

Friends have shared their pictures with me of successful 'captures' of the snakes that never made it into their housing:

Snake ID: Texas Rat Snake

To remove any captured snake, hold the snake by the head while wearing heavy gloves and use scissors to cut the netting away from the body.  Snakes should be removed unharmed and released a few miles away from the colony.  Netting does not prevent raccoons from climbing the pole and should always be used along with a baffle.  Netting is a trap, rather than a guard and like all traps it needs to be closely monitored to ensure that any species caught by the trap are removed and released unharmed. **PLEASE NOTE: we should value our native predators and NOT kill them - they serve a purpose in our environment.

Snake ID: Texas Rat Snake

Don't let anyone tell you a snake cannot climb a pole - there are multiple recorded events showing they really can.

Photo provided by Greg Ballard - a southern purple martin landlord, where the rat snakes are HUGE!

Purple martins are at their most vulnerable when sleeping inside their nest cavities at night and have very little chance of escaping if a wily racoon or a snake comes calling.

From the PMCA: Once a snake has digested its meal and left, there are no signs that a predator has visited a site, other than missing eggs and birds.

 The next video is hard to watch (spoiler alert - the female, thankfully, escapes). But, I can't imagine putting my purple martins through this kind of terror. (Video credit: Dan Pancamo)

A landlord removed his predator guard for only ONE NIGHT. The snake in the picture below took advantage and wiped out all 4 nestlings overnight by eating 3 of them and the 4th was found dead on the house porch. How would you like to open a nest compartment and see THAT staring you in the face?

Snake ID: Texas Rat Snake

Snake ID: Black Rat Snake (Missouri)

A new landlord here in Missouri added the netting to her pole right after her first 2 purple martins arrived at her colony. She really didn't think anything would go after only 2 birds, but a few days after mounting the netting, she caught this snake before it destroyed what would have been her first and only pair of nesting purple martins.

The "Other" Ground Predator  - Raccoons

Raccoons can be found natively throughout most of the US and Canada, as well as in parts of Latin America, from Mexico extending down to the northernmost regions of South America. 
Raccoons are agile climbers, handling both wood and metal poles easily. Signs of a raccoon attack are finding severed martin wings on the ground, blood, fur and feathers on the martin housing and ground, and claw marks on wooden poles. Nesting material maybe hanging from entrance holes and doors may be pulled off.  

A landlord reported that nesting material had been torn out of each nesting cavity on this Trendsetter house. The torn-off wings and feathers were left on top of the house - a classic indication of a raccoon attack.

Feathers and a bent owl guard were clear signs of a raccoon attack.

Landlord Testimonial (northern Missouri): We left for a 4-day weekend and when we returned all three of our gourd racks (72 gourds) were totally empty. It was only early June (too early for the martins to have left already), so we knew something was wrong. After talking with Kathy and then lowering the housing and viewing the ground below the racks, we discovered that a local raccoon family had likely raided our gourd racks over the weekend. It was a bloody slaughter - feathers and torn off wings on the ground beneath the racks. We had seen the family of 5 raccoons in our nearby woods, but we did not have guards on our poles since we had no idea they (raccoons) could climb the poles.
**Note: It has been over 3 years since this attack, and no purple martins have returned to this site.

I always have at least 4 or 5 raccoons in a family here on Gobbler's Knob too. Last year, while monitoring my housing with a security camera to see what my resident Great Horned Owl was up to, I caught one of the raccoons on camera as he waddled across my yard and tested each guard to see if he could ascend and have a meal of purple martins. (He's hard to see, but click on the YouTube link after you hover over the video, then enlarge it - he enters from the left - watch for the movement).

With a decline in the number of landlords across the country offering housing, it becomes imperative that we offer safe housing to the birds we host. And, for the new landlords that are attracted to this hobby, it's really the responsibility of the experienced landlords to teach and help them provide safe housing. Really. It's not that hard, and with all the experienced landlords on the various forums, help is at your fingertips.

Our purple martins exhibit a lot of trust & faith in us by returning to our sites. It's up to us to not betray that trust by providing them with the needed protection.

A very special thanks to Louise Chambers for her most patient help with editing and providing some very helpful guidance in writing this post.

For more help dealing with aerial predators, you can access this link on my blog:
https://kathyfreeze.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-fob-part-3.html

More links for DIY guards:
https://www.zbestvalue.com/baffle0001.pdf
http://www.zbestvalue.com/baffleimprovements.htm