raising purple martins

Raising purple Martins is fun and entertaining and it doesn't matter what your age or station in life is, because all sorts of people all over North and South America, enjoy the antics of Purple Martins and think their cool. They are a busy bird; working, looking about, taking to the sky in a blink and always singing and chattering back and forth. It takes little effort and expense to enjoy the hobby and anyone can start out small and grow into it, spending only the money and effort they wish to. So, how can this "bird watching" hobby keep your interest and what kinds of activities are involved with being a Martin Landlord?

First let's take a look at what's interesting about raising Martins-

Do you like being outdoors or building things? Maybe you like to investigate and research information to learn new stuff? Perhaps experimenting with ideas and creating fun projects is what tickles you? Or, how about the thought of just enjoying a good challenge? Raising Martins provides all those things and more. It's a dynamic hobby, meaning it's never the same from year to year. The more you figure out about Martins the more you want to experiment, build, and research and attract more Martins. It's a lot of fun and what keeps you thinking and going strong. It's also easy in the same breath; you can watch the Martins when you want to and do nothing else. If you're not there monitoring their house they get along fine. And it's not a demanding job to be a landlord. Getting your first house up takes a little work and a little "head scratching" but after that, it's just what ever "you" want to make it.

Now, what do Martin Landlords do?

Taking care of the Martins involves for the most part, providing clean, well taken care of housing and pest and predator control. After that, it is a matter of watching the Martins, checking on the nests and the progress of the young after hatching and writing down what you see to a record or log. There is good reason for recording the events of your colony. It helps you keep track of all the birds in your martin house so you remember what has happened. It's also useful for tracking the growth from year to year in your colony and aids in diagnosing any problems you may have. In addition, your record keeping efforts can contribute to the overall growth of purple Martins by supplying information that other organizations devoted to species, can use to track the activities. It all depends on how responsible you want to be at making a thriving colony. Some people get very involved and do everything by the book while others take a carefree approach and let nature takes its course. Either way is OK and one should enjoy the fun at their own pace.

Closing thought...

Many people pass this hobby on from one generation to the next. There are a good number of reasons for this, to many to list. The important thing to remember is; it could be something you like and get many years of pleasure from so, take some time to explore and have fun. Exploring is probably the coolest thing of all when it comes to raising Martins, because it's learning!

Copyright © 1998-2008 Jeffry Blair.