How to Make Bird Houses for Martins

A purple martin colony

Purple martins are delightful to watch. These tiny birds winter in Brazil, and fly up to North America to nest. In addition to providing insect control for the garden, martins are entertaining to watch. They live in flocks, so setting up a community for them to live in is a great project. This simple project will show you how to make purple martin houses from gourds.

Things You'll Need

• 5 birdhouse gourds
• Cordless or electric drill
• 5/16-inch drill bit
• Hole-cutting bit
• 5 eye screws
• White oil-based exterior paint
• Course sandpaper
• Paint brush or sponge
• Dish detergent
• Hot water
• Vegetable or scrub brush
• Long-handled spoon

Instructions

Making the Bird Houses

1. Prepare the birdhouse gourd by allowing it to dry out completely. The seeds will rattle around inside the gourd when it is ready. If you're growing the gourds yourself, allow them to remain on the vine as long as the vine is alive. Many experts say letting gourds sit through a few frosts improves their quality and durability.

2. Clean the gourd by soaking it in hot water with 1 tsp. of gentle dish detergent for 10 to 15 minutes. Cover the pan with a lid to keep the gourd from floating out. Scrub off all the outer skin and film with the scrub brush. Allow the gourd to air-dry completely. Discard any moldy gourd.

3. Cut a hole in the side of the gourd with the 2- inch hole-cutting drill bit. This will serve as the entrance. Save the piece that has been cut out to use later to plug the hole when the purple martins are gone. Remove the insides and seeds with the long-handled spoon. A grapefruit spoon attached to a long wooden handle works well, too.

4. Using a 5/16-inch drill bit, drill seven holes in the bottom of the gourd for drainage. Twist the eye screw into the top of the gourd for hanging. Drill two holes in the top for airflow. Placing the gourd on a nonslip surface when drilling to prevent slippage. Remove any dust from the inside.

5. Using course sandpaper; gently sand the entire gourd. Brush its surface with a rag to remove any dirt or dust. Paint the gourd white using a sponge brush. Take care not to paint the air and drainage holes shut. Allow to dry completely before hanging.

6. Hang the martin houses from a wire, and tie to a tree or between posts. Ideally, purple martin houses should be hung off a wire between stretched between two 6-by-6 posts set in concrete. The houses should hang between 12 and 20 feet high. All posts and hangers should have predator guards on them.

Tips & Warnings

• Hang purple martin houses in groups. They live in flocks.

Resources

• Purple Martin Conservation Society