Where to place the house

House placement

Hironbec

Playing the song of the purple martin helps the birds discover the house.

Placing the house

The purple martin likes to live in a colony. Unlike the tree swallow, purple martin houses can be placed close to one another. Ideally, these houses should stand at least 30 feet (9 metres) from your home, and no more than 150 feet (45 metres) away from it.

Avoid placing the houses near large trees. The threat of predation is so constant that the martins are likely to settle elsewhere. In fact, a house should be put up at least 40 feet (12 metres) from a mature tree and, better still if space allows, 60 feet (18 metres) away.

The base of the pole on which the house stands should not be near a hedge. The hedge could grow so quickly that it would overrun the house.

You should also avoid using guy wires to steady the pole. That would make it easier for hungry predators to reach the house. And the swallows might well refuse to nest there.

The house must allow the birds to take off and land easily.

The colour of the house

It is important to paint the front white so that the compartment entrances are visible to the swallows from high above. The roof and the trim may be of different colours. This has no effect on the birds.

Safety railings

They must be put up along the edge of every balcony. Otherwise, the chicks could fall to the ground before they are able to fly.

Accessibility

Each compartment must be arranged so that you can easily intervene if house sparrows begin building a nest, and you must be able to lower and raise the house at will. Nesting sites are hotly contested among birds, and swallows need help getting established. As unwanted species try to move in, their nests must be taken apart. Otherwise, you will simply have to resign yourself to doing without purple martins.

The height of the house

The house must be mounted on a pole 15 to 20 feet (5 to 6 1/2 metres) high. Hironbec houses are sold with a 16-foot steel pole.

In order to keep a better watch over the swallow colony, it is very important that the house can be raised easily. Otherwise, it will become a burden that is very quickly forgotten.