Generally, it arrives in southern Georgia in early February, reaches northern Georgia by mid-March or April, then leaves during the fall. This means that once a house is used, it probably will continue to be used, and new houses will eventually be occupied as first-year martins look for places to nest. Martins make nests from twigs, weeds, dead leaves, coarse grasses and similar materials. The female lays three to eight white eggs and incubates them about 13 days. Both parents feed and care for the young.
Young birds stay in the nest three to four weeks.
Even after they leave the nest, young martins often return to the vicinity for a week to 10 days before final departure. Types of Martin Houses Martins will nest in a variety of houses. In the past, it was common to see a number of gourds hanging from a pole with crossarms or from a wagon wheel mounted on a post. Unfortunately, natural gourds are not as common as they once were, and gourd houses are seldom seen today. However, you can buy plastic gourds and duplicate the older-style houses.