Keep starling out of purple martin box.

E R · Feb 14, 2011

I have always like purpel martins in my bird house. Now for the last few years, I have them old starling. They will not let the P. martins nest there.
Any one have the same problem with them,
Do you have any good way to keep them out?

Hammer Man

hayray · Feb 14, 2011

The starlings are generally not migratory and form nesting earlier then the martins so alot of people have doors or blocks across the nest holes until martins start returning. What I have seen is something that looked like soup can lids that would pivot open and closed. Had to do the same with tree swallow house to prevent English sparrow nesting.

El Toro · Feb 15, 2011

I built this martin house back in the 1960's. I had martins the first year the house was up. When I moved in 1968 my neighbor put up a house and he had the martins. I put up the martin that Fall and I had birds the following Spring. I kept the holes plugged until the martins arrived. In 1972 we had a house full of martins and later that Summer we had a rain storm that dropped about 8 inches of rain and when I came home one evening from work my wife said there's something wrong in the martin house and we had lost all the baby birds from that blowing rain.
To this day I 've never had martins. I trashed the martin house and we bought several more martin houses. Still no martins. We never had mosquitos as long as we had martins. Hal

Two Dogs · Feb 15, 2011

I don't use a house or box. I have 12 gourds on one pole and 8 on another. I put them up on the 14th or 15th of Feb. unless like this year I heard them about a week earlier. (In south Ga.) Around the middle of July after they leave I take the gourds down and clean the nesting material out and store until next year. So far so good on unwelcome visitors. FWIW, TDF

Fergienewbee · Feb 15, 2011

In Michigan, starlings are unprotected. Lead injections work very well, as they do for cow birds. To keep sparrows out of bluebird or tree swallow nest boxes, move them farther away from your buildings. Fence posts near grassy areas work very well.

Larry

Anonymous-0 · Feb 15, 2011

Purple martins are sometimes picky birds, when it comes to nesting. As others have said, it is advisable, to exclude other species, till the martins arrive, by closing off the holes. I would bring the box down, clean it out, and measure the holes, to make sure that they are within the right size range, and plug all the holes, right now. then leave the box down, and when the purple fellows arrive, unplug, and elevate. Here is a good site for bird info:
bird stuff

36 Coupe · Feb 15, 2011

5 and 20 Blackbirds baked in a pie.

E R · Feb 15, 2011

Thanks for all the good advise on keeping the purple martins A good house to stay home. I know one mistake I did, I did not take my bird house down after they left in late summer.
I will not leave the doors open for predator any more.
They are not welcome.

And thanks to "Two Dogs"
If I had some gourds, I would sure use them.

Thanks
Hammer Man

Bonnan · Feb 16, 2011

ER.go to Purple Martin Conservation Association website. Tons of info. They sell "exculder doors" which are basically metal/plastic shield over your opening. Good Luck

Keep starling out of purple martin box.

E R

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hayray

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El Toro

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Two Dogs

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Fergienewbee

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Anonymous-0

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36 Coupe

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E R

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Bonnan

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