Purple Martin Association of the Dakotas

My birds have returned. They disappeared for about 4 days. And they are back. I wonder where they go when the weather turns bad? Do they fly a few hundred miles to find food, and then return? Such a mystery. But I'm glad they are back.

My Martins returned as usual in March of this year. The last few days, we have had very cold weather in eastern South Dakota. I have not seen my martins for the last 2-3 days. I'm concerned if they have died from the cold weather? Has anyone else had a problem? Dan

Yes, we use one of those traps, and it is currently set up. I think we've eliminated about 7 sparrows this spring, and about 40 last summer. It really does make a difference. I've only seen one sparrow in our yard this past week. We used to have tons of them. Yes, I hope I get a few more birds also....

I am in Sioux Falls. My current arrangement is a gourd rack with 8 gourds. I can add another 8 to it if I wish. In the past I had up to 12 gourds, but the sparrows always took half of them. We have killed off the sparrows in our area, so this year I rarely see a sparrow. They must be territorial. If...

Just want to report to everyone that my birds have returned. So I am feeling much better about what I have done. I have read that the best way to do this would be to put up an entirely new pole with new housing until the birds get used to the new pole, and then replace the old pole in a year or so. ...

I know that Purple Martins are faithful and will return to the same site year after year if they are successful at breeding. I have had Purple Martins for the past 15 years using my very simple gourd system. This year, I changed my setup. So my gourd rack is different, and I now have a winch to rais...