Explosion of sub-adults in Carroll County NW Missouri

[Show-Me-Mike]

It's happened here in Carroll County (NW Missouri), and I've never seen the likes of it. Yesterday (Friday) I had an influx of 20+ sub-adults at my colony. Because all 48 compartments are now full, and because of the "warm welcome" they received by the adult martins, they all ended up observing things from the roof of my house! Obviously having nowhere to go, they'll eventually disperse to other sites in the area.

Here's a great article written by James Hill III of PMCA regarding SY martins and where they go in relation to where they were born. It appears, according to this study, that 85% of SY martins return and nest within a 15 mile radius of where they were born:
www.purplemartin.org/update/NatalDispersal12(2).pdf

All this may be the result of an astoundingly good hatch we experienced last year in Carroll County and the surrounding area. I know my colony (comprising of 48 compartments and gourds) produced 200+ babies that successfully fledged. I also know that the Amish (4 miles North of me) had a good year at their multiple sites as well. This success duplicated itself time and time again across the county. This won't always happen so we just enjoy the moment.

The obvious solution to this "problem" is MORE HOUSING. I wish I could ship these youngsters to people who sorely need them. But as you can see from James Hill III's study, the high degree of site fidelity exhibited by martins tends to work against them. The same characteristic (Imprint if you will) that enables martins to return to their home base each year is the same one that seemingly prevents them from dispersing very far from where they were born. They truly are a remarkable bird and that's what makes them special!

Best wishes to all for a successful martin season.

[John Miller]

Amazing how the subs pour into Missouri in a shorter window of time -- pretty much May -- every year. I had been worried because I'm sure many fledglings were lost to heat last year, but obviously many were not.

John M