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Attracting martins into the "perfect" setting

Colony location is the key. Houses should be 30-40 feet from any buildings, trees, shrubs, etc.; but as near to human activity as possible. Purple martins are a semi-domesticated bird, and like to be near people. Martins rarely go to the ground except when gathering nesting material. They need an open flyway to swoop to and from their house. Water availability within a few miles is also a neccessity. They drink, bathe and eat while skimming the surface of lakes, river, etc. Recommended height for a martin house is normally 12-14 feet.

Proper housing design. Our ancestors could put up just about any housing and be successful. No longer. The introduction of the house sparrow and European starling into our country, have made such hap-hazard techniques obsolete. Houses should be:

Cool. Houses should be primarily white, or some natural metal finishes, (the roof should never be painted a dark color); and should have cross ventilation to allow quick-cooling of the house.
Drain quickly. Houses that do not drain can have wet nests, which can cause hyperthermia in young birds.
Protect fledglings. Martins prefer porches, but they must be protected with guard rails to keep young birds from falling.
Discourage starlings. Starlings can be discouraged by using starling resistant entrance doors (recommended for use on enlarged compartments only), and using traps. See the home page for free downloadable plans for constructing a starling trap.
Control sparrows. Sometimes these competitiors can be controlled by nest clean-out, so the house should be simple to clean. Traps should be a part of a positive house sparrow control program.
Easily maintained. Houses should come up and down vertically, be lightweight, and have compartments that open conveniently.