Purple Martins are barely hanging on as a breeding species in New Hampshire. There are a couple of colonies along the seacoast, but inland colonies have vanished. In recent history, the only regular Lakes Region colony was at the Fun Spot at Weir’s Beach. The nest boxes of that colony were removed in 2017, and it is no more.

Kathy and Rick Fitzgerald may have turned the tide after nearly 25 years of waiting. Their story starts when Rick gave Kathy a single Purple Martin house as a Mother’s Day gift in 2001. They installed it on their property in Belmont right away. Within hours of installing the house, Tree Swallows started showing interest in the nesting holes, and Kathy, a novice at the time, briefly thought she had martins right away. She quickly learned the difference and started studying methods to attract martins.

She added a CD player on a timer, playing the chortling calls of a martin colony. On April 18, 2002, a pair of Purple Martins circled the house but didn’t land, a tantalizing sighting that gave Kathy renewed hope, but . . . then there were more long years with no sightings.

Kathy persisted. Right from the get-go, she committed to the necessary management of invasive House Sparrows and European Starlings. Both these species have contributed to the decline of martins (and other native cavity nesters like Eastern Bluebirds). Closing up the nest holes in the house to prevent unwanted nesting helps, but even having House Sparrows in the neighborhood is a deterrent. The only option is trapping and removal. Kathy kept at it, doing everything right in her efforts to establish a colony. 

After a few more years, the removal of a tree in their meadow allowed for the house to be moved and Kathy and Rick upgraded to a new martin house. In 2021, Kathy added some PVC gourds and a decoy martin (while new digital sound technology had replaced the old CD player). Still, she waited.

Over the years, Kathy had painstakingly researched other best practices. She placed two bluebird nest boxes each 35 feet away from the martin pole. This allows one pair of bluebirds and one pair of Tree Swallows to nest in each box. Those pairs will stop other bluebirds and swallows from nesting in the holes of the martin house.

On June 5, 2025, everything changed when a pair of subadult Purple Martins showed up! Kathy knew that roving subadults were the key to starting a new colony. She immediately raised the house on the telescoping pole. Quickly the pair started prospecting in the gourds. The female seemed to prefer one particular gourd; the male preferred another. The female prevailed. Kathy helped with adding nest material to get the birds started (she adds a teaspoon of diatomaceous earth to the pine needles and wood shavings to prevent mites in the nest).

Kathy added a small Blink security camera to the gourd that the female chose and was able to watch every detail of their nest building from the comfort of her living room or porch. The first egg was laid on June 17 with a second the next day and a third on June 19. Kathy noted that the first egg was a different shape and color than the other two. It didn’t hatch, but the other two did on July 5.

Hatch Day for the two Purple Martin chicks on 7-5-2025. This photo is taken from the camera that Kathy had installed at the gourd with the nest.

During incubation on June 30, another subadult martin showed up and, as Kathy noted “caused trouble” with the resident pair. Much calling and chasing occurred. Later that day, five extra subadult martins were checking things out. They only stayed for a couple of hours, but that’s a great sign for the future.

Throughout the summer, Kathy monitored the heat inside the nesting gourd through the readout on the camera. Her research had informed her that overheating can cause deaths of chicks. Keeping the temp inside below 95 degrees Fahrenheit is critical. Others have tried drilling ventilation holes in the gourds, but that only drops the temps by a degree or two. During the first July heatwave. Kathy fabricated a shade to install above the gourd. Made from white corrugated plastic, it reflected the heat and dropped the temp below 95, a brilliant solution.

The other major weather problem that Purple Martins face is prolonged rain and cold when insects are hard to find. Kathy had a solution for that too. She went down to a pet store in Laconia and bought crickets. Using a plastic spoon to project the crickets into the air, the martins very quickly learned to catch them in midair. Within a few minutes, the martin pair were calling and swooping around Kathy catching the snacks. Kathy ordered a thousand crickets and while she waited for them to arrive, provided scrambled egg as an alternate protein source. Once the crickets arrived, she froze them in bags of 25. Every time there was a cold rainy day, she would grab a bag, add some hot water to thaw them out and head out with her trusty plastic spoon. The martins knew what was coming and would catch the crickets and feed the chicks. Kathy noted that the local Tree Swallows and Barn Swallows would gather around as well, but never perfected the technique of catching the crickets (maybe next year).

All of Kathy’s hard work paid off and both chicks successfully fledged on August 5. I happened to visit the property to check out the colony that very day and got to see the chicks hanging out of the gourd opening summoning up the courage to take their first flight. During my visit, I got to chat with Kathy and hear her story. I was so inspired by her dedication and tenacity! Having witnessed her joy and pride first-hand, I knew I had to write her story.

Purple Martin chick getting ready to fly, it’s fledge day! Photo by Iain MacLeod on 8-5-2025.

During the summer, Kathy and Rick added a spectacular 24-gourd array of Purple Martin houses ready for next year. Rick, ever the skilled handyman, is designing shades to install over the gourds for the heatwaves and Kathy will have her crickets and spoon ready for the cold days. They have plans to perhaps add another two 24-gourd arrays. I can’t wait to visit next year and see if this colony will establish itself.

This is the impressive Purple Martin house that Kathy built. Photo by Iain MacLeod 8-4-2025.

The martins could not have better stewards and landlords. Congratulations Kathy and Rick!