This was our first year as official Purple Martin Landlords. For those that don’t know, Purple Martins are secondary cavity dwellers (they make their nests in pre-existing holes), and those east of the Rockies depend on human-provided housing for their nests. Landlords provide this housing via nest boxes and gourds.
Sharon Richardson, Jeaneane McNulty, and I assumed stewardship of an already established community just south of Mills Pond in the Wells Branch neighborhood of Austin, TX. We’re novices; we still have a lot to learn about Purple Martins and being hosts, but we thought sharing our perspective might be interesting and might encourage others to host Purple Martins.
I wasn’t comfortable with the “landlord” moniker; I preferred to think of us as Purple Martin Hosts, running an extended-stay AirBnB for the birds. We thought we would share our experiences and the “reviews” of our community from our Purple Martin visitors.
Property Description
Well-established and popular Purple Martin Community under new management. Excellent and safe location with 54 units in community; water and food nearby and no problems with rude Sparrow or Starling neighbors.
Reviews
Purple Martin Scout – 2/21/2023
“While I liked the location and our particular gourd, I did have one major complaint. I was one of the early migrants from Brazil, (sometimes you humans refer to us as scouts, but we’re just the first migrants). I was hoping for an early check-in but the gourds were not even ready. I understand there was new management so I hope this will be remedied in the future.”
Host Response – “Our apologies. As new managers, we were a bit late in getting the gourds ready for our visitors this year, but we did have them ready by February 21 as you can see in the photos below. In the future, we will strive to have them ready for the earliest scouts, which we understand arrive as early as late January.”
Scared Purple Martin – 3/5/2023
“The description said this was an “excellent and safe location”. How do you explain this?”
Host Response – “We do apologize for the Cooper’s Hawk threatening the gourds, and we fully understand how that could negatively impact your stay. In the future we will explore additional options for deterring predators.”
Purple Martin Momma – April 2023
“While I do appreciate the hosts checking in on us regularly to see that we have everything we need, there was one instance when they really invaded our privacy. We didn’t even have time to leave when they brought down the gourds for a nest check.”
Host Response – “Our apologies for this invasion of privacy. We do come around regularly to ensure that all of the tenants are safe and to count active nests, eggs, and hatchlings. We also try to make a racket to announce our presence, but unfortunately it was not effective in this circumstance. Again, please accept our apologies.”
Purple Martin 1 – May 2023
“We had a problem with mites, which I know is somewhat common. The Hosts treated our gourd on one of their regular visits and that took care of our mite problem. Thanks for the attention.”
Host Response – “We understand that mites can occur occasionally; so glad we could help out.”
Well-fed Purple Martin
“Really loved all of the snacks available in the area”
Purple Martin Dad
“Great place for children”
Host Response – “We are so glad that you and your babies enjoyed the stay. We really enjoyed watching them grow up so quickly.”
Purple Martin A3
“During our stay, one of our chicks died and unfortunately was blocking the entrance to the gourd so we could not reach the other 4 hungry chicks that were inside. Thank you for removing our deceased baby so we could successfully feed our other hatchlings, who all successfully fledged BTW. While I was heartbroken to lose one of our young, I was glad that you helped us ensure the survival of our remaining babies.”
Host Response – “We were so sad to see the death in A3, and glad we could help with access to the remaining hatchlings.”
Sweaty Purple Martin
“I know it didn’t mention cooling in the property description, but it seems like some form of cooling, be it solar-powered fans or ice packs, is becoming more common in properties around town. Just like you probably expect Wi-Fi, we expect cooling in Texas. You should definitely investigate this for next year, particularly with the climate change thing you humans are causing.”
Host Response – “I know it got hot. We will explore cooling solutions in the future.”
Thankful Purple Martin 17
“Absolutely loved the community, the hosts checked in on us regularly, but they also let us do our thing without interference. We appreciated their approach. Was glad to see that over 85% of our babies fledged. Will definitely be back next year!”
Missed the Party
We left, and began our long journey back to Brazil after our babies fledged, but we heard about the rocking party at La Frontera Roost with tens of thousands of our friends (and some humans too). Sorry we missed it, but we’re glad so many Austinites came out to see the action.
We totally enjoyed our first season as Purple Martin hosts. It was fulfilling to play a valuable role for these wonderful birds and see their entire nesting lifecycle. And being a Purple Martin host is a great way for people of all ages to connect with the wonders of the natural world and help out these amazing birds.
