New landlord - colony doesn't return

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NickMDal
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2015 11:55 am
Location: TX/Dallas

Hello. This year I volunteered to take over maintenance of a Trio Castle 24 room house. Well... it had never been maintained since it was put up in 2008. In January, I lowered it and removed all nesting debris, which was forcing the doors to bulge out. I also removed the aluminum floors and brushed them down thoroughly. Short of hosing the rooms out, I cleaned each thoroughly with a few different types of brushes.

Last year and years past, we've always had a mix of martins and of course house sparrows. This year, clean out was done well before any martin scouts appeared. We first saw a small group arrive in late March or early April. Since then, bands of 3-5 appeared maybe 3 times, but never stuck around. They would overfly the lake for half an hour or so.

My apartment does not look directly to the house so I cannot tell if the visitors tried to access it. Doesn't seem like the house is overrun with sparrows. Just the usual few nesting there.

I think is this is the first year we've never had any nesting martins and kind of feel responsible for their absence. Anything I may have done wrong or should do to help the situation? Thanks so much.

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DornCounty
Posts: 2169
Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2012 3:58 pm
Location: Rural SE Kansas
Martin Colony History: .
.
Trio-Jedi

sounds like you did things right.. almost makes me wonder if there wasn't an event last summer that caused the abandonment. I would say that's more likely than anything. Did you have winter door covers on the house prior to opening for the season? IF not I would recommend that for next season. Open the house a week or two after martins arrive(assuming you don't have a nesting pair this season). That should reduce the sparrow pressure a lot.

And as always the fewer sparrows there are the better.
2017 - Home & Public Colonies - 300 Cavities
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M.Stephens
Posts: 1130
Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2009 3:14 pm
Location: Texas/Texarkana

Looks like you need a predator guard. A predator may have raided the colony last year. That could cause abandonment.
Malcolm
2015 (110 nesting pair)
2014 (92 nesting pair)
2013 (75 nesting pair)
2012 (35 nesting pair)
2011 (20 pair)
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NickMDal
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2015 11:55 am
Location: TX/Dallas

Thanks! I'll look into the guard for sure. The doors were not on last winter or any prior. I have them now and will do it this winter.

How late in the season might they show up?

Could the bald cypress to the left be getting to close to the house? The limb is about 12 feet away.

Also wondering of cleaning it out now would only anger the nesting house sparrows. Read the "vindictive sparrow" article :)
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Connie
Posts: 441
Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2011 4:05 pm
Location: WALKER, LOUISIANA
Martin Colony History: Had my site up to 22 gourds of which most (+/-3) stayed occupied.
Downsized to 17 gourds due to back surgeries. Had 14 families in 2017 but did not do nest checks due to health. Feeling better in 2018 and hoping for a good year.

"Doesn't seem like the house is overrun with sparrows. Just the usual few nesting there"

I would not allow the sparrows to nest at all. If you can (allowed where you live) shoot them. If you can't shoot them, trap them. They will harm your martins.
Also, I think it does sound like the tree is very close. I would trim it
back as much as possible if you are against cutting it down. Could you move your housing away from the tree if not? It is best to be as far as possible away from trees.

Good luck,
I hope your martins return!!
Connie
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pmlover
Posts: 805
Joined: Thu Apr 04, 2013 3:30 pm
Location: OH/New Concord

I think connie is so right I even cut down many of my pines and prize apple trees hey pms come first and by God get rid of every sparrow you can get away with a sparrow or two whe you have 300 pms but when your starting a new colony you must get rid of every sparrow
2015 69 pairs 418 eggs 396 fledged
2019 I have 148 openings now
2016 100 pairs 600 babies fledged added another t-14 and have 126 openings now
2015 Jun 24 360 babies and 58 eggs also found one that had died
2017 632 babies 11died and 20 were killed by hawks
2015 74 pairs and 9 eggs 5/14
2010 3pairss
]JOINED PMCA JUNE 6,2018
2018 651 babies 5 hawk kills 11 floater kills 25 died in houses and 610 fledged

2014 80 pairs 283 babies 282 fledged one died
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NickMDal
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2015 11:55 am
Location: TX/Dallas

Wow interesting. Will have to talk to the property manager about the tree. Maybe they will go along. Thinking the best we can expect is limb removal. The trees on this property are a treasure, especially the bald cypresses. Have to present this very delicately.

The sparrow issue is maybe a little tougher. I do actually own a trap and intended to start removal, but two things. First, the martins didn't show up. Then I thought about the idea that this is a 300 acre multi community property with hedges surrounding almost all buildings. There must be more than 5 nesting pairs of sparrows for each of over 200 buildings.

In our building, I am on the opposite end from the martin house. I kind of thought I could befriend someone on the the other end near the house, but no one suitable for that kind of favor is there. So then I thought, well if I start trapping them from my patio, would that impact the house, or would other sparrows just fill in the void I create over here.

Well this is just thinking out loud. I will for sure clean it out now (stealthily since many residents wouldn't understand) and get the tree trimmed as much as possible. Thank you much for these suggestions!
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Ryan
Posts: 308
Joined: Sat Apr 15, 2006 4:19 pm
Location: Eganville, Ontario
Martin Colony History: Visitors are rare. On the northern edge of the martins range.

Yeah that tree is too nice to cut under your circumstance.

Can you move the pole to a near area that's more open? That may be easier. Even 20 feet would make a difference if there was a more open spot.

Even if it moved to the edge of that pond would be better.
2010- 1 SY male on and off for a couple weeks
'11- 0 visits
12- 0 visits
13- 0 visits
14- 1 SY male stopped by over 2 weeks.
15- 0 visits
16- 0 visits
17- 0 visits
18- 0 visits
19- Break-through year. Had a SY Male stop in on June 7th and stay all day, every day until end of June
20 - The male didn't return. I did see a SY male do a few flyovers.
21- a couple brief visits
22-3rd rack added, all within a mile. This one at prime location, 0 visits
23- 0 visits
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Louise Chambers
Site Admin
Posts: 6208
Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2003 1:07 pm
Location: Corpus Christi, TX

I agree moving the house to a more open area would be a good idea - and there is a great sparrow trap for that house, you would do all your trapping right there. One or two of these would work wonders: http://shop.purplemartin.org/Spare_O_Door-details.aspx
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DornCounty
Posts: 2169
Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2012 3:58 pm
Location: Rural SE Kansas
Martin Colony History: .
.
Trio-Jedi

NickMDal wrote:Wow interesting. Will have to talk to the property manager about the tree. Maybe they will go along. Thinking the best we can expect is limb removal. The trees on this property are a treasure, especially the bald cypresses. Have to present this very delicately.

The sparrow issue is maybe a little tougher. I do actually own a trap and intended to start removal, but two things. First, the martins didn't show up. Then I thought about the idea that this is a 300 acre multi community property with hedges surrounding almost all buildings. There must be more than 5 nesting pairs of sparrows for each of over 200 buildings.

In our building, I am on the opposite end from the martin house. I kind of thought I could befriend someone on the the other end near the house, but no one suitable for that kind of favor is there. So then I thought, well if I start trapping them from my patio, would that impact the house, or would other sparrows just fill in the void I create over here.

Well this is just thinking out loud. I will for sure clean it out now (stealthily since many residents wouldn't understand) and get the tree trimmed as much as possible. Thank you much for these suggestions!
Yeah I think approaching about tree removal may be a mistake. I fear that if the colony has been abandoned you will have a tough time attracting a new pair with that tree so close. I would move it to a more open location if possible and maybe one closer to where you are. Spar-o-door that Louise mentioned is a great trap. Also trapping from your location will for sure not hurt anything. If anything it will help the natives by your home and you will get a greater diversity of birds there.
2017 - Home & Public Colonies - 300 Cavities
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DornCounty
Posts: 2169
Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2012 3:58 pm
Location: Rural SE Kansas
Martin Colony History: .
.
Trio-Jedi

Also if you want to go crazy.. consider doing this.... http://www.purplemartin.org/forum/viewt ... c&&start=0

it will keep the starlings out and make the house more attractive and safer for martins.
2017 - Home & Public Colonies - 300 Cavities
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NickMDal
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2015 11:55 am
Location: TX/Dallas

The property manager agreed to come out and look at the house to consider relocating it. Thanks much!
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