Second Broods in South Texas-2015

[John Barrow]

Hi Friends,

This is turning into a banner year for second broods in South Texas with heavy spring rains and great feeding. These are second broods being raised by ASY pairs in cavities that previously fledged a first brood in late May and early June.

Louise Chambers and I have two colonies; one near Sandia, Texas, the other in Corpus Christi, Texas.

In Sandia we have 8 second broods in progress. The broods have produced 36 healthy nestlings each of which are being tended to by an ASY male and female. The oldest brood fledged 5 nestlings on July 18, and ages of the remaining nestlings ranged from 7 to 13 days old on July 18.

In Corpus Christi we have 5 active, late, nests. One is an ASY renest; the other second broods. The five nests have produced 21 healthy nestlings around 10 days of age. One nest lost its ASY male occupant and its 5 nestlngs are being tended by an ASY female. All are healthy and of good weight. There is a banded ASY male and banded ASY female among the birds tending the second broods.

Particulars, photos and data about these second broods will be featured in the fall Update Journal, along with particulars about the two banded females carrying geolocators that produced two successful second broods in 2013. Unfortunately, neither of these females returned in 2014 or 2015 which may have yielded geolocator data about their migration.

[taxidermy lady]

That is great for the martins numbers to get caught up from the cold and wet spring everyone experienced. Good luck with your second broods getting in the air.

[Dave Reynolds]

John --- That's is great to here, and that you have the weather for second broods to survive ..

Dave

[captron]

I'm in North Texas& also having two pair raising their 2nd brood.One set is about 2 weeks older than the other. All chicks appear healthy& are keeping their parents quite busy feeding them.At first I thought the heat might be too much, but they all seem to be enduring it.1 set are in a plastic 11" gourd with cooling cap, the other in a wooden house I built.So I guess each compartment is compatible with them.

[James Strickland FL]

John that is great news. I would love to have my birds have a 2nd brood.

[kehunter]

In Pearland TX (20 mi south of Houston), I have an ASY pair that re-nested after having a completely non-viable clutch back in May. They moved from their unsuccessful gourd location to the S&K "Royal Wing" house and have four great-looking nestlings that should fledge this weekend.

The original ASY pair of the house cavity fledged their five young around June 1, so there was about a two-week gap before the current pair took over their space and laid eggs. I did a complete nest change when the current nestlings were about 10 days old.

[Matt F.]

Great update John!
That is so exciting about the second broods!
I can't wait to read more about in the fall Update.

[John Barrow]

A photo taken July 30, 2015, of a banded ASY female involved in a second brood at my Corpus Christi, TX colony. She joins two banded females (geo tagged birds) that fledged two broods in 2013, and four banded males linked to two successful broods at this colony. In addition, a banded ASY female (former geo tagged bird) has been linked and confirmed in one of eight second broods occurring at my Sandia colony in 2015.

All second brood observations are supported by regular nest checks and written records of all colony nesting cavities dating back over a dozen years. Individual birds have been studied, identified and bands read, where applicable, with binoculars, spotting scopes and/or in hand observation.

[LarryMelcher/KY]

John, I've been watching and learning from your reports since before 2005. Glad you are still hooked by purple Martin's. You give great reports to the humans that these birds desperately need.

[Steve Kroenke]

Hey John,

Thanks for sharing this exciting information with us! I have always suspected that on occasion a pair of martins would raise a second brood and I have observed several cases in my various colonies of possible second broods. You have data and detailed observations to validate martins raising second broods. I am looking forward to reading your article about second broods in the upcoming Purple Martin Update!

Steve

[Matt@atx]

I did not even know until now that Martins could do that. I always thought one nest a pair a year was the rule for them unless eggs or young babies were lost which I have seen before but that is something different then raising two successful broods.

I know All know here in this forum blue birds can do up to 3 broods in a good season and ours has a 4 nest with 4 eggs in it presently. Not sure if this means they lost their babies in their 3rd nest or what(?) or they consider it a good season. But its stinkin hot and dry now with grass dyin like it does.

Looks like the Martins are doing it. Very interesting. Hope to get a chance to read that article as well

[John Barrow]

The last of our second-brood nests successfully fledged from Sandia this morning, August 10. Our first scout arrival at Sandia was on Feb 1. All second brood attempts in Sandia and Corpus Christi were successful. Hatch year birds appear to be obtaining independence in a week to ten days.

[Tim Mangan-Kansas]

The four nestlings from my one and only ever second brood are still in the nest. The ASY female involved in this second brood stopped returning to the nest on Aug. 3. Don't know if something happened to her or the urge to migrate was too strong and she abandoned the nest. "Tuffy", the ASY male of this nest has been doing a good job feeding the nestlings each day and as far as I can tell, all young look healthy. I have been providing crickets daily in the feeding tray and the male has been feeding them to his young. First possible day for them to fledge is this Thursday. Hope they make it.

[Matt@atx]

Thank you for the update. That's is pretty neat that these 2nd broods fledged today or yesterday. Did you notice if the heat and dryness gave any trouble to the parents in feeding the babies down there on the coast? or is it cool enough that the heat in August in that area did not effect the babies?

I loathe having babies left heading towards middle July because of the bad heat that always comes.

Its been pretty hot and dry as bones up here starting the week of July 20th. I was curious how the weather was there end of July into August.

[Louise Chambers]

Matt, it has been hotter than usual, and drier than usual, but because we had so much rain up until July, the birds have done very well. Heat has been reaching 100 or 101 some days, heat index is higher - but we added shade panels above gourds with second broods, and the gourds are all vented. They have done very well - if it was a drought year, might be a different story. We usually have a breeze, and maybe even a hot breeze helps, too.

[Matt@atx]

Thanks for the info Louise. Glad to hear how well these 2nd broods did. We had our last rain fall last day of May so it must have continued to get rain done south a little longer ( to July?) which is really good.