PURPLE MARTIN HOUSES

part 3 of a 4 part series

The birdhouses should not be opened up until about four weeks after the first martins are scheduled to arrive in the area. The first to arrive, commonly called scouts, are not really scouts, but are merely the oldest martins. Older martins cannot be attracted to new locations, because they have high loyalty to the exact home where they bred in the past. Usually only the previous year's fledglings can be attracted to unestablished sites, and they begin returning to an area about 4 to 5 weeks after the scouts.
Bushes and shrubs growing beneath the martin house should be removed, as this attracts predators such as cats, and martins will avoid the house. Similarly, they will avoid houses which can be reached by squirrels, even by a wire.