Indiana Martins

[jldoll]

Indiana Tom
I got 24 excluder gourds this year and 11 out of the 24 had undersize holes. That the martins could not enter.
I had to inlarge them to one inch and three sixteenth.
I would check your gourds
Jerry central Indiana

[flyin-lowe]

Update for me.
Yesterday I did a nest check and found 6 nest's. I think I have four pair actually and probably some subbies building multiple nest. I have seen as many as 6 pair here at one time but I have four pair that stay around the clock. My ASY nest had a single green leaf in it last night. Today I lowered the house to insert a HOSP trap and the ASY nest had 3 green leaves and 1 egg . One of my subbie nest's had some green leaves in it too so it's about time to start taking notes.

[Indiana_Tom]

Hey jldoll,

I think you might be right. although none of the others seem to be having any problem getting in or out. It may be that this ASY has been dinning too much. He seems to be doing better now but to say he just pops in and out would be a stretch. I will measure the entrance he is using the next time I do a nest check. He has a mate and is using the one gourd he was able to get in.

flyin-lowe,

Good for you. It is exciting when you find that first egg. I checked the nests today and had one nest with one egg and one with two. The nest that has the most materials in it has no eggs yet. I am still not sure how many pair I have. I may have exagerated a smig. I know I have 4 pair, two with ASY males and two with SY males. I have nests in two other gourds but it may be false nests by the SYs. Anyway, going from one pair last year to four this year is a great boost. The most exciting times were getting the first pair last year and the ASY male returning this year. I worried all winter while he was vacationing in South America.

With the eggs starting to arrive, it is an important time to keep an eye on the nests. The parents will keep a pretty good eye on the nest when all their eggs are laid but while adding one egg a day, they still spend the afternoons away feeding.

Good landlord parenting to all.
Tom

[jldoll]

Just did a nest check.
4 cavities with 3 eggs
2 cavities with 2 eggs, 16 all together I am very pleased
2 nesting pair last year 9 fledge
East central Indiana
Good luck to all Jerry

[Indiana_Tom]

Hi All,

Just a quick update. I did a nest check on the 29th and had one nest with one egg and one with two eggs. I checked again today and have one with four eggs one with three and one with one. The fourth pair I have have what seems to me to be the best built nest but no eggs as of yet.

Interesting moment when I checked the #1 nest with three eggs. Mom stayed in the nest. I lowered the gourds and it seemed nobody was home. When I removed the view port from the side of the gourd, she moved to the front of the gourd and I could feel the weight shift. Needless to say, it scared me. Not long before I realized she was there. I completed the check, then the other 11 gourds before I put the rack back up. When it was up, she flew and gave me a few obscene words.

All is good.

Flyin-lowe, let us know how your HOSP problem is coming. Glad to hear your martin eggs were still in the nest. I can imagine how worried you were. Goooood Luck

Tom

[flyin-lowe]

I had my trap set all day yesterday and no luck, they moved to another empty cavity. I removed it last night before dark and now this morning they are back at that cavity. I just need a day at home without the kids keeping me occupied so I can devote a few hours to taking care of them.
I did go ahead and do nest checks and my ASY nest had two eggs and 2 of my SY nest had one egg each. I would say by the end of the week they will all have eggs I hope. I also added crushed oyster shells to the feeder tray that is on my perching pole.

[Indiana_Tom]

Well, it is egg laying time. With 2 pair of ASYs and 2 pair of SYs, we have 18 eggs. I wondered if the ASYs would have more eggs than the SYs but it is a tie. One ASY has 5 eggs and one SY has 5 eggs. The other pair have 4 each. It has been a really good martin year so far. Weather was cool at first but it is nice now. Getting a little rain but it doesn't last long enough to cause any problems.

I think the first eggs should hatch on the 16th if I figured right. Two nests had second to last eggs on May 31 so I think the 16th is right.

Good luck to all
Tom

[jldoll]

I hope everyone is doing as well as I am. This has been a long time coming. Never give up just keep offering something new. Cut some trees down change something. different housing, decoy's play the dawn song and day time chatter. Read Chucks purple martin page. Go to the top of the forum and click the archives. I have learned a lot there.
I thank all the people on this forum that has helped me I have learned so much from all of you.
Nest check today 7 nests 35 eggs
2003--0------
2004---0-------
2005---0-------
2006---0-------
2007----0------
2008----0------
2009 2 nests 9 eggs 9 fledge
2010 7 nests 35 eggs
east central Indiana
Good luck to all Jerry

[jonkertb]

Congrats.... Jerry......now it begins...the obsession !! :>) Same to Tom in Paragon!! I did a check earlier this week and had 62 nests with 232 eggs...some just starting to lay. Two of my houses are full and will have young this week...I'll do a nest check today or tomorrow...I'll be building some more houses this fall or winter using my "final" design
tom @ Heritage Lake near Coatesville IN

[Christopher Norris]

I have 21 nests with eggs and 2 nests that have hatched, have 4 built nest with no eggs yet, I still have sy males rolling in every morning and evening looking for a home. The clutch size is between 4 and 7 eggs. My ASY pair has 6 newborns and I have 2 SY pair with 6 eggs, one with four, 1 with 7 eggs and the rest with 5