Word has it that purple martin scouts have already been spotted in Texas! (Check out the
Scout Arrival-Texas page at the Purple Martin Conservation Association website.) That bit of exciting news prompted James and I to get out our house and get it ready yesterday. First thing we did...actually, James did...was to switch out the entrance doors. Last year, our
Coates home had half-moon entrance holes, which deter starlings (but not sparrows, darn it). However, the local purple martins didn't know how to use them so we didn't get any tenants. (We watched some try to get in but they couldn't so they left, frustrated.) This year, we're trying the traditional round holes, which we've got capped until martins arrive.
So our house is officially up! In the meantime, you can read a recent article I wrote on purple martins in the January 2010 issue of
Texas Co-op Power magazine:
"Purple Martin Landlords."
P.S. On Facebook, I'm a fan on the Purple Martin page. Which is where I found the Purple Martin Research Group. Right now, I'm in the process of joining the forum...
