SY ?

[Bret]

My pair have been very busy building their nest. Tonight I seen another with them. It looks like a SY male. I was watching close 7 I believe he is in another gourd. When they decide to go to bed they don't mess around. Do the SY male's stay in the house first?

I was brave today and brought the gourd rack down & checked out their nest. How long does it take for them to lay eggs?

Bret

[jldoll]

Hello Bret
To find answers go to PMAC home page click on Links
Then try Chucks purple martin page.
Good luck from Indiana Jerry

[Linda Reynolds]

The martins pair off, choose a cavity and then build a nest. Some martins built bigger nests than others, some take more time than others. There is no time line as to when they will start laying eggs. This is one of the many benefits of doing regular nest checks, as you can see when the first or second egg is actually laid.

Once they start laying eggs, one should be deposited each morning (a good reason to do your nest inspection in the afternoon hours). The clutch might be complete after 4-5-6- or even 7 eggs. Knowing when the first eggs was laid will help you to determine when the first hatch should occur...........

[Don Strickland]

Linda,
I don't understand the importance of knowing when the first egg was laid.
Doesn't the start of incubation determine when the eggs will hatch??

[~Ray~Gingerich]

Bret, the SY male will pick a cavity and try to attract a female to it, sometimes she will be more interested in a different one.
Sounds like things are going good for you. Congratulations

[Linda Reynolds]

Don, the hatch date of your nest not only depends upon not only when the first egg was laid, but how many eggs were laid in the nest. This information is a good reason to conduct regular nest checks especially during the time they are laying eggs.

The PMCA offers a WONDERFUL TOOL called the Prognosticator that figures this all out for the landlords. All you need to do is spin a wheel when your first egg was laid, and then move it to the amount of eggs in nest. The earliest possible fledge date is automatically shown when you spin the wheel to enter the above information. I do not know what I would do without this tool. It is sold in the PMCA Shop.........Here is the link:

http://purplemartin.org/shop/product_in ... 47b53c5ef1

They also offer this product in combination with the laminated photos of the martins development.

Here is the link for the double product:

http://purplemartin.org/shop/product_in ... 47b53c5ef1

You can investigate both products by clicking either link. I own both and find them to be invaluable tools.

Of course, you can calculate all of this on your own, but this tool makes it so much easier when you have more than a few pair.

[Don Strickland]

Thanks Linda. Curiosity. I'm new to the forum and If I don't ask questions, I won't know.