Going on 4 years now
For all you new Purple Martin wanna be landlords, to me its almost sad to hear about all scouts arriving, thru out the migration, mean while your waiting forever for one to show up.. Last year, an this year if I decide to go there again, is in a remote location... Its not like I can look out my back yard window an enjoy them if an when they do show up, or blast sparrows.. I have a male sparrow that has been around my house for 2 years now, I have a air rifle, I'm very good shot, I still can't kill the little crap.. Its a sparrow issue over there, not hanging out all day to hammer sparrows.. Thing is, they bulldozed the whole area over there, I'd say, as far as open space goes, I have most Purple Martin Landlord Hogs beat by a long shot, and I'm still a wanna be... Whats wrong with this picture????
Water? Bugs?
2014 8 gourds, 3 pairs nested. Ended w/ 24 total
2015 24 gourds, 22 nests. Lotsa birds!
2016 24 gourds and good activity.
2017 32 SREH gourds. Great activity.
2018 40 SREH gourds. Good finish despite big storm damage. No more dangling gourds.
2019 56+ SREH gourds, all on 3/8 rods. Birds did very well.
2020 56 SREH gourds.
2015 24 gourds, 22 nests. Lotsa birds!
2016 24 gourds and good activity.
2017 32 SREH gourds. Great activity.
2018 40 SREH gourds. Good finish despite big storm damage. No more dangling gourds.
2019 56+ SREH gourds, all on 3/8 rods. Birds did very well.
2020 56 SREH gourds.
Please don't give up. I know that it must be difficult to monitor a remote colony, but there are a lot of experts on this forum, as you know, that can be of assistance.
If your housing is up, keep an eye on it as I had 2 males and a female arrive on the 25th. They will need a helping hand for a few days due to the return of Winter. We're feeding and using hand warmers and they are flying well.
Wish you the very best of luck.
If your housing is up, keep an eye on it as I had 2 males and a female arrive on the 25th. They will need a helping hand for a few days due to the return of Winter. We're feeding and using hand warmers and they are flying well.
Wish you the very best of luck.
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avesrun
- Posts: 1127
- Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2013 1:10 pm
- Location: Iowa/West Des Moines
- Martin Colony History: Home Site: 2017- 0
2016 - 1st pair, fledged 5
Satellite Site: 2017 (3rd season)
34 pair
Fledged- 102
I'm right there with you Zag. Patience and persistence my friend! They will come. But I hear what you're saying as far as this time of season hearing of all the others' Martins showing up. But it's all good.
PMCA Member
Home Site: 2012-15 visitors
2016 - 1st pair, fledged 5
2017-18 Zero
2019- 3 Successful Pr
2020- 21pr, fledged 76
Satellite Site: 2014 - visitors
2015 - 2 pair fledged 9
2016 - 13 pair fledged 44
2017 - 31 pair fledged 118
2018 - 44 pair 163 fledged
2019- 49 pr 219 fledged
2020- 47 pr 209 fledged
Home Site: 2012-15 visitors
2016 - 1st pair, fledged 5
2017-18 Zero
2019- 3 Successful Pr
2020- 21pr, fledged 76
Satellite Site: 2014 - visitors
2015 - 2 pair fledged 9
2016 - 13 pair fledged 44
2017 - 31 pair fledged 118
2018 - 44 pair 163 fledged
2019- 49 pr 219 fledged
2020- 47 pr 209 fledged
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Henry Limpet
- Posts: 122
- Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2015 3:48 pm
- Location: IN./Howe, via the s/w side of Chicago
- Martin Colony History: Trendsetter-8. Set up in 2014 at my summer cottage, a beautiful natural inland lake in N.E. Indiana's Amish Country. T-8 is on cleared land behind my pole barn and adjacent to a farmer's field
2015: Had several flyovers in early June with 1 dedicated SYM visitor who visited each day for well over a month. He brought by a few PM "parades", with 8-12 PM's who would visit all at once, but soon leave. (Added 2 gourds to bottom of the T-8). We discovered a large (Amish) colony apx. 3/4 mile South of our T-8. We think this will eventually be our "feeder" colony.
2016: Put up a Trio G'Pa lakeside. Overall, not as much interest as 2015, likely because of our vacation to Gulf Shores, AL. in early June.
2017: Finally switched over to wheat straw. Success!! One nesting pair. Fledged 4!
2018: Zilch.
2019: Slow start, nothing observed by mid June. Wet, cold Spring a factor??
2020: Barely any sightings.
2021: Several observed high in the sky, eating. No interest so far!
Zag, IMHO, being a Northern (wannabe) landlord, it is hard waiting and reading all of the posts from the South. We have to wait longer and try harder. Didn't I read about you doing a lot of landscaping improvements recently? I did so too, last fall.
I am going to put my house up soon, probably the week after Easter, but I am going to leave the house plugged up (I make small plugs out of grey foam pipe insulation) until Mid-May. Since I don't have an established site, I am going to focus my recruiting drive in the latter half of May and early June. You can't fret over these 2015 arrival reports from established colonies. Our tenants are still preening somewhere very, very warm!!
The Sparrows (HOSP) ran me ragged last year, (my first year) but I finally beat them at their own game. Once I find a HOSP nest, I lower the house, remove some of the long grass at the entrance, then insert a simple wooden mousetrap, just inside the entrance, facing out. I closely monitor the mousetrap and don't leave it in when I am not there and never overnight. I get a HOSP that way w/in 5 to 10 minutes. WHAMMO! I have a 100% success rate with that method. Unfortunately, they had me beaten down from May - Aug. Not this year,
My three PM decoys came yesterday. I am going to put some 2.5" black circular stickers on the white gabled roof of my T-8, just for added effect. Last year, I didn't know what the heck I was doing with regard to pre-nesting. This year, I am going all out with pine needles and mud smears. I bought my Sevin dust at Home Depot, just the other day.
I enlisted my Father-in-Law's help and put him to work making a lifelike scarecrow. I haven't seen it yet, but I'm going to mount it to a 4x4 post, as an added HOSP deterrent. I'll probably move it around some, too. Starlings aren't an issue by me, but I have crescent entrances just in case.
Most importantly, I'm going to put down the PBR and not stay up so late around the campfire. Last year, I wasn't getting out to check on my house until late, late morning.. .(ahem) okay it was early afternoon.
This is our year, Zag!! Best foot forward! Positive Mental Attitude.. . hey, that's PMA, lol. Like PMCA, get it!
I gotta get some photos on here for Kathy F "show me", before she dumps me off of her blog. I will give you a heads up when our birds get here, Zag.
I am going to put my house up soon, probably the week after Easter, but I am going to leave the house plugged up (I make small plugs out of grey foam pipe insulation) until Mid-May. Since I don't have an established site, I am going to focus my recruiting drive in the latter half of May and early June. You can't fret over these 2015 arrival reports from established colonies. Our tenants are still preening somewhere very, very warm!!
The Sparrows (HOSP) ran me ragged last year, (my first year) but I finally beat them at their own game. Once I find a HOSP nest, I lower the house, remove some of the long grass at the entrance, then insert a simple wooden mousetrap, just inside the entrance, facing out. I closely monitor the mousetrap and don't leave it in when I am not there and never overnight. I get a HOSP that way w/in 5 to 10 minutes. WHAMMO! I have a 100% success rate with that method. Unfortunately, they had me beaten down from May - Aug. Not this year,
My three PM decoys came yesterday. I am going to put some 2.5" black circular stickers on the white gabled roof of my T-8, just for added effect. Last year, I didn't know what the heck I was doing with regard to pre-nesting. This year, I am going all out with pine needles and mud smears. I bought my Sevin dust at Home Depot, just the other day.
I enlisted my Father-in-Law's help and put him to work making a lifelike scarecrow. I haven't seen it yet, but I'm going to mount it to a 4x4 post, as an added HOSP deterrent. I'll probably move it around some, too. Starlings aren't an issue by me, but I have crescent entrances just in case.
Most importantly, I'm going to put down the PBR and not stay up so late around the campfire. Last year, I wasn't getting out to check on my house until late, late morning.. .(ahem) okay it was early afternoon.
This is our year, Zag!! Best foot forward! Positive Mental Attitude.. . hey, that's PMA, lol. Like PMCA, get it!
I gotta get some photos on here for Kathy F "show me", before she dumps me off of her blog. I will give you a heads up when our birds get here, Zag.Be careful how you wish . . for wishes can come true . . be sure that every wish you make is one that's right for you!
Just keep trying. I have been trying for 10 years, and the last 2 years had a SY male show up for 3 weeks then go after not finding a female. This spring we chopped down a large cotton wood tree to open up the yard more. Keep up the faith
Kirt
Kirt
Kirt Johnson
2014 1 SY male for 3 weeks
2013 1 SY male for 4 weeks
2004-2012 none
2014 1 SY male for 3 weeks
2013 1 SY male for 4 weeks
2004-2012 none
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Archer
- Posts: 786
- Joined: Fri Mar 11, 2011 1:09 pm
- Location: Manitoba/Altona
- Martin Colony History: six pair in 2014, have grown to 52 pairs in 2017.
Be of good cheer, things can change fast, last year at this time I was in your shoes. Sparrows will discourage martins at a new site. How often do you make it out to your remote site? I would suggest a repeating sparrow trap such as the Blaines trap ( it's been a great trap for me), but needs to be checked several times a day. If you use this trap you will need to keep some food and water in the trap so that non target species will survive till you can release them. I have only caught a couple of non target birds in 4 years of trapping. Pmca also has many traps for sale. http://shop.purplemartin.org/Traps-list.aspx
Henry, do you have a restrictor plate over that hole?, What happens if a blue bird, tree swallow or other native bird jumps into that trap? Might be a good idea to invest in some "live trap" traps.
good luck guys
Henry, do you have a restrictor plate over that hole?, What happens if a blue bird, tree swallow or other native bird jumps into that trap? Might be a good idea to invest in some "live trap" traps.
good luck guys
2011- first year trying, a few visitors.
2012-One ASY pair, raised two young, lots of subby visitors. So thankfull.
2013-daily subby visits.
2014-Six SY pairs
2015-18 pair, 83 fledglings
2016-36 pair, 147 fledglings
2017-52 pairs, 192 fledglings.
2018-60 pair, 246 fledglings.
2019-59 pair, 238 fledglings.
2020-62 pair.
2021-65 pair.
2022-63 pair.
2023-60 pair
2024-62 pair
2012-One ASY pair, raised two young, lots of subby visitors. So thankfull.
2013-daily subby visits.
2014-Six SY pairs
2015-18 pair, 83 fledglings
2016-36 pair, 147 fledglings
2017-52 pairs, 192 fledglings.
2018-60 pair, 246 fledglings.
2019-59 pair, 238 fledglings.
2020-62 pair.
2021-65 pair.
2022-63 pair.
2023-60 pair
2024-62 pair
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Henry Limpet
- Posts: 122
- Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2015 3:48 pm
- Location: IN./Howe, via the s/w side of Chicago
- Martin Colony History: Trendsetter-8. Set up in 2014 at my summer cottage, a beautiful natural inland lake in N.E. Indiana's Amish Country. T-8 is on cleared land behind my pole barn and adjacent to a farmer's field
2015: Had several flyovers in early June with 1 dedicated SYM visitor who visited each day for well over a month. He brought by a few PM "parades", with 8-12 PM's who would visit all at once, but soon leave. (Added 2 gourds to bottom of the T-8). We discovered a large (Amish) colony apx. 3/4 mile South of our T-8. We think this will eventually be our "feeder" colony.
2016: Put up a Trio G'Pa lakeside. Overall, not as much interest as 2015, likely because of our vacation to Gulf Shores, AL. in early June.
2017: Finally switched over to wheat straw. Success!! One nesting pair. Fledged 4!
2018: Zilch.
2019: Slow start, nothing observed by mid June. Wet, cold Spring a factor??
2020: Barely any sightings.
2021: Several observed high in the sky, eating. No interest so far!
Hey Archer,
No, no restrictors used. My mousetrap only goes in once I see a HOSP fleeing from that same hole, when I'm walking up and there is a full HOSP nest inside of it.
I can appreciate your concern, but I can assure you that my attention to detail (as a lifelong birder) makes my dealings with HOSP more like "targeted assassinations" and not mere "Trapping". I caught about 6 last year, and that was after I figured out that pulling out nests from May-July was just a time waster. I was looking at the Trendsetter trap, but WOW, 80 bucks!
No, no restrictors used. My mousetrap only goes in once I see a HOSP fleeing from that same hole, when I'm walking up and there is a full HOSP nest inside of it.
I can appreciate your concern, but I can assure you that my attention to detail (as a lifelong birder) makes my dealings with HOSP more like "targeted assassinations" and not mere "Trapping". I caught about 6 last year, and that was after I figured out that pulling out nests from May-July was just a time waster. I was looking at the Trendsetter trap, but WOW, 80 bucks!
Be careful how you wish . . for wishes can come true . . be sure that every wish you make is one that's right for you!