I have been an inactive member for a few years, a couple years ago my martins froze out and last year I had two pair again. This year they are in danger of freezing out and I have a ton of crickets I've been trying to feed them. So far only one tried to catch one twice and then they all flew off. I would be happier if they just sat there and looked at me rather than flying away and wasting energy.
I did end up lowering the house a couple times a day to put crickets in the cavities and on the porches. I did see a female snapping up a few from the porches. They do seem to be gone, mostly, after a while, and it's too cold for them to climb away much. And i'm not finding any to speak of on the ground under the house or downwind of the house. (it's too cold for them to burrow into the grass at all - they just lie there). Granted, other birds could be eating them.
Yesterday about 12 martins flew out of the communal roost and one adult male stayed in there till I'd lowered the house and opened the front. He did eventually slip out past my head and fly away. I am figuring today some will be too weak to fly much, especially if they haven't figured out how to eat crickets that aren't flying through the air.
Sigh. The weather since last fall/winter has been ridiculous!
TERRIBLE WEATHER
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tlragsdale
- Posts: 218
- Joined: Wed Jul 24, 2013 12:22 pm
- Location: Wisconsin/New Richmond
We are about 40 minutes east of the Twin Cities (just north of Hudson)….I agree with your take on the weather. Cold, rain/snow is getting a bit old. I've seen a total of 2 martins to-date, neither of which stuck around.
Good for you for supplemental feeding; I'm certain your visitors are appreciative.
Terry/New Richmond, WI
Good for you for supplemental feeding; I'm certain your visitors are appreciative.
Terry/New Richmond, WI
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Caroline94535-ND
- Posts: 337
- Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2003 10:12 am
- Location: North Dakota/Larimore
- Martin Colony History: Will add later
Paula, I live in North Dakota and totally understand and feel your stress.
Every year since 2003 my martins come back to cold, 'cold' as in below freezing, windy, cloudy, wet weather. They nearly always get snowed on for two-three days. They end up in a huddled, wet, miserable mess on the south side of my roof, soaking up what little warmth there is. Still, they have always pulled through. I've never found a dead martin in one of my gourds or in my yard.
Sometimes they say to heck with it and fly off for a warmer area for a week or so. They come back.
It use to make me physically sick worrying about them. Now I try to remind myself that Mother Nature has been caring for these birds for eons. They migrate on their own. They know where they're going. They know what they'll find. Some of them don't make it.
I do not try to feed my Purple Martins, but I understand why you try. I think each person should do what is best for them and their colony. I don't try to convince people to feed, or not to feed. I just do what I feel is right for my colony.
I will be here only a short time in the grand scheme of a PM colony. I worry about my birds. If I "train" them to be fed during bad weather, and then I leave, or move, or die, my colony will go on. The weather will always be bad in the spring. If they saw humans as a food source, they'd be mobbing some person that won't have a clue as to what the birds want, and will probably run and screech and try to get rid of them.
I love my birds; I provide the biggest, warmest, most secure nesting gourds that I can. I make pre-nests and dose everyone with Sevin to get rid of parasites. I do nearly-daily nest checks starting before they build their nests; I do nest changes. I set up sprinklers when it gets to hot.
I kill sparrows, and turn into a screaming mimi, throwing rocks and waving mops when those blasted hawks appear. I do everything I can for them - except feed them.
And another reason I don't feed was just as you said, throwing things at them can make them flush, fly off into the rain/snow, and lose more energy than if they just huddled down in the dry pre-nest inside their gourds.
I just wanted to share my view of feeding vs. not feeding. My birds arrived last Sunday. They've been huddled in the gourds except for a few excursions. I don't think it's gotten above 50 since they've been here. It's rained, but no snow. I heard chattering this morning; it was 34 degrees and they were headed off "somewhere." Big Boy is still peaking out of Gourd 3; he'll wait until this afternoon and I'm sure will find a few snacks along the creek or river.
Every year since 2003 my martins come back to cold, 'cold' as in below freezing, windy, cloudy, wet weather. They nearly always get snowed on for two-three days. They end up in a huddled, wet, miserable mess on the south side of my roof, soaking up what little warmth there is. Still, they have always pulled through. I've never found a dead martin in one of my gourds or in my yard.
Sometimes they say to heck with it and fly off for a warmer area for a week or so. They come back.
It use to make me physically sick worrying about them. Now I try to remind myself that Mother Nature has been caring for these birds for eons. They migrate on their own. They know where they're going. They know what they'll find. Some of them don't make it.
I do not try to feed my Purple Martins, but I understand why you try. I think each person should do what is best for them and their colony. I don't try to convince people to feed, or not to feed. I just do what I feel is right for my colony.
I will be here only a short time in the grand scheme of a PM colony. I worry about my birds. If I "train" them to be fed during bad weather, and then I leave, or move, or die, my colony will go on. The weather will always be bad in the spring. If they saw humans as a food source, they'd be mobbing some person that won't have a clue as to what the birds want, and will probably run and screech and try to get rid of them.
I love my birds; I provide the biggest, warmest, most secure nesting gourds that I can. I make pre-nests and dose everyone with Sevin to get rid of parasites. I do nearly-daily nest checks starting before they build their nests; I do nest changes. I set up sprinklers when it gets to hot.
I kill sparrows, and turn into a screaming mimi, throwing rocks and waving mops when those blasted hawks appear. I do everything I can for them - except feed them.
And another reason I don't feed was just as you said, throwing things at them can make them flush, fly off into the rain/snow, and lose more energy than if they just huddled down in the dry pre-nest inside their gourds.
I just wanted to share my view of feeding vs. not feeding. My birds arrived last Sunday. They've been huddled in the gourds except for a few excursions. I don't think it's gotten above 50 since they've been here. It's rained, but no snow. I heard chattering this morning; it was 34 degrees and they were headed off "somewhere." Big Boy is still peaking out of Gourd 3; he'll wait until this afternoon and I'm sure will find a few snacks along the creek or river.
~ Not all those who wander are lost.
we had cold and snow for 6 days straight back when my fist pair got back. we kept them alive by cutting off the legs of crickets so they still moved so the birds would recognize the as food and putting them in the gourd and porches. then we bough a outside heat lamp like they use for live stalk. clipped it up above the gourd facing down on the porch. they would sit outside under it. it seemed to keep the inside some what warm. I think these things saved them.
2008 1 pair
2009 3 pair
2010 7 pair
2011 20 pair
2012 44 pair 280 eggs 210 fledged
2013 67 pair.
2014 67pair
2015-2022 67 pair
2009 3 pair
2010 7 pair
2011 20 pair
2012 44 pair 280 eggs 210 fledged
2013 67 pair.
2014 67pair
2015-2022 67 pair
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terriergal
- Posts: 76
- Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2012 12:41 pm
- Location: MN/Hutchinson
I did actually find my very few martins dead the other year so I know that is what happened. And then none came when the weather got warmer either.
The tree swallows that were here earlier seem to have disappeared entirely as they aren't in any of the houses and I've found none dead. Perhaps they went back south for a while! I kind of wish the martins would do that!
If I had more martins I might figure we could stand having quite a few culled by the weather. But as I said I only had two pair last year and when I checked the other day I only had three birds fly out of the communal roost. But when I started putting food out suddenly I had a bunch of them start showing up (which is fine with me!) I know someone about a mile north of us has martin houses and I often see and hear them when I walk my dogs that way in the summer. There's also one a mile east of us which is unattended on an old farm property that no longer has a (human) house on it - and likely only houses HOSPs. The local school owns the property, as they have planned to build a new building there for years. I keep thinking I should contact the school and ask them if I can have the house and pole.
When I found my dead martins, that was when I started researching supplemental feeding. This year I thought my martins had just been scouts and went back south because I hadn't seen or heard them for days, so I lowered the house about a week ago to check for house sparrow materials and clean it out. To my surprise, three martins flew out at that time (2 adult males 1 adult female).
We have had some warm days with a few flies flying around since they came back weeks ago. But then we'll get four or five reallly cold windy and wet ones in a row. Several of these long cold snaps in a row with barely a day or two to get caught up have to be very difficult for them.
I expect this will be the last real cold snap. (hopefully!!) and then they should be ok. Tomorrow (Friday) is supposed to be 57 which should help but it has been hanging around 30-40 since being nice (upper 50s) last Friday. That is a long cold stretch for the poor dears! It should be overcast tomorrow but warmer, and less windy. But then the next day is supposed to be really windy again (still warm) which will certainly tax them after this cold stretch.
Well, I hope some of them are figuring out the crickets. I guess if they make it through, I can assume they did. I can't imagine they'd make it this time otherwise.
They certainly seem to be doing ok now. They are just sitting on the house for the most part, but now when I go outside (waiting for the crickets to cool down so they aren't quite as active) they fly around the house and chatter. So I went out and put more crickets on the porches, (do this about three times a day) and they came back and from what I could see some of them ate. This time I didn't put any in the holes. I probably should, so that fewer end up getting knocked off the porches.
I could also tell that they've been eating from the droppings left around on the porches and on the ground. There is a decent amount of fecal matter in the droppings, not just urates and urine. Good sign. There were two males that were more hesitant to leave the house and looked pretty weak in flight. But at least none that sat in the house until I got there and lowered it, which is a slight improvement from yesterday. I left the house lowered, which makes it easier for me to go out and add food. They seem to sit on it that way just fine when they're feeling this bad. I raise it around supper time and leave it up for the night.
The other thing I can't do very well when it's wet and windy is run the repeating sparrow trap. There are (near as I can tell) only two HOSP males and a female hanging around at this point (i've been trapping for about 8-9 years continually when the weather cooperates, and there are very few in my part of the neighborhood most of the time - at least until fledging!)
The tree swallows that were here earlier seem to have disappeared entirely as they aren't in any of the houses and I've found none dead. Perhaps they went back south for a while! I kind of wish the martins would do that!
If I had more martins I might figure we could stand having quite a few culled by the weather. But as I said I only had two pair last year and when I checked the other day I only had three birds fly out of the communal roost. But when I started putting food out suddenly I had a bunch of them start showing up (which is fine with me!) I know someone about a mile north of us has martin houses and I often see and hear them when I walk my dogs that way in the summer. There's also one a mile east of us which is unattended on an old farm property that no longer has a (human) house on it - and likely only houses HOSPs. The local school owns the property, as they have planned to build a new building there for years. I keep thinking I should contact the school and ask them if I can have the house and pole.
When I found my dead martins, that was when I started researching supplemental feeding. This year I thought my martins had just been scouts and went back south because I hadn't seen or heard them for days, so I lowered the house about a week ago to check for house sparrow materials and clean it out. To my surprise, three martins flew out at that time (2 adult males 1 adult female).
We have had some warm days with a few flies flying around since they came back weeks ago. But then we'll get four or five reallly cold windy and wet ones in a row. Several of these long cold snaps in a row with barely a day or two to get caught up have to be very difficult for them.
I expect this will be the last real cold snap. (hopefully!!) and then they should be ok. Tomorrow (Friday) is supposed to be 57 which should help but it has been hanging around 30-40 since being nice (upper 50s) last Friday. That is a long cold stretch for the poor dears! It should be overcast tomorrow but warmer, and less windy. But then the next day is supposed to be really windy again (still warm) which will certainly tax them after this cold stretch.
Well, I hope some of them are figuring out the crickets. I guess if they make it through, I can assume they did. I can't imagine they'd make it this time otherwise.
They certainly seem to be doing ok now. They are just sitting on the house for the most part, but now when I go outside (waiting for the crickets to cool down so they aren't quite as active) they fly around the house and chatter. So I went out and put more crickets on the porches, (do this about three times a day) and they came back and from what I could see some of them ate. This time I didn't put any in the holes. I probably should, so that fewer end up getting knocked off the porches.
I could also tell that they've been eating from the droppings left around on the porches and on the ground. There is a decent amount of fecal matter in the droppings, not just urates and urine. Good sign. There were two males that were more hesitant to leave the house and looked pretty weak in flight. But at least none that sat in the house until I got there and lowered it, which is a slight improvement from yesterday. I left the house lowered, which makes it easier for me to go out and add food. They seem to sit on it that way just fine when they're feeling this bad. I raise it around supper time and leave it up for the night.
The other thing I can't do very well when it's wet and windy is run the repeating sparrow trap. There are (near as I can tell) only two HOSP males and a female hanging around at this point (i've been trapping for about 8-9 years continually when the weather cooperates, and there are very few in my part of the neighborhood most of the time - at least until fledging!)
Paula in MN
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Doug Martin - PA
- Posts: 1988
- Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 10:47 am
- Location: Pennsylvania/Fombell
- Martin Colony History: First pair in 2009 after 28 years of trying. 3 pairs 2010, 17 pairs 2011 and 35-45 pairs since. Many additional colonies are now springing up around mine in an area once completely void of Martins. I offer 50 compartments at my site consisting of primarily Excluder II gourds on Gemini racks. Also a wooden T-14. I utilize electric fence type predator guards on the base of the poles. Supplemental feeding is crucial in maintaining my colony. I platform feed throughout the season as needed. My site tends to be a stop over point for additional birds as they migrate further north.
Paula,
Good effort up there in the cold.
I do feed my Martins and maintain their health during bad weather. They really don't "freeze out" they simply slowly starve to death. This year our earliest arrival lived in single digit and teen temperatures for highs for a week. But he was fed 3 times a day. He still lives today to breed this season once again. Certainly he would not be alive without help.
I can't really agree (respectfully) that mother nature has cared for Martins for years. Mother nature can be it's worst enemy at times and kills many birds each season. It is man (and many good women too) that has cared for them in recent history. The bond between the too is unlike any other in nature as Martins are wild and free to roam and migrate, yet they depend entirely on us for their survival.
I think it is great you are doing what you can for them. Definately frustrating at first though. Keep trying!
Doug
Good effort up there in the cold.
I do feed my Martins and maintain their health during bad weather. They really don't "freeze out" they simply slowly starve to death. This year our earliest arrival lived in single digit and teen temperatures for highs for a week. But he was fed 3 times a day. He still lives today to breed this season once again. Certainly he would not be alive without help.
I can't really agree (respectfully) that mother nature has cared for Martins for years. Mother nature can be it's worst enemy at times and kills many birds each season. It is man (and many good women too) that has cared for them in recent history. The bond between the too is unlike any other in nature as Martins are wild and free to roam and migrate, yet they depend entirely on us for their survival.
I think it is great you are doing what you can for them. Definately frustrating at first though. Keep trying!
Doug
Supplemental feeding plays a major role in Western Pennsylvania. Finally got my 1st pair in 2009 after 28 years of effort. The colony has grown quickly to 45 pairs that I care for. Many new colonies have now sprung up around me in the past few years as well. Where there was none.... there is many.
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Barry Wallace
- Posts: 29
- Joined: Wed Feb 22, 2012 9:29 am
- Location: (Wisconsin) Cumberland
Paula,
it sounds like you probably have some migrants holed up with your martins trying to survive this horrible weather. Somewhere north of you someone is waiting for their martins to return, they will, because of your kindness.
Good job!
it sounds like you probably have some migrants holed up with your martins trying to survive this horrible weather. Somewhere north of you someone is waiting for their martins to return, they will, because of your kindness.
Good job!
Landlord since 1987
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terriergal
- Posts: 76
- Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2012 12:41 pm
- Location: MN/Hutchinson
Possible. It could be the ones from down the road (about a mile north) too. In any case the weather has passed and they seem to have survived. Not quite as many hanging around at once, but they are still here after several days of high 50's and mid 60's temps. Whew!!Barry Wallace wrote:Paula,
it sounds like you probably have some migrants holed up with your martins trying to survive this horrible weather. Somewhere north of you someone is waiting for their martins to return, they will, because of your kindness.
Good job!
I've even been able to trap and dispatch several house sparrows (about 4 or 5 males, more than I thought was hanging around, and a couple females, leaving just one female in the trap for a decoy now).
Paula in MN
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~Ray~Gingerich
- Posts: 2122
- Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2004 10:24 pm
- Location: Delaware/Dover
Once you get them trained to take food they will come out and greet you when you bring the food out, even on the cold nasty days. Sometimes they let you know they are hungry by flying towards you. I flip a mix of fluffy scrambled eggs and crushed mealworms. There's a powerline they sit on between flips to rest and I flip towards the line so they don't have to fly very far. During bad weather I feel safe because I know my martins are trained.
~Ray~ Gingerich
1999 1pair, 2006 2 pair, 2008 2 pair,
2009 23 pair, 2010 39 pair, 2011 67 pair,
2012 115 pair, 2013 160 pair,
2014 152 pair, 2015 174 pair, 2016 178 pair
2017 187 pair, 2018 200 pair, 2019 171pair
2020 233 pair
1999 1pair, 2006 2 pair, 2008 2 pair,
2009 23 pair, 2010 39 pair, 2011 67 pair,
2012 115 pair, 2013 160 pair,
2014 152 pair, 2015 174 pair, 2016 178 pair
2017 187 pair, 2018 200 pair, 2019 171pair
2020 233 pair