update on my site in Tulsa

stan davison · Sat May 28, 2016 6:07 pm

32 nesting pairs + 2 subbie pairs building and green leaves. 20 pair with young, the other ASY pairs have eggs. I did a nest check today and pleasantly surprised by the size of the clutches. 5-6 eggs each clutch with one clutch only 4. Plenty of bugs. I ordered the new Troyer caps with the pvc vents. Hopefully these guys will fledged b4 the deadly Oklahoma summer arrives.

Okie · Sun May 29, 2016 7:35 pm

Stan I would love to see pics of your site. Sounds like you have quite a colony. How long have you been building it? So it sounds like you have gourds. Do you have a variety, houses & gourds? Maybe some of your fledglings will find their way to Verdigris next spring to my place. My ASY pair would like some company.

Can't even call mine a colony.
We have been blessed here in Oklahoma to avoid the adverse weather they have experienced in other parts of martin country. I feel for those who have lost birds to the weather.
Good luck with your PM

stan davison · Mon May 30, 2016 8:45 am

Okie, I have had this site since 2005 with a subbie male here that summer. 2006 he came back and got a mate and they successfully fledged 5 young. I have added 5 poles since then and I have a hodge podge of trios Troyer and super gourds. I have pole guards and netting at the bottom of the poles. Last year the netting did it's job getting two fairly large snakes. My poles are fairly low to the ground. I can reach and touch the gourds on the bottom with my hands. The Martin's don't mind. I would post pics but my cell phone is my only source of Internet and my camera Is broken. I love my site because the Martin's are used to me being close to them, and don't mind me sitting 5 feet from the poles to watch them. I have one old pole that requires a ladder for nest checks. And the Martin's are so tame that the enter gourds on the pole when I'm opening a different gourd on that same pole. I also have a few tame females that won't get off the nest during a check.

Okie · Mon May 30, 2016 1:33 pm

Awesome. It is a beautiful thing when there is such a trusting relationship between PM & Landlords. These birds are just one of a kind. My PM do not mind when I lower my Trio to the joint on the poles when thunderstorms are predicted. I'd rather have the house protected.
5 poles you must have a large place. I do not understand the netting everyone is talking about. Can't visualize how that would be hung. I have not seen anything but a couple of small garter snakes around my place. But I guess they are everywhere. Right now I am busy protecting my 6 babies from sparrows. I get concerned every time I see momma & papa both gone from the nest at the same time, leaving the week olds vulnerable. I have 2 nest box traps continuously in the Trio & move them around to different boxes & keep getting male sp. But one was trapped after he destroyed the second pairs eggs & caused them to abandon the site. That is why I am so concerned about them leaving the babies unprotected. I gather that in 2 or 3 more weeks they won't be quite so vulnerable.
Thanks for your reply. It's great to know someone so close.
Good luck with your colony & may they all fledge this year.

stan davison · Mon May 30, 2016 7:29 pm

Actually Okie, I own a small Brookside bungalow with small lot. I am sure the neighbors think I'm crazy with all those polls.

Okie · Mon May 30, 2016 9:21 pm

Wow, if you are in the city & have a couple of snakes, I sure need to get some kind of snake guard as I am a lot more "rural" than you. They have those pole guards which I thought were for snakes. Why do the net?

stan davison · Mon May 30, 2016 9:44 pm

You need bird netting at the bottom of your poles. I scrunch it up into a fluffy ball of netting. I tie it around the pole and use stakes to hold it there it works. During fledgling you must check the netting. I have found fledglings caught in the net. The bird netting is at the hardware store. I go to Ace.

Okie · Mon May 30, 2016 10:02 pm

Thanks I'll have to get on that right away.

MamaBruff · Mon May 30, 2016 10:29 pm

Okie you sound a lot like me in 2013 when I had one pair with 2 babies. They were all I had. I called them "the precious" in my best Gollum voice. HOSP drove me crazy with fear they would hurt "the precious."... you have good reason to be vigilant! Hang in there!

MamaBruff · Mon May 30, 2016 10:31 pm

Stan, the PVC Vent caps look like a wonderful idea. Please let us know how well they work for you. Congrats on your healthy colony too!

Cheryl S · Tue May 31, 2016 10:43 am

Stan, you mentioned that you have ordered the new Troyer caps with PVC vents. Are the PVC vents in the actual cap? If so, I couldn't find them in the shop. I have drilled holes in all of my gourds and added vents from the hardware store, but it would be nice to have them already installed in the caps.

Also, update at my site: nest check on May 28 -- 76 nests with either eggs or babies. A few pairs just starting nests.

Okie · Tue May 31, 2016 7:05 pm

MamaBruff wrote:Okie you sound a lot like me in 2013 when I had one pair with 2 babies. They were all I had. I called them "the precious" in my best Gollum voice. HOSP drove me crazy with fear they would hurt "the precious."... you have good reason to be vigilant! Hang in there!

You got it! I sometimes feel I need to sit & keep watch when both parents leave the nest. Especially after the sparrow/egg destruction/abandonment issue. It does keep you concerned. "Papa Don't leave those babies unprotected PLEASEEEE"
Had a male sp today diligently making a nest, so I moved trap in that box. He tripped it & it scared the poop out of him, fled to the fence shaking. Maybe he will abandon his efforts too. Just go away & stay there.

Did your 2 babies fledge???? That's all I want this year.

MamaBruff · Wed Jun 01, 2016 3:59 pm

Okie, No, only one fledged. I had 2 live babies at 23 days, and 1 fledged at 26 days. The parents were terrible at the end, preferring to hang out at roost area or biker bar, IDK. Would only come late morning to mid afternoon, then Poof- gone. I think the 2nd baby died of starvation. No more Martins after that. Heartbreaking to find the dead baby. Almost made it. :(

stan davison · Wed Jun 01, 2016 8:00 pm

Cheryl, the caps are from Troyer birds paradise 2016 catalog. link not allowed. Call and they may send you a catalog or you might look up online.

stan davison · Wed Jun 01, 2016 8:01 pm

I guess I'm not allowed to post Troyer catalog number. Sorry Cheryl.

Okie · Thu Jun 02, 2016 10:11 am

MamaBruff wrote:Okie, No, only one fledged. I think the 2nd baby died of starvation. No more Martins after that. Heartbreaking to find the dead baby. Almost made it. :(

Well said, HEARTBREAKING No wonder you long for them to come back.

I feel for you.

Sorry Stan we are off your topic
Thanks for your catalog tip. I had never heard of it but will check it out. Have already experienced purchasing something only to find something better on another site.
As a newbie, I get many tips off this forum.

Cheryl S · Thu Jun 02, 2016 5:14 pm

Thanks for your reply, Stan. I will see what I can find out online. Maybe it will be something the PMCA shop will carry in the future since they do carry Troyer products.

MamaBruff · Thu Jun 02, 2016 11:14 pm

Okie and Cheryl,

I know there is an email bubble on some of our profiles, but I have sent emails through those and have yet to get a response. Please email me and I can help you with the contact information you seek.

Again, sorry for the topic hijack, Stan. We are all interested in how the vented caps work out for you.