Contents
- Don’t Place Your Purple Martin House Next to Tall Trees
- Keep it in the Open Instead of Hiding It Away
- The Best Kind of Pole or Post for Your Purple Martin House
- Make Sure There’s Plenty of Space Around for Them to Fly
- Remember That Purple Martins Won’t Flock to an Enclosed Yard
- Don’t Allow the Purple Martin House to Spin Around the Pole
- Don’t Attach Anything That Connects the Purple Martin House to Your Home
- Watch Out for Sparrows and Other Predators in Your Yard
- Make Sure You’re Attracting Plenty of Flying Insects
- Don’t Place the Purple Martin House Near Any Other Kinds of Bird Houses
- Install Your Purple Martin House in the Best Area
You’ve just purchased the best purple martin house, and you realize you have no idea of where to install it. Lucky for you, we have the answer to where is the best place to install a Purple martin house.
Purple martin birdhouses should be installed between 10’ and 14’ in the air. It is best to securely mount the martin house on a pole and keep it from spinning around. Also, place your purple martin birdhouses away from trees and other types of birdhouses as martins prefer wide-open spaces.
Purple martin houses are great for attracting these beautiful little birds to your property. These birds will not only bring beauty to the area, but they will also help control pests in your yard.
However, there are some other factors you should consider when choosing where it goes so you can get the most enjoyment out of it.
Below, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about installing your purple martin house in the right place.
Don’t Place Your Purple Martin House Next to Tall Trees
First of all, you want to avoid placing your purple martin house in a spot that is close to tall trees.
When there are trees that create shade over the birdhouse for an extended period of time during the day, it can cause too much moisture and humidity inside.
This can be harmful to not only these birds but also their young who will develop health problems when exposed to this kind of environment for long periods of time.
You may think they would enjoy some tree coverage from the hot summer sun or even cold winter winds, but having them placed under a large tree directly affects how many eggs hatch successfully
This is because there’s no sunshine coming through for warmth on cool days. Also, consider what types of leaves fall into the nest box each spring and fall.
It is also advised to keep your purple martin house away from large shrubbery and structures that may block sunlight as well.
Keep it in the Open Instead of Hiding It Away
The location for where you install your purple martin house should be somewhere that has a wide-open space around it so there’s plenty of room for flying, hunting insects, and soaring through the sky.
This allows them more time throughout their day to eat all those pesky bugs they love before returning back home at night with their family.
In fact, some studies show these birds will actually avoid houses located on heavily wooded lots because they can’t see any predators coming up behind them since trees are blocking their view. This can cause them to be more stressed, and they’re unable to get the sleep they need.
The Best Kind of Pole or Post for Your Purple Martin House
When you install your purple martin house on a pole as we mentioned above, make sure it is at least 10 feet off the ground because that’s where these birds prefer their homes located.
It should not only be sturdy but also tall enough so as not to attract predators such as squirrels who love feasting on baby bird eggs and chicks.
You can use anything like wood posts or even metal poles which are long-lasting options if you plan on having this nest box up for many years in the future.
Whatever you choose, make sure there aren’t any large branches or structures that may interfere with the entrance to your purple martin house.
These birds are pretty good at avoiding obstacles in their way, but they will have a hard time successfully landing if there is too much going on around them.
Make Sure There’s Plenty of Space Around for Them to Fly
It is very important when placing or mounting your purple martin house that you keep it away from other trees and buildings so these birds can fly freely without any problems.
When the surrounding areas are cluttered, this makes it difficult for them to see predators coming up behind them
This is since branches block their sight just like they do above ground level where squirrels would be able to sneak into an open nest box.
This increases stress levels among the birds.
Also, make sure you place this birdhouse in an area where the wind isn’t too strong because then they won’t be able to fly back and forth into their home safely if it’s swaying around or even blowing over.
Remember That Purple Martins Won’t Flock to an Enclosed Yard
If you have a small yard that’s surrounded by tall fences or structures, then you should think twice about putting your purple martin house there.
These birds will flock to open areas with lots of space around them so they can fly freely and eat insects comfortably without feeling trapped in one place all day long.
They aren’t the kind of bird who enjoys being enclosed within four walls for their entire life because it limits where they can go daily.
They need room to spread their wings!
This is why these are best suited for large yards rather than smaller ones since they get stressed out faster when too much activity surrounds them constantly throughout the day.
Check out how to install your purple martin house and what direction it should face.
Don’t Allow the Purple Martin House to Spin Around the Pole
Make sure that your purple martin house is mounted firmly on the pole or post, but also make sure it’s not too tight so there isn’t any movement when the wind blows.
If you mount this birdhouse too tightly to where it can’t spin around freely like a weather vane, then you’ll end up with some broken eggs and chicks falling out onto the ground below due to strong gusts of wind blowing their home right off its base.
This will scare away nesting parents who are already under enough stress as it is trying to raise babies in such an unstable place without fear of them falling into danger every time they fly back inside at night.
Don’t Attach Anything That Connects the Purple Martin House to Your Home
If you have a bird feeder outside, then it’s best to put this purple martin house away from that area just so they don’t become too comfortable around your home and start thinking of it as their own territory.
These birds are wild creatures who prefer living in open areas with lots of space where there aren’t any structures blocking their view or anything else nearby giving them cause for concern.
In fact, if something is too close by like the roof on your porch; it makes these birds feel trapped which can lead to more stress levels than necessary.
This is since they’ll be afraid to go out flying every day due to not having much room for error when landing back inside after hunting down food all morning long.
Watch Out for Sparrows and Other Predators in Your Yard
When you’re trying to find the best place for a purple martin house, it’s important to make sure that there aren’t any sparrows or other kinds of birds hanging out nearby because they will eat up all your eggs and chicks if given half a chance.
These big black insects are known for this kind of activity.
This is since they’ve been going after nests in trees near people’s homes ever since humans started living close together with their pets and livestock roaming around at random times throughout the day.
Make Sure You’re Attracting Plenty of Flying Insects
Purple martins mainly eat insects, so they need to be in an area where there are plenty of flying bugs around them at all times.
If not, then these birds will get frustrated and fly away to find new homes elsewhere because this is what’s needed for their survival needs as a bird species.
Don’t Place the Purple Martin House Near Any Other Kinds of Bird Houses
We’ve already established that purple martin houses should go on tall poles or posts rather than low ones over water since you want your garden birds living above ground level.
But just like everything else when it comes to getting good advice about how to build a house for purple martins.
Avoid putting anything near theirs that may cause some kind of aggression.
Install Your Purple Martin House in the Best Area
As you can see, installing a purple martin house isn’t as difficult as it sounds. As long as you install the house on a pole that’s six inches from the ground, you should be ready to start attracting them to your home.
Also, make sure you follow the rest of these tips to attract more purple martins.