It is official-My colony at home has started

[pillow]

I finally have a colony started in my back yard! I had 3 pair this year and 13 fledged this week. It has been absolutely great having them here.

This is my 4th year trying as an adult. I tried for 7 years as a child, but never even had a visitor. In 2007 I had 2 pair, but a hawk got on the house and pulled out a hatchling. Both pair abandoned after the attack. I was miserable after that. Look back at some of my old posts and you can detect the misery.

With no success here at home, we adopted a public site in 2009 at Beaverfork Lake. We improved the housing and have thoroughly enjoyed the birds there.

Thanks to this forum I enlarged compartments, offered a variety of houses, put up SREH, controlled HOSP and Starlings, controlled mites, knew not to mess with the HOSP once the martins laid eggs etc. etc. I am so grateful for this forum!

Many of you responded to my posts when I had questions in the past, so thank you so much for that. A special thanks goes to Kent Justus and Tim Mangan here in Arkansas. Both of you offered support and answered hundreds of my questions.

I am sure the birds will leave any day now, but I have really enjoyed having them around this year.

Thanks again to everyone who has directly or indirectly helped me on this forum.

Greg Pillow

[SoIndyDon]

That is so great! I remember the article in the Update magazine regarding your public site and difficulty getting martins to enjoy at home. You sure did deserve a success at home. Martin On!

[Stephen Thomas]

Congratulations! It is exciting. I became a landlord this year after trying for 7 years. I only have one pair with four babies. I may be getting an other since 2 SY birds were here for 3 hours. I will have to see if they actually stay or not. If not maybe they will be back next year.

[Dennis - AL]

Congrats Pillow on your new colony. I understand the frustrations of resurrecting a colony of martins. I had one for years and lost my martin housing and home to a hurricane in 2004. It was 2006 before I was able to get my martin housing back in order. After 4 seasons of failed attempts to reestablish a colony, I had three pair nest this year.

I am sure they are not birds from my original colony but none the less it is good to have the birds back.

Dennis

[Tim Mangan-Kansas]

Greg:
You deserved to get martins at your house and so glad you finally got your colony started. Look forward to reading about your continued success and growth next season.

Tim