![]() It is believed this song attracts migrating sub-adults. The “dawnsong” is a vocalization by adult males at established colonies a few hours before dawn. Playing a recording of the “dawnsong” can be effective. There is little else one can do to increase the appeal of a PM house. PM’s have proven to be very tolerant of human presence and even high traffic areas. It is better to place the housing in an open area but still relatively close to human housing. The housing should be placed in as open an area as possible with little or no vegetation, other than grass, below.Īvoid very isolated locations. It’s a general rule that there should be nothing taller than the housing within 50 feet. Farmland, marsh areas, ponds, lakes, and open suburban habitats are suitable for PM’s. They eat only insects caught in flight and need large open spaces where insects are abundant. Colony nesting birds like Purple Martins need lots of food to support themselves and their young. Location is the number one key to success. Early returning birds also are able to establish a territory and increase their chances of finding a mate and breeding successfully. Purple Martins have superb orientation capabilities and are able to return to the same nesting areas each year, and even to the same nest compartment or gourd. There is a popular belief that the earliest returning martins are “scouts” that find potential colony sites and then return to guide other martins to the colony. As an owner of a new Purple Martin house you still have a chance to attract sub-adults into the middle of May. Sub-adults (less than 1 year old) will arrive anywhere from 4-6 weeks after the adults. The first birds to arrive will be adult males and females. Purple Martins begin arriving in this area around the first of March, sometimes later and rarely earlier. ![]() It is believed the journey takes as long as two months to reach their final destination. Martins make the long journey from South America-mostly Brazil-to as far as Canada to their breeding grounds. They are some of the first migrants to return to North America each spring. Purple Martins are the largest members of the swallow family in North America.
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