[dropcap]H[/dropcap]ard to believe, but it’s time for purple martins to start arriving back in our area from Brazil and points south.

At eight inches, the purple martin is the largest of our swallows.  It is also the bird more people build houses for than any other.

The champion martin landlords I have ever known were Hans Mueller of Wimberley and the late Mel Kirk of San Marcos. 

Hans had numerous pole-mounted houses and maintained them on a rigorous schedule, keeping accurate records of e...