# Purple Martins?



## OH-YEAH!!! (Jun 18, 2009)

As a kid I remember seeing purple martins all the time.

They were easy to tell from other swallows because they were a fair amount bigger than barn or bank swallows and their coloring was much different.

I haven't seen a purple martin in at least 20 years. The online searching I've done indicates that their populations are majorly down.

Do any of you see purple martins with any regularity in Michigan?


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## William H Bonney (Jan 14, 2003)

OH-YEAH!!! said:


> As a kid I remember seeing purple martins all the time.
> 
> They were easy to tell from other swallows because they were a fair amount bigger than barn or bank swallows and their coloring was much different.
> 
> ...


Nope!! In my neck of the woods the Common Grackle appears to have pushed 'em out....


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## JBooth (Sep 21, 2009)

We get them up north regularly. Although this year I've really only noticed a few barn swallows. They are around though.


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## mike the pike (Mar 11, 2008)

I see them @ the marina all the time along with barn swallows. They both like to crap on my boat....i quit washing it , they stopped-go figure


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## fathom this (Feb 10, 2008)

i have spent quite a few mornings with them darting over the surface of the lake this year. Mason and Lake county.


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## Rysalka (Aug 13, 2008)

This year only had Tree Swallows nesting in the Martin coop. They fledged a brood about 4 weeks ago, and have not seen them since.


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## bucko12pt (Dec 9, 2004)

My Martin house is only swallows now also. Lots of people that had established colony's of Martin's for years have lost them. Not sure why, maybe the population is just down, or they are nesting further north.

Swallows are great little birds also, but a little messy.


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## Fins (Jan 28, 2004)

See them all the time around lenawee county mainly around Round and Devils lakes.


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## wally-eye (Oct 27, 2004)

Use to have a lot of them around the river here. But in the last 3 or 4 years hardly ever see one. 

I do have a pair of barn swallows nesting in the rafters of the roof over my dog kennel.....same pair, same nest year after year... They do have their problems though with the other birds that drop their eggs in their nest,,,,can't think of the name of those birds at the moment... I do try to help by removing the unwanted clearly not swallow eggs...but they are persistent buggers.. The swallows are on their third laying this year, just dropped 3 eggs the other day......already had to remove one interloping egg......twice as big as the swallow eggs......:rant::rant:


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## fathom this (Feb 10, 2008)

CAT BIRD!!!!!!!!!!! They lay their eggs in songbird nests and let the surrogate mother raise them. When they get bigger than the song bird chicks they force them out of the nest so they get all the food.
I " HAD " twice as many of them this year as last.


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## Rasputin (Jan 13, 2009)

They are common in norhtern Muskegon County. Also saw some last night on Muskegon river near Croton.


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## Banditto (Jun 9, 2000)

Purple Martins are very abundant around my lake. and yes they mess on the boat cover all the time.


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## EdB (Feb 28, 2002)

Very abundent here on our lake. A number of my neighbors have martin houses and their population has really expanded here going from one full house to 3 full ones over the last 3 yrs. That's just on my end of the lake. 

I do maintain my own personal cowbird reduction program around my feeder in the spring before I take it down for summer.  It helps all songbirds.


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## BirdieShooter (Feb 7, 2010)

We have a pretty good population around our lake near Baldwin. We have a martin house we take down and clean every year (just did it the other day coincidentally) and this year we are blocking off the top third of the traditional round holes to help keep the bully birds out. I also run a pretty active bully bird extermination program with a bolt action .22 set up just for this purpose. It is sighted in at 40 yards with subsonic rounds and from my elevated sun porch I can pick them off all over our lower yard. I have taken out enough that I have lost count and either I have decimated their population or they are so smart that they leave when I drive in. I think if you build a martin house they will come. Look for plans on-line that use a half circle door, supposedly this keeps the bad guys out. I will know for sure next year.


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## daoejo22 (May 7, 2009)

Alot of Martins back by the ponds/swamp behind my house in Oceana county. And barn swallows all over in our barns/sheds.


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## wally-eye (Oct 27, 2004)

fathom this said:


> CAT BIRD!!!!!!!!!!! They lay their eggs in songbird nests and let the surrogate mother raise them. When they get bigger than the song bird chicks they force them out of the nest so they get all the food.
> I " HAD " twice as many of them this year as last.




Cat bird? Well I have another name I use for them....:rant::rant::rant:


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## Fabner1 (Jan 24, 2009)

fathom this said:


> CAT BIRD!!!!!!!!!!! They lay their eggs in songbird nests and let the surrogate mother raise them. When they get bigger than the song bird chicks they force them out of the nest so they get all the food.
> I " HAD " twice as many of them this year as last.


I'm sure you mean "Cow bird". Cat birds do not lay in others nests. They raise their own if the Bluejays and others will allow it.

Fred


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## chinamigarden (Oct 21, 2005)

fathom this said:


> CAT BIRD!!!!!!!!!!! They lay their eggs in songbird nests and let the surrogate mother raise them. When they get bigger than the song bird chicks they force them out of the nest so they get all the food.
> I " HAD " twice as many of them this year as last.


Catbirds are not parasitic nesters. You are thinking of brown-headed Cowbirds


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## fathom this (Feb 10, 2008)

You guys are right " Brown headed cow bird."


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