Any LOUISIANA arrivals??

[salandry54]

Just checking in for 2011 from Jeanerette, Louisiana. Anyone having arrivals in our state yet? Last year, our 1st scout arrived Super Bowl night! Have our suites up and ready with pine needles. Will keep you posted.

Annette Landry

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

You can check out the arrivals by doing this:

1)click on "scout report" above
2)click on the state of Louisiana

I just checked recently, there are 28 reports listed for Louisiana

Good luck this year, you should get some shortly

[CNO~La]

I was one of the first to report earlier in the month, but he didn't stay around. Have had a few fly-bys, but no overnight guests. Weather seems better now.

Good Luck.

[gussiemike]

We have seen martins on several days. They fly over our site circling over and over but never landing. We saw two yesterday a male and female. They were not in any hurry to leave but did not land on our houses. They just kept circling and you could hear the male singing. Then they headed north just like they did two days before. Have not seen any in the evening only in the morning around 9:00am. As of today our birds are 3 days late from last year. We are ready for them.

[Scott D.- La]

Mine are 4 to 5 days late however, with the forecast that is coming, it's probably a good thing.

[zoefluf]

I've only seen one so far. My neighbor claims to have had two on his gourd rack (though I hesitate to put much stock in his observations as he regularly mistakes Starlings for Martins (hee, hee) ). I'm not usually an early riser so I'm not sure if the one I saw is still around (when I did see him it was around 7:30a.m.) I'll report once again when I have "overnight guests".
Jeanne

[Neil O]

I have a pair that came in today. They kept going in and out of one of my gourds. I am not sure if they stayed overnight. I'll check to see if still around tomorrow. Last year, my first pair did not arrive until the 8th of February.

[Virgil McCoy]

Awesome Neil ! I know you're excited ! I sure wish they would get to this area of the state sooner than what they do. All of the land lords with established colonies around DeRidder stick to a Valentines Day arrival give or take a couple of days.

[Virgil McCoy]

As I work throughout Sabine and Beauregard Parishes I've been keeping and eye on many established colonies outside of DeRidder. Its just amazing to me how they don't get here until much later than other parts of the state.

[Conrad Baker]

My first male showed up on the 20th. He never left. On the 22nd, another male and a female showed up, and they are still here. On the 27th, a third male arrived. All four are still here, but so are the Starlings and the Sparrows.

[Lane Stout]

I have six resident martins back now. A little slower return than 2009 or 2010 but returning they are!

[zoefluf]

Lane,

My PM "visitor" is spending the night now. Just the one though and it's a female. I've never had a Martin this early in the season and I've never had a female Martin first. It is a year of first's for me!

Do you think we really need to put in handwarmers in the gourds in our neck of the woods? The temps are supposed to be around 30 degrees at night for the next few nights but the days will be above freezing. I have never had any luck with supplemental feeding. I think that is because we don't usually have freezing temperatures for more than three days so they are really not hungry enough.
Jeanne

[Lane Stout]

Jeanne, Mine have accepted supplemental food now for about three years. Getting them to take the first piece of food takes among other things them being hungry, very hungry. Food offered at any other time may likely yield only failure.

Our temps when low usually don't stay that way very long which is great for the martins. (You know the old saying, "If you don't like our weather in South Louisiana just hang around a few minutes"). I have not used warmers but would if temps were to stay below 20 or so for an extended period of time.

Watch for excessive wind and heavy cloud cover in addition to low temperatures as they all can adversely affect the available natural food supply. A sure fire way to tell if your martins are stressed and could benefit from supplemental feeding is to watch for drooped wings when perched.

[zoefluf]

Lane,
You know me, I couldn't stand it and went out and got the 24 hour handwarmers at Academy. Tried flinging crickets but she flew away so I put them on the porch of the gourd. Not sure if she ate them or not. But the next couple of days are going to be rough.

I did not see her go into her gourd this evening cause I was busy, and now, I am agonizing about whether or not the stupid handwarmer will BOTHER her. I put it under the pine straw. Oh the angst of being a landlord! One bird back and I'm already becoming a basket case!
Jeanne

[Conrad Baker]

I now have 5 Martins (they are active even in this cold, rainy weather). Three males, two females. I tried putting crickets on the feeding platform and the porches of the houses, but the Mocking birds are eating them before the Martins come back.
Lane, I think you are only about 20 miles West of me.

[Lane Stout]

I think you are only about 20 miles West of me.

Yes, we are located fairly close to one another. I'm a bit East of Gonzales so that puts me almost North of you.

Good luck with the cold spell. I hope our birds see sun tomorrow.