I don’t see a downside to opening the houses up earlier rather than later. Dispatch of as many starlings and house sparrows as you can!
On Mar 5, 2024, at 8:56 AM, tom durbin <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Dan, Martins are already in Kentucky. Open your boxes and start eliminating the House sparrows and Starlings immediately. A Starling killed one of my male Bluebirds yesterday, so eradicate as many of them as possible. If you have SREH holes on your houses it will make dealing with Starlings much easier. Good luck.Tom DurbinBowling Green, KY
Sent from my iPhoneOn Mar 5, 2024, at 7:35 AM, Stone, Dan N. <Dan.Stone@xxxxxxx> wrote:Hi all,
According to ebird, purple martins begin arriving in Fayette county around now. However, climate change is accelerating the nesting season for many birds, including for purple martins.
I’m wondering - is it time to open the purple martin nesting boxes and begin evicting house sparrows and European starlings (who are partly responsible for the decline in purple martins)? If not, then we should wait until ……. ?
Cheers,
Dan Stone
Evidence of purple martin decline.
Interesting qualitative study on the relationship between aging landlords and their purple martin charges.
