Colonies and laboratories

Our purple martin houses

Purple Martin Houses

No. 900

Le Carré

New

GUARD No. 300

For models 1000, 2000, 5000

No. 500

L'Hexagone

Raccoon guard

No. 743

Since 1981

A house without access doors is a real nightmare for enthusiasts who have understood that purple martins need our support in order to thrive.

How can you see what is happening inside the compartments if you cannot reach them? There are often house sparrow nests to tear out, a nest fouled with lice that has to be rebuilt, or a chick that has died for one reason or another in the middle of the brood and may well drag other nestlings down with it.

It has become obvious to every enthusiast who watches over a colony seriously: the compartments must be just as easy to reach as the house is to raise on its pole.

Once the season is over, Hironbec houses are simply lowered to waist height. There is no need to store them away — one less chore.

Purple Martin Houses Unlike tree swallows, purple martins nest in colonies. That is why Hironbec apartment-style birdhouses are ideal for purple martins. Made from ALUMINIUM, able to slide up and down on a steel pole, making them easy to visit, clean and maintain.

Weatherproof too, no need to store them for the winter, just lower them to waist-height, clean out the nest, and forget it until spring. Each compartment has a double floor and its own door to facilitate maintenance.

Best of all, these birdhouses are all modular so as your colony increases, more compartments can easily be added. All houses are sold ASSEMBLED

All of these houses are made of pre-painted ALUMINIUM.

Each compartment has its own door to make visits and maintenance easier.

All the houses are modular, so floors can be added from one year to the next;

All the houses come with a system that lets them be raised easily on a 14-foot steel pole;

• Dimensions of the square steel pole: 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 in. x 14 ft. high
• The pole is sold in three sections

Each compartment has a double floor;

All the houses are sold assembled.

No. 1000

LeChâteau

No. 5000

LA RUCHE

No. 2000

Le Nouveau Château

MANUFACTURING AND SALES

HIRONBEC

21-2, rue St-Laurent

Beauharnois (Québec) Canada J6N 1V1

info@hironbec.com

The Aylmer colony

PURPLE MARTIN

LABORATORY

IN AYLMER

A three-party project

The people behind the project

Gaston Lepage, Gatineau

André Touchette, Aylmer

The following partners contributed to the project:

• The City of Aylmer
• Saturn Aylmer
• Rona hardware store, Aylmer
• Association des amateurs d'hirondelles de l'Outaouais (Outaouais swallow enthusiasts' association)

The dimensions of the laboratory: 8 x 8 x 16 feet high

The nests: the laboratory can house 80 pairs of purple martins

Year of installation: spring 1999

Note: the laboratory is not occupied yet. These birds usually take two to three years before making up their minds to move into new quarters.

Just a few steps away, purple martins already occupy a house that the City of Aylmer put up in 1997. Our bet is that the year 2000 will mark the arrival of the purple martins in this luxurious laboratory. Any takers?

Special features

The laboratory is reached by an inside stairway. As soon as the birds have settled in, enthusiasts will be able to watch them go about their business.

We will therefore be eyewitnesses to the daily life of these migratory birds, and so learn more about their behaviour and their habits.

The Dorval colony

Technical data on the lighthouse

Inner structure: tubular steel

Outer structure: pre-painted steel.

Dimensions: height: 24 feet; diameter: 56 inches

Roof: octagonal

Number of compartments: 64

Inside the lighthouse: the top of the tower (the martins' compartments) is reached by an inside ladder.

Construction: May 2001

Project manager: André Labonté

A DELUXE HOUSE FOR

THE PURPLE MARTINS IN DORVAL

The first purple martin laboratory in Quebec was put up in Dorval in 1997. Pierre Ducas had donated it to the Association des amateurs d'hirondelles du Québec. This house could hold 35 pairs of purple martins. Twenty-eight pairs had taken up residence there during the 2000 season. The laboratory could be reached from the inside. Once up on the platform, enthusiasts could watch the birds go about their business.

During the winter of 2001, the strong winds that swept across the lake tore the house off its base. It was a total loss.

Undaunted, the members of the Association des amateurs d'hirondelles du Québec rolled up their sleeves to rebuild this magnificent laboratory, which took the shape of a lighthouse and will no doubt become the famous purple martin lighthouse of Quebec. Standing at the edge of the lake, it is already a majestic sight.

The first laboratory was the work of René Lepage, president at the time, and his team. Yves Myre, a director, oversaw the project.

This one is the work of Gill Leroux, president of the Association des amateurs d'hirondelles du Québec, and his team. André Labonté, a director of the Association, was the driving force behind this very fine achievement.

We are willing to bet that this lighthouse will become an inspiration to every purple martin enthusiast, not only in Quebec but throughout America.

The laboratory

PURPLE MARTIN LABORATORY IN QUEBEC

Purple martin laboratory

Aylmer

Purple martin laboratory

Dorval