An ASY Female Purple Martin Arrived

Steve Kroenke · Fri Jan 30, 2015 7:47 pm

At around 5:00 pm today January 30, 2015 an ASY female purple martin arrived and entered a Troyer Horizontal Gourd with a cling plate. She stayed for the night.

Though we usually get an ASY male first, the females have arrived first on several occasions.

Steve

Stephen Cruse · Fri Jan 30, 2015 8:02 pm

That is great! Congrats! Should be any day for me.

JJ Jones · Fri Jan 30, 2015 8:24 pm

Great News Steve! And away you go! Hope you have a fantastic purple martin season.

JJ

M.Stephens · Fri Jan 30, 2015 8:43 pm

Congrats Steve!....I've had females show up first at my site several times. In about 2 more weeks I should get mine back.... : )

M.Stephens · Fri Jan 30, 2015 8:44 pm

Sorry, duplicate post......

James Strickland FL · Fri Jan 30, 2015 9:19 pm

Steve that is great news. Your season is off.

SMJohnson · Fri Jan 30, 2015 9:32 pm

Hey Steve:
Fun to learn about your first arrival. Seems I remember a discussion fairly recently about your first arrivals going back to your time in Florida and how many of those times it was a female which had gotten their first. Don't remember what that number was. Maybe you could mention that again. Thanks again for getting us setup to post from Photobucket.

pmartinlover2 · Fri Jan 30, 2015 10:38 pm

Happy to see your first martin has arrived! Does Bob have any yet? How many weeks does it take for all your adult birds to arrive since you have such a large colony? Last year when I had martin visitors I'd put my lawn chair in the driveway and sit there for hours watching and waiting! How do you ever get anything done with that many martins to watch? Enjoy!
_______
Jody

tonyg · Sat Jan 31, 2015 1:00 am

Cool Steve! Your season has begun! Has Bob's ever arrived before yours?

Steve Malone · Sat Jan 31, 2015 8:02 am

Kinda figured that it was going to be on the 30th. Mine usually show up on the 16th. I don't know why it takes 2 weeks for mine to make it the extra 45 miles. I'm not ready for them yet, so it will give me a little extra time.

Steve Kroenke · Sat Jan 31, 2015 9:33 am

Thanks for all the comments! It is always exciting to see the first purple martin arrive home and know that he or she has flown hundreds of miles to reach your colony!

This morning the female martin flew out and promptly went over to Bob's colony and entered another Troyer Horizontal Gourd! So perhaps she may just be one of Bob's martins! She got "dazed and confused" from her long journey! I will watch this evening at roosting time and see what she does. Any way, the first martin has arrived at our colonies. We view our two large martin colonies as just one big colony since our housing is close together.

The first single martin after 2005 has arrived at my colony first. However, on one occasion two males arrived at the same time and I got one and so did Bob.

Since keep arrival records at my various martin colonies, I had only two females arrive first at my Florida colonies and now in Louisiana three of the first arrivals have been females. We still mainly see male martins arrive first.

Martins will "trickle in" through February with most ASY martins coming during March and some still in April. In April the SYs return and continue coming through May though by late May the chances of martins actually nesting are slim.

During February and March, I usually see more martins arrive during or after the passage of a cold front with south winds. The martins use the southern winds as a "flight booster" as the martins head north to their breeding colonies.

Our little female martin will have to be careful. I have already seen a formidable hunter of small birds in our area: a migratory female merlin. Merlins are small falcons with incredible speed and stamina and will chase martins long distances if the merlins are really hungry. I have observed breathtaking pursuits with the merlin matching martin's flight speed but unable to match the martin's agility. The martin was able to out turn and eventually out climb the merlin.

And there are Accipiters here, both Cooper's and sharp-shinned hawks, and these bird eating hawks are actively hunting the many migrant robins, meadow larks and other small birds. Martins are vulnerable to these hawks while gathered around their colonies, particularly early in the mornings or at roosting time. These hawks are superb hunters in dim light.

Our martin season has begun!

Steve

Davlyn · Sat Jan 31, 2015 10:47 am

Hey Steve , that's great news ! I had a female first only one time and she did not spent the nights here until the first male arrived a few days later , she let the BB get the best of her but when the male arrived he put them packing !

One day early ! Best of luck this season .

eyeamtheman · Sat Jan 31, 2015 12:00 pm

Dang and I just talked to you earlier....
That's awesome.

Craig Haddox · Sat Jan 31, 2015 5:12 pm

Steve, congratulation's on your arrival. My 3 earliest arrivals have all been females. The earliest was March 10th. She was alone until March 22nd. when a male arrived, had to feed her a few times to keep her going. Good luck this year.

Dave Reynolds · Sat Jan 31, 2015 6:00 pm

Congrats ---- Steve,,, I can't imagine the feeling.

First one back ,, Wonderful...

Dave

Glynn B - LA · Sat Jan 31, 2015 7:05 pm

Congrats on the arrival of another martin season.

Hey! Don't forget to post if one of your banded martins make it back.
What year did you band at your site?
Have another great season.
I have learned a heckuva lot from your post. I thank you for this.

Glynn

apundt-TX · Sat Jan 31, 2015 7:15 pm

Glynn B,
i see you are from West Monroe. Do you ever run into Phil, Willie, Jase, Jeb Robertson or Mountain Man.
I loved that Duck Dynasty show they put on.

Glynn B - LA · Sat Jan 31, 2015 7:28 pm

Sorry, but I never got in to Duck Dynasty.

Sy and willie live about a mile from me. They drive by my house every day.

apundt-TX · Sat Jan 31, 2015 7:44 pm

Well I'll take that any day.....
Hope all of you wave with 4 fingers and a thumb.

My closest movie stars are Kyle Chandler and Jessie James.

Steve Kroenke · Sun Feb 01, 2015 9:15 am

An ASY male martin returned January 31 and immediately paired with the female. So we have two martins as of February 1.

Glynn,

My martin nestlings were banded in 2012 and the few that actually returned to my colony and Bob's were SYs in 2013. Then we had several come back as ASYs in 2014. I will be watching for banded martins this season.

I finally finished pre-nesting all housing but still haven't installed my new 16 room Trendsetter on the pole. I plan raising this house in April for the SYs. I have a new K24 gourd rack with 24 Troyer Horizontals with tunnels/porches and this one is for the later arriving SYs, too. I do have this system on the ground stake and all gourds on the rack.

I hope everyone has a great martin season in 2015!

Steve