If you have ever wanted to attract Purple Martins to your part of the world, now is the time to act! These attractive ever-active little birds are a joy to watch. They arrive about this time every year to mate and raise their young before their long journey back, in late summer, to Central and South America. Called 'Purple' Martins for the iridescence hue of the males' steel blue feathers, they have long been known to be voracious insect-eaters. It is a myth, however, that they dine mainly on mosquitoes. Their meal of choice would be a tasty dragonfly, but they also eat ants, beetles, butterflies, moths, and wasps among other things. Here are some tips for attracting the Purple Martin family to your yard.

You can usually find ready-made martin houses at nurseries and hardware stores. Or you can build your own. Use these dimensions as guidelines. A Martin house is a multi-unit birdhouse sitting atop a pole and painted white. The white coloring keeps the nestlings cooler in the summer. Make the compartments at least 6x6 to 7x12 inches square. The compartment should be 4 ½ to 7 inches tall. Place a hole, 1 ¾ to 2 ¼ inches wide, one-inch above the floor. Your house can be a single story or multi-story design. It is best to remove and store the house in the off-season to keep invading birds from moving in. Build the house in such a way as to allow you access to clean each compartment after the martins have left. Place the house in the most open space available, preferably 30-120 feet from human housing. There should be no trees taller than the martin house within about 40 feet. The house should be mounted so that you can raise and lower the house vertically. You need to do this so you can check the house for invading starlings and other birds. The ideal height for the house is 10-20 feet tall with 15 feet being perfect. The house must be free-standing, without any wires attached to it. You also need to install some kind of pole guard to keep the varmints at bay. Snakes, raccoons, and squirrels can be a problem.

So you've got the house up. Now what? First, keep the bad birds out. Other birds will want to nest in this new complex. To keep the undesired birds out of the nests until the martins arrive, you need to keep the holes plugged with something. This is one reason you have to be able to raise and lower the house easily. Disposable cups lodged into the holes work great. When you see the first Purple Martin 'scouts', you can remove the cups. These 'early birds' are usually older males that are passing through on their way back to their previous years' nest. Younger males will soon follow, looking for a nest or two, with which they can use to impress the soon-to-be arriving females. If the female is then duly impressed, she will set up housekeeping with the lucky male. After a few weeks of enjoying life with her new companion, she will begin to build a nest in the compartment for their young.

Do not get discouraged if you do not have martins nesting by early spring. They can arrive and nest as late as the end of June. By keeping all undesirable birds out of the house, you can greatly increase your luck with attracting the martins. To do this you may have to repeatedly raise and lower the house to get rid of the offending birds. Once the martins have chosen your house to make their home, they will come back each and every year.