Photos Of My 2016 Purple Martin Colony

[Steve Kroenke]

Photos Of My 2016 Purple Martin Colony

It is the end of February and both of our personal purple martin colonies, mine and my neighbor Bob’s, are on target relative to numbers of martins for this time of the year. Next month is the BIG ONE for the return of ASY martins and we should see significant numbers arriving during March.

It is impossible to determine how many martins are currently in our two colonies right now but we have well over 100 martins and I believe I may already have that many.

This season I have 17 housing system and 404 cavities. There are five Trendsetters comprising three 12 room houses, a sixteen room house and a 28 room house for a total of 80 compartments. I have 324 plastic gourds including Troyer Horizontals with cling plates and with tunnels/porches, Super Gourds, Excluder Gourds and Troyer Verticals.

My favorite commercial gourd rack is the Gemini and I have three of these systems. These racks just look good, particularly when I hang a variety of gourd styles.

Here are three photos of my current martin colony showing some martins “hanging out”.







Steve

[cajun]

Wow is all that can be said, that is truly impressive. I hope to see it one day. Great pictures Steve!!!!

[MichaelH]

Thanks for the updates ,enjoy seeing pics of your colony,bet the sound of Martin song is breathtaking.have a great week
Mick

[James Strickland FL]

Steve I really like the Gemini but you can not mount Qwl and Hawk Guard on them.

[Steve Kroenke]

Hey Cajun,

I am glad you like my martin colony. Anytime you are up in northwest Louisiana feel free to stop by and see our two martin colonies. We've had folks from different parts of the country stop by and see our colonies.

March is here and there should be more martin arriving all over Louisiana. So hopefully you should be seeing more martins in your area.

Good luck and keep us posted on how things are going!

Steve

Hey Mick,

I am glad you like the updates and photos. It is LOUD around here! But the loudness comes with a price and the loud daytime martin vocalizations do attract Accipiter hawks in the day and nocturnal martin vocalizations attract barred and great horned owls! However, I enjoy listening to the various martin vocalizations, particularly when the males are trying to attract females.

I hope you have a great martin season.

Steve

Hey James,

Mike Scully from Texas was able to install owl guards on his Gemini racks. Here is a link to a posting of his showing owl guards protruding out from Gemini ring:

http://www.purplemartin.org/forum/viewt ... rds+gemini

I don't know how he exactly did it but maybe you could do something like he did. He was able to attach the double prong guard to the ring and then have it extend out and in front of a gourd.

A Gemini would look GREAT in your martin colony!

I hope your martin colony is doing well and growing!

Steve

[Chuck4]

Beautiful Steve! You have done the Purple Martin species a great service!

[threelilkids]

WoW, I hope my martins don't see your set up because I would never see them again, That is a mighty fine set up Mary

[James Strickland FL]

Thanks Steve and I did not think of the way he did it an it works and I may get one next year for my colony. I am doing well here at my site with over 30 pair now up 4 pair from last year and it is just March 2. I am seeing more of late and the winds are not from the South. I still have about a month before the the SY's start showing up, but have never had that many show up here and I do not understand that with all the young I and Carl have produced over the years. This year maybe different with all the ASY's and a New Gourd Rack also I added. Steve I hope you fill up fast this year. Be safe my friend.

[JudyA]

Steve, I really enjoy reading your updates. I also the pictures of your beautiful site. Thank You!

James, maybe you will reach your 100 pair goal this year. You might run out of housing! Send the extras to my house!

[Steve Kroenke]

Hey Chuck/Mary/Judy,
Thank for those nice comments about my martin colony! I hope all of you have wonderful martin seasons in 2016!

Steve

Hey James,

I am so pleased your martin colony is doing well and you already have an increase over last year! Now that is good news!

March is a BIG month for ASY martins in our area and was for my old colonies in north Florida. SYs mainly come in April and continue through May.

I believe most martin fledglings that survive migration and return as SYs may disburse out from their natal colonies to other sites. This may be a natural process to minimize inbreeding and perhaps even give those SY males a chance to find territory without as much competition from established ASY males. So perhaps the fledglings at your colony and Carl's are "seeding" new colonies as SYs at other south Florida sites. You are helping bring the joys of martins to other folks! But I know you would enjoy seeing some of Carl's SYs nest at your site!

Again, it is great news that your martin colony is thriving and growing!

Steve

[Mike Coupe]

Very nice and thanks for sharing. I haven't been on forum awhile and glad to see you are still active.

[Rodger Drye]

Hey Steve,
I have to say -Wow!- your site is very impressive.! I bet a lot of work to keep it up and functioning. I also like the Gemini Racks, and will be getting one next year, already have a place picked out for it. You must not work a job with all the responsibility of taking care of your Martins. Or do you hire someone to help take care of them. Do you do your own Nest Checks? And how long does it take you to do Nest Checks ?
I only have 67 Gourds and 14 house cavities, but that's enough to keep me busy if I take care of my Birds the correct way.
I'm retired and that too helps give me time to spend on my Martins.
Do you keep records of each cavity and all your fledglings? I have 13 Grand Children and I'm always going to Basketball, Football, Soccer,Wrestling, and Gymnastics and one grandson is a Poison Dart Frog enthusiast that I'm somewhat involved in.
Least to say "I'm a Busy Guy" , but that's O.K. I still take time to spend on my Birds, and also keep catching those S&S every day. Glad to hear you already have over 100 birds - That's Great.! I haven't seen a scout yet this year, but they are due anytime here in central Piedmont of North Carolina.
Keep up the hard work - it shows by the pics of your site. And I Know the Martins must absolutely Love your layout, very neat and clean looking...
Good Luck Man for the 2016 Season.!
Rodger

[Rodger Drye]

Hey Steve,
Tried to send you a PM, but you don 't have a personal contact on your user profile. Question, "Where did you purchase your Gemini Racks? Like I said I am getting one for next year. Might go ahead and get it with my Tax Refund.
Louise or Tara, if this question is not allowed - just Delete it. Please let me know if you do, maybe I'll try calling him.
Thanks, Rodger

[Mjtaylor]

Steve
What do you do about the owls?? I know you must have problems with them with a colony of your size?? In my area every year is a challenge.
Thanks for your input.
Mike

[Steve Kroenke]

Hey Mike C,

I am glad you are back on the Forum!

I am pleased you like the photos and hope to post more in the future as the martin season progresses.

Yes, I am still very active with my martin colony and enjoy sharing information about our martins.

I hope you have a great martin season.

Steve

Hey Rodger,

I really enjoyed talking with you on the phone today! I always enjoy talking martins with other folks.

Since my martin colony has gotten so large, I don't do comprehensive nest checks and count eggs/nestlings. I do conduct spot checks on my systems and check things out if I suspect something is wrong. I try to study each system carefully and determine the number of nesting pairs.

I am retired so I have PLENTY of time to monitor my colony and control competitors and watch for predators. I spend a lot of time studying martin behavior and have learned a lot about it.

I believe we had more martins arrive today and at roosting time the sky was filled with martins.

There was some excitement late this afternoon when I heard the bluebirds' high pitch alarm vocalization that means "death from the skies" as the martins were beginning to assemble high over our colonies. A male merlin, which is small migratory falcon that preys on birds, made a blistering attack on a small flock of cedar waxwings sitting in the top of leafless pecan tree in Bob's yard. The falcon missed and headed off toward the Texas line with a multiple martins mobbing him! Merlins are significant predators of martins and other swallows but the martins often escape by out maneuvering these extremely swift raptors. I have observed breathtaking pursuits by merlins after martins and the martins escaped every time!

Again I enjoyed talking with you on the phone today and hope you have a great martin season!

Steve

Hey Mike,

Yes we have both barred and/or great horned owl predation every year. The owls do catch some martins, mainly fledglings later in the season when these youngsters roost out in the open on gourd racks/house porches. The owls also catch adult martins that unwisely try to roost on the porches and these are mainly "non-resident" martins that seem to be looking for a place to sleep. Dawn singing male martins are attacked, too when they come out on the porches.

Using deep gourd designs like the Troyer Horizontals and aluminum houses with offset holes like the Trendsetters does help some to minimize predation by owls on the martins as long as they stay inside and don't come out on the porches.

Fortunately the owls don't catch that many martins and mainly take the fledglings. I will sometimes chase these martins off the housing rather than let the owls do it for me. This action saves many martins, particularly the fledglings from owl predation. I also patrol around my colony early in the mornings when martins, particularly the males are dawn singing and my presence will often keep the owls from swooping into the colony. My colony is partially illuminated by a security light and the owls can easily see me.

We also have heavy Cooper's hawk predation on the martin fledglings in June and July when the youngsters are perched in trees or on power lines or just flying around. There is really nothing I can do to stop hawks from catching these youngsters several hundred yards away from our colonies.

So owl (and hawk) predation is just a fact of life for many purple martin colonies, particularly large ones.

I hope you have a great martin season in 2016!

Steve

[Rodger Drye]

Hey Steve,
I too enjoyed talking with you on the phone today. Yes it was nice talking Martins, especially with someone that's so knowledgable like you. I sorta felt like I was talking to my Dad today, he knew a lot about Martins too. In fact I learned a few things while talking to you. After speaking with you I may reconsider my desire to acquire any T-14's, maybe just one after all they do look pretty cool. I think if I did get one I'd like to have one made out of Poly Wood - No Painting and Maintenance.

I'm like you I try to walk around my poles and racks as much as I can. Just to let any passing predators see that I'm here watching out for my birds. I don't feel near as guilty as I used to about doing Nest checks. I do not have near the volume of nest and birds that you do, but it still pushes me to check them all every 3 to 5 days. I do the best I can for an ole poor Boy and a disabled Veteran. I have 13 Grand Kids and thay are always playing games and events they want me to attend.

2 Soccer games coming up this Saturday, but don't know if I can watch both. And one of my Grandson's is into Poison Dart Frogs . I help him with his terrarium and Frogs. He'd have Martins too but they live in a subdivision with a lot of Big Trees.
I 've been down in the shop building another NBT out of Poly Wood. We don't have an enormous amount of Starlings or Sparrows, but we have our share, was hoping to complete my project do not know I if I'll have time.

I got a lot going on but I like it like that, keeps me busy and out of trouble.
Wanted to reinterate - If there is ever anything I can do to help you, Please don't hesitate to let me know.!

Hope you have a Great 2016 Season - You're already off to a Good Start.

Rodger

[Mjtaylor]

Steve
Thank you for your reply. I guess it is a fact of life as you say, but it sure bothers me to loose any martins that I have worked so hard to get and then look after. I seem to have night attacks more than anything in June and July when the young are the most vulnerable. The hawk come in and terrorizes the martins late at night, lands on the gourds and shakes them. I don't have any lights close by but was thinking about putting some solar lighting around the racks to deter attacks that's about all I know to do.
Thanks for your input
Mike

[Rodger Drye]

Hey Mike,
I have Hawks and Owls too, like everyone else I guess. If you are having attracts at night I would think it to most likely be from Owls. They hunt mostly at night, where Hawks hunt mostly in the daytime. I have 8 Predator Guard flashing lights that are suppose to deter night predation, Owls, Racoons, Opossums, Coyotes, or basically anything that hunts at night.
I have seen these Dancing Scare Crow wind machines available, and they say they have been proven to keep Owls away. Do not know if the Predator Guard lights have been proven to keeps owls or anything away. Hawks I don't know?
Maybe the Dancing Scare Crow would work on them too.?
Rodger