Site fidelity is strong with these birds!

[tjm80]

A neighbor of mine has 4-5 of the aluminum Heath houses. A couple of them are leaning a good bit, and he's got about 15-20 martins. Meanwhile, I've got a T-14 and 4 super gourds. His birds will occasionally look at mine but they're just being nosey. Kind of like walking thru new construction before they install locks!

[Keith]

Yes, I have noticed this same thing about these birds. They may come back again and again to a site that is being encroached by trees and maybe some branches practically touching the houses. An ideal site in my opinion may be overlooked nearby. The real positive thing about this site fidelity is that once one can get started with these wonderful birds we can expect them to return. We really do need to do our best to maintain a good site however.
Keith

[taxidermy lady]

I know all about this subject!
It sucks!
Good luck!!!

[Dave Reynolds]

Sharon. --- We both know about site fidelity... My old friend kept getting his Martins year after year, If I didn't go over and help him clean out his houses and realign his leaning poles, I don't know what would have happened to his colony.. So glad I could help him every year... though I never got any Martins at my home, I always felt good seeing him smile when his birds came home every year. He has passed now but I see his houses are starting to show their age.. Don't know what the new owners will do. Wish you good luck again this year.. This will your year..

Dave

[taxidermy lady]

Awe thanks Dave your a wonderful guy doing that! Doesn't surprise me!!!
I had a dental apt. Today and seen the neighbor has his three houses moved again! He has attached them to a grain bin! He won't pour concrete and do it right! So he moved them last year and had them attached to an old shed! They came right back and he had 8 pair. Now they are attached to a grain bin! Mines in the wide open with nothing around them! Guarantee his birds go right to those houses with no hesitation!! P!$$€$ ME O££!!!!!!! Nothing I can do!

[Dave Reynolds]

Sharon --- Your cracking me up... That just seems to be the way it goes... All wrong by the experts, but the Martins keep going to these same conditions.. (no nest cleaning or over run by sparrows, leaning poles). Never ceases to amaze me...

Dave

[taxidermy lady]

Dave my son has told me I try to hard! I gave him a plastic house in 2013 and he got a pair that year! He had 3 in 2014. 6 pair in 2015 and 8 in 2016! So he's done awesome! But he doesn't get all excited when they show up like I do!! Get-r-Done!!!

[Dave Reynolds]

Sharon --- So glad you got him started.. He's so lucky, in more then one way.. (Great Mom) .. I'm getting surrounded by people reporting Martins, I'm ready for that sweet tweet... any day now.

Dave

[Purple Auburndale]

I'm new, having put up two new martin houses in 2017. Central Florida. Have not seen any martins. Houses put next to lake, away from trees.

What state is your houses located?

Good luck with attracting them.

[Glynn B - LA]

[quote="Purple Auburndale"]I'm new, having put up two new martin houses in 2017. Central Florida. Have not seen any martins. Houses put next to lake, away from trees.

What state is your houses located?

Good luck with attracting them.[/quote]


Do you have a photo of your site that you can post?
Don't worry about not seeing any martins at your site. Most new colonies are established by the sub adult male purple martin. The sub adult martin population have been making there way into your state of Florida. Just be patient.

Besides houses, gourds or a combination of both work well in trying to attract a prospective tenant. Photo's would aid in getting the best advice for success.

Glynn

[Glynn B - LA]

[quote="tjm80"]A neighbor of mine has 4-5 of the aluminum Heath houses. A couple of them are leaning a good bit, and he's got about 15-20 martins. Meanwhile, I've got a T-14 and 4 super gourds. His birds will occasionally look at mine but they're just being nosey. Kind of like walking thru new construction before they install locks![/quote]

I'm Learning that site fidelity or just the presence of any martin in established housing can make it very very difficult in trying to attract them to move 125 to 150 ft to another housing setup in the same yard. At the moment I have between 10 and twelve pair at my 2016 established site. Next year I want to move this established housing 100 plus feet from the bottom of a hill to the top. It's just getting tougher for me to go up and down this hill. The newer area atop the hill is even more open, go figure! I had a ASY male trying for three straight days to attract a female to join him at the newer housing. He finally gave in, joined the other martins at the established site down the hill and is now paired. If I don't get a pair in the new housing this year, I'll have to take the chance and move the established up the hill anyway.


Glynn

[Craig Dyer]

I also experienced this amazing site fidelity. I moved several years ago & left my old colony behind. I set up the martin housing at my new location...a 24 room metal house and Super Gourds. The first year I had nothing but visitors. About 200 yards away was an old S&K plastic house full of house sparrows. The house was leaning and had no predator guard. Some of the compartment doors were missing, yet there were several purple martin pairs nesting there among the house sparrows. Those nesting martins chose that old site over mine...unbelievable! They had obviously nested there previously. It was the following season before I managed to attract a few martins to my site. Gradually my colony grew year by year, yet martins still nest in that old sparrow infested S&K.

[Purple Auburndale]

Photo of both martin houses.