We put up a Purple Martin house in October of 2023. It was fun to construct and I planned to add a few more, once the Martins arrived. Unfortunately, last summer was disappointing as various other birds took the spots and there were no signs of any Martins present at all.

Well, the planets have aligned this year and we’re excited to have some new feathered residents to welcome to the farm. There seems to be quite a few of them and most seem to be fairly young – with only a few fully developed adults.

But they certainly seem to be enjoying the place and there is quite a bit of activity building nests inside with many birds coming and going continually. Close to sundown, they all take to the air depleting our area of flying insects so we are happy to have them around.

Initially, I thought we’d put up the house and be done with it. I have since learned there is a bit more to it. The houses need to be cleaned out after they migrate south. This one is bolted to the top of a 15′ 4×4 so I’ll be changing that design to make access easier. I’ve also learned about a threat to these beautiful birds by sparrows and starlings, who compete for nesting spaces as well as attack the very young in their nests. So I’ll be modifying the openings to deter those attacks as well.

They really are entertaining though. I must walk between the garage and the shop a dozen times a day and pass right under their house, where they all greet me and will then take to the air to accompany me on my trek. They are quite active and it’s a hoot to watch them during their swooping flights – chattering all the way.

It’s really an ideal location for them though. They are on the corner of the garden, just at the edge of our farmyard with 9 acres of pasture open to them right out their door. There are 3 (maybe 5) more locations around the garden where I plan to add more so I’ll be building some more houses this winter.