Wren houses should be placed 6 to 10 feet above ground on poles. Place the poles in open areas near brush piles or thickets to attract the most wrens. Although not generally considered a songbird species, purple martins are easy to attract and a favorite yard species in the southeast. These birds are noted for their tremendous appetites for mosquitoes and are well appreciated in most communities. The fairly large, shiny, bluish-purple martins are migratory, spending the winter in South America.
Purple martins inhabit open woodlands and field edges usually near lakes or ponds.
They feed on insects. Preferred nesting sites are woodpecker holes, natural tree cavities, caves, and man-made martin condominiums and gourd houses. Purple martin houses should be placed on poles in fairly open areas 15 to 20 feet above ground. These houses should be taken down and cleaned at the end of the nesting season and then put back in early February before the scouts arrive. In recent years, starlings and house sparrows have developed reputations for competing with cavity nester for nest sites.