When ever the question of what type housing to put up to attract purple Martins I have to look back on my experience.
My introduction to martins was seeing them nesting in either homemade wooden houses or Trio aluminum houses. This was during the 1970s. JL Wade was the martin authority and the Purple martin Nature Society News was the source of information that kept me informed on my favorite bird. Growing up in Northern Kentucky, I did not see gourds used as housing. In order to market aluminum houses, gourds were not a recommendation in Mr Wade’s book, nor the Nature Society News. My early attempts to start a colony using condominium style housing all were unsuccessful. Location was always to blame. Even though the placement of housing was within the standards, the recommendations were just barely met.
After graduating college and moving to southwest Virginia I began to see martins nesting in gourds. These weren’t run down inferior houses that I had read about when gourds were discussed in my readings. These were martin filled cavities often found alongside the traditional martin houses I was familiar with. I soon began to grow gourds in order to change my luck with purple Martins .
I attracted my first Purple Martin using natural gourds. About that same time, 1995 , I discovered the Purple Martin Conservation Association and Jamie Hill became my source for Purple Martin news and research. His teaching was quit the opposite of JL Wade. Gourds were the perfect housing for martins. I became a disciple. I built a thriving colony using gourds. Natural gourds first then came plastic gourds.
I have now hosted martins for almost 25 years. I offer a wooden T-10 house, two Trio aluminium houses , both natural and plastic gourds and my version of the perfect martin housing , the ChirpyNest. What is the best???
My take is that martins prefer single unit compartments if given a choice. Natural or plastic gourds? Natural hands down. ChirpyNest singles or gourds?? That is the question I will be answering over the next several years . 2017 was my first year with the ChirpyNest singles and I am encouraged by the success.
With the ChirpyNest I combined the attractiveness of gourds (single large units) with best features of houses ( low maintenance, removable nest trays) along with new ventilation and drainage technologies to provide the martins and landlords the ideal Purple Martin system.
The ChirpyNest goes nationwide in 2018 as the colony of landlords using the houses grows.
Back to the question of what type of housing to put up? For first time want-to-be landlords? Definitely singular units. Ideally an assortment of natural gourds , plastic gourds and ChirpyNest singles. A gourd rack able to hold at least twelve units will accommodate four of each thus providing an attractive assortment of single units .
Once martins are attracted to a site, more traditional house type setups can be added if desired or expand the colony with the single unit housing you and your martins like best
Monitoring and management is necessary for a landlord to know if martins are productive and successful at their colony. An investment in martin management pays great dividends .
Assortment of housing I offer. Far left Trio castle, Trendsetter 26, gourds and ChirpyNest units to right.