Feb 10
2007
Becoming a Landlord
Although it’s been a rough couple of weeks–temperatures in the single digits–my thoughts are already on spring. This year, I’m reading up on becoming a landlord. A purple martin landlord, that is.
You’ve probably seen purple martin birdhouses. They are usually very conspicuous because they’re placed in fairly open areas on tall poles 10′ to 20′ off the ground. The houses resemble apartment complexes, with numerous openings for multiple families.
Purple martins are highly prized as neighbors because they provide entertaining aerial shows as they gobble up the local flying insect population. Alas, they aren’t the voracious mosquito eaters that was once thought, but that hasn’t deterred martin lovers.
Apparently, becoming a landlord is a weighty decision. There’s not only the all-important decision about the type of housing (plastic? aluminum? wood?) but also placement. Happily, for us, placement will be a cinch. The diagrams of the house and open areas required could be exactly our property.
Other important considerations are regular nest checks to ensure that there aren’t any sick birds, invaders or other problems. There’s also keeping snakes and other predators away from the house. And, of course, there are those who also feed their birds in foggy or inclement weather by lobbing meal worns or crickets into the air with slingshots, just to make sure the birds don’t go hungry.
On the one hand, I have been enjoying the bird watching at our winter bird feeders. We also enjoy trying to identify the birds that we spot on the property. On the other hand, all the websites caution against becoming a landlord and not living up to the responsibility. It is one more thing to take care of in a long list of things to do around here.
You can read more about purple martins at some excellent websites:
- One of the most comprehensive sites is the Purple Martin Conservation Association.
- Chuck’s Purple Martin page is filled with great tips and resources.
- The Purple Martin site has useful maps and timing reports.
The photo is courtesy of Joe Dellinger.
