2018 season fast approaching

The ChirpyNest System

For Purple Martins

 During the 2015 season I spent many evenings contemplating and designing what I wanted to be the ideal Purple Martin house.  

After much work and trial, I developed what I call the ChirpyNest hygienic nesting cavity.  The first generation of this cavity system consisted of 20 -  four compartment units offered to my martins spring of 2016.  I also did a trial of the boxes in two other established locations in my area. Two of these locations were successful fledging young from the ChirpyNest boxes with one location having all 8 of 8 compartments offered, occupied and fledged young. 

In addition to the four compartment houses, I made one single box from some extra pieces, adding it to my home colony. This box became one of the first units to be occupied in 2016, fledging 2 young from the two eggs laid.  In my quest for the ultimate ‘house’ I didn’t even think of developing a single unit until I had a few extra parts.  Once I did, I knew I needed to further develop the single units.  In 2017 I offered the first single units to to the martins and they were readily used. 

At my home colony, in 2017 I offered 6 Single units in place of six plastic gourds and expanded my colony using two - four compartment ChirpyNest boxes and 18 single ChirpyNest units on a new 24 unit deluxe gourd rack. 

    An identical setup with 26 ChirpyNest units was also added to Virginia Highlands community college colony in Abingdon Virginia. This colony was established in 2007 with aT-14 house. This expansion was successful well beyond expectations, attracting 16 pair successfully fledging 48 young, in addition to the 36 young fledged from the T-14.   Five other ChirpyNest compartments were active but not successful hatching any eggs.   

   For the 2018 Purple Martin Breeding season I am making the Single - ChirpyNest boxes available for you to offer to your martins. I am also asking that you take part in the evaluation and success of the ChirpyNest system by reporting your thoughts and nesting results for the season using forms I will include with the boxes. 

Explore the attributes and the highlights of the Patent Pending ChirpyNest hygienic nest system.

Martins Preferred housing

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.  

Interior color

The discussion was whether darken the interior of the ChirpyNest boxes.

The Martin’s readily accepted the boxes with White interiors. Do you think darker interior will make the ChirpyNest boxes even more attractive to the martins. 

I am experimenting with both dark and light interiors this season to see if there is a preference. I can send them out either way to you but will send the white unless you specify dark.  Give me your thoughts here or at www.chirpynests.com 

The 2018 ChirpyNest house

After trying unsuccessfully to find a suitable January day to revise my ChirpyNest description video, I was able to set up "studio" in my workshop and with the excellent videography abilities of my son I finally got the job done. Here is the link.  

The Single Updated for 2018

http://peacefulvalleypurplemartins.com The ideal purple martin housing designed for the purple martins first, making colony management better for the landlord. A patent pending nesting system. Leave comments in the box below.

1/17/18