Birdhouse Hunting: Round ‘purple martin’ houses in Port Bruce

The woman who told me about Mr. Cahill only told me to turn onto Rush Creek Rd. in Port Bruce and watch for round birdhouses for purple martins.

I found the houses and their creator on Sunday, wandered the property for 30 minutes and learned more in that time about martins than ever before.

I learned the following, among other things:

Purple martins want to nest near people and don’t mind living in round houses. (Mr. Cahill had several pulley-operated house stands on his creek-side property).


[“These houses were made from construction helmets”: photos GAH]

Helmets and salad bowls (painted white to reflect heat and numbered so that bird-keeping records can be kept) need to be about 10 inches in diameter.


[“This set has been lowered for spring-cleaning”]

The inside of the houses are insulated with foam and ventilated with tubing and plastic caps.


[“The holes can be round or oval-shaped. If bigger than 1 and 3/16th inch they will attract starlings.”]

Mr. Cahill rescues metal bits and pieces for his stands and pulleys and does his own soldering.


[“A closeup of oval- and ‘oddly-shaped’ openings that keep out starlings but not sparrows.”]

I rode home to a houseful of company while thinking about a clever design of my own for a birdhouse and hoping that one day I may have another type of crowded house.


[“The entrance to W. Cahill’s workshop: Road sign is from Yellowknife.”]

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I need a decal for my motorcycle - This Bike Stops for Birdhouses.

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