We survived all the rain & cold in south central Missour

[KathyF]

YAY - clouds are breaking up periodically and letting that bright, yellow thing shine on my colony today. The roof is warming and martins are gathering to get warmed up. I fed for the last time this morning (hopefully), as it is supposed to be 67 degrees later today. We only have a 20% chance of rain, so hopefully, someone else will get that 20%. We've had our fill of rain here!

I still need to do a nest check and see what happened in the housing...hoping for the best, preparing for the worst. :(

Another interesting thing that came out of this stressful event;
1) ALL birds will be stressed out and will change their normal behaviors in order to get to food and survive;
2) other birds will notice the feeding birds at your site and invite themselves to the buffet too - I don't know if it's the sounds they make when feeding or just the large gathering or what it is, but even my meadowlarks showed up. And apparently, my bluebirds prefer scrambled eggs over crickets - LOL - who knew?

And to my shock - a flock of HOSP.

I haven't seen any HOSP for over 10 days around here, but when I put out crickets for my martins, a bunch showed up to help themselves. Obviously, I couldn't shoot at my feeding tray, and with 3 bluebird pairs nesting here, it made me really nervous. Even more so, when I noticed the HOSP touring the nestboxes, even in the rain. So I setup a cheap seed feeder on the opposite side of my house, with the cheap grain / milo mix. And they found it quickly. I was able to take out 8 HOSP there (luckily my feeder survived) and there are still 2 or 3 more that are coming there, that I just haven't been able to shoot yet. I'm starting to see a huge benefit to putting up a cheap feeder with the milo that HOSP love with pellet-gun range and taking advantage of their need to feed during winter and these dire weather events.

I know this is controversial for some, but trust me - it is a lot less stressful to take care of the issue when it's convenient for you, rather than to try to handle it when you have vulnerable, nesting birds and stress from an extreme weather event such as the one I just went through.

[Dick Sherry]

Kathy, you have sure dealt with a lot of bad weather for weeks. Have most of your birds made it through this crazy weather?

I like your approach to dealing with the house sparrows. They can do a lot of mischief in a very short period of time.

Hope you have extended good weather soon!

[KathyF]

Hi Dick - yes, it has been very, very stressful here with all the rain & cold weather moving through. I don't think I have eggs yet as I've not seen any green leaves going in...but since it's been so cold, I haven't brought the systems down in over a week. Will be doing that tomorrow I think.

I lost 5 during the first round of weather - don't know if I lost any this time. One positive thing that came out of this - with all the sub-adults here, my adult feeders taught a bunch of subbies to take supplemental feeding!! They were so pitiful looking on the perches, just soaked, watching the adults taking food. I finally walked out in the muddy yard and started flipping right in front of them and a few took to it.

[cchild03]

I'm so glad to hear that you're in for better weather, too. Kansas and Missouri have really had it bad this spring. It's dreary here, but I keep waiting for the sun to pop out. It's in the forecast so we'll see. I've forgotten what it looks like, and I think the martins have, too!

I lowered my housing yesterday and didn't find any dead birds, much to my relief. I found one dead on the ground. This makes a total of 6 dead that I found over the three, bad cold spells that we've had. They've all been female.

I'm waiting for the weather to stabilize and for the birds to get back to their regular routines so I can try to get a count of just how many I have. And I'm hoping for lots of subbies this year. I definitely have room whereas last year I was already full with ASY birds.

Here's to hoping for a great rest of the spring and a great, mild summer for us MoKan landlords!

[KathyF]

I was afraid this little girl wasn't going to make it...but she did as far as I can tell. She was soaked & shivering, and rain just kept coming yesterday. Notice the puddles in the yard.


I counted 108 at the rail & roof at one time. I have 84 pair, so not all of them came up (at least at this time).

[Tim Mangan-Kansas]

Kathy:

Again, nice job! I know you saved a lot of your birds with the supplemental feeding.

Like you, at my previous colony, whenever a cold spell would hit, I would suspend conducting nest checks. If I noticed any eggs in the next nest check, I would mark either end of the egg with a black "X". This way if a nest had an unusual amount of eggs, I would know which ones were probably layed before the cold spell.

Tim

[pmlover]

you have a wonderful colony Kathy, and I'm so glad for u they survived.The pics are so neat:)

[Connie]

That is a "feel good" picture if I ever saw one. Gave me goose bumps just knowing how lucky they are to be there with YOU as their landlord.

[KathyF]

Oh, Tim - thanks for that tip! I was wondering how I would know which ones may have been affected by this cold spell. Thanks - I'll be checking tomorrow.

Thanks, Connie & pmlover - we had a really rough last 5 days. But today the sun is shining and I can't believe how much I missed it!!!!!

[MamaBruff]

Thanks for your report, Kathy! So glad your birds survived the wet, cold, and gloom! The pictures said a lot. BRR! I have been wondering (and worrying a little) how your colony was faring. I only hope I can be as good a landlord as you someday.
Mary
PS Chickadees have started nesting in another one of my BB houses; I got right busy with scrap wood and hole saw and made a HOSP excluder.

[Dave Duit]

When the starling were munching down on scrambled eggs from my platform feeder I would pick them off with my trusty pellet gun. Of course I had to wait until it was completely and safely clear of any martins.

[Show-Me-Mike]

Kathy, Great job with your martins! I was telling John Miller in his post earlier about how I fared in Carroll County. (NW Missouri) We had snow for the first time in over 100 years this past Friday. That was preceded by rain, cold, more cold, then snow. I fortunately lost only one (ASY female) to starvation. The other three (ASY males) were lost to predator attacks. No doubt the males were in a weakened state but don't know positively about that.

That female lost was the first due to starvation that I am aware of, in over 10 years of martin landlording. I probably should be feeding my martins as you have been, with obvious success.

You mentioned sub-adults, I also had a large influx of sub-adults this morning during the resumed nest building by the martins. Yes, nest building! After being on the brink of death just two days ago, nothing like 70 degree weather to revive and reinvigorate them! Anyway, the arrival of sub-adults this morning got everyone on their toes, and the fighting began. It was a welcome sight after days of dismal weather and spirits.

I normally host 48 pairs of martins in thirty-six compartments and 12 troyer gourds, all with conley 2 entries. Before this morning I had 60+ martins, but that was before the renegade of sub-adults stormed in. Now I don't know how many I have. I guess I'll know more after the new arrivals and the old guard get things sorted out! I'm sure the youngsters appreciate being put in their place, that's always comforting.

Best wishes to all for a successful martin season!

[Doug Martin - PA]

Kathy,

Great job down there in the north. I mean south.... Sounds like we passed you up here in PA.

Nests are completed with some green leaves. (Some of the favorite trees don't have them yet.) Mine really raided a plowed cornfield across the way and used the pieces of stalks this year. Elaborate nests.

I think I may have an egg or two as of today. If not any day now.

We have been sunny and 70s for almost a week now. East winds. Crazy huh!

I know what you mean about the BB and scrambled eggs. Robins like crickets that may find the ground too.

37 cavities offered and almost full here. Nice gang. They all gurgle when I talk to them. Come to me when hungry. of course i'm a softy for them too and they get fed when needed. Wind is a feeding problem too. We have had that.

Great pics and update.

Doug

[Art J]

Kathy
Well the sun finally came out here in Kansas City today and I did a nest check this evening. I found one ASY female dead, and I'm really happy thats all there was as nasty as the weather has been.
You have a excellent looking colony, and I hope your nest check tomorrow is all good.

Art

[Bob Buskas]

Wonderful post and great job Kathy, been there done that a few years ago.....not fun. Really like how you delt with the House Sparrows. Your Martins will pass the word as to who is the best and kindest Landlord in your area, believe me. You saved their lives and they don't forget

[tonyg]

Know how you feel Kathy...had that same stuff here in Olpe, Ks...do believe everyone has made it through .. then go outside tonight and a frickin owl is setting on the Gemini rack!!! man, one dilemma after another!!! Gonna install a brighter light to shine out towards the racks, pole light doesn't light up things that well..will at least be able to keep better tabs on the situation ..

[DebA]

I just love your pictures! I see the tray is empty so are those waiting for you or have they just dined and are hanging out?

Doug, my birds are nest building. Not prolifically, because of the need to just survive. One pair have a great nest in a super gourd and I looked yesterday for green leaves. I didn't even think, you are right...there aren't any yet! Our trees are barely starting to leaf out.

Deb