Finally, I have nesting activity in East Central, Indiana!

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mcampbell65
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2016 9:49 pm
Location: Centerville, Indiana
Martin Colony History: 2016 - 1 nesting pair, 4 fledged
2015 - 0
2014 - 0
2013 - 2 nesting pairs, 10 fledged

After I had pretty much given up on any Martins returning to the house this year, yesterday, I witnessed a flurry of activity here in East Central, Indiana (Centerville). I saw a total of 5 Martins; two were actively constructing nests. One was an ASY male; I assume he is one from the pair that nested last year. Attached is a photo of the male flying over to check out a Tree Swallow nest box and the reaction of the Tree Swallow male.
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SwallowVsMartin.jpg
SwallowVsMartin.jpg (8.17 KiB) Viewed 7138 times
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BillieJR
Posts: 766
Joined: Tue Apr 11, 2017 11:39 am
Location: Monroe, WI

What a great picture!!!

I'm happy for you that you are finally seeing progress! That also gives those of us, further north, more hope. Sending good luck wishes to you for a very successful year. :)
Billie from southern Wisconsin
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LonesomeDuck
Posts: 59
Joined: Tue Nov 10, 2015 5:04 pm
Location: Arcadia, IN
Martin Colony History: 2016- Some visitors on my Trendsetter 12, no nesting pairs yet.
2017- More visitors, still no nesting pairs yet.
2018- Added Troyer Horizontal gourds and moved house to more open location. One nesting pair of subadults! 2 eggs, 1 egg hatched.
2019- added Gemini gourd rack. 2 pairs, 10 eggs, 10 hatched.

Congrats! I'm in Arcadia about an hour and a half northwest of you. Tried to start my colony in 2016, just had visitors so far, no nesting pairs as of yet.
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avesrun
Posts: 1127
Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2013 1:10 pm
Location: Iowa/West Des Moines
Martin Colony History: Home Site: 2017- 0
2016 - 1st pair, fledged 5
Satellite Site: 2017 (3rd season)
34 pair
Fledged- 102

Great news mcampbell! Did the martins just show up and start nest building or had they been around for awhile? From your post it sounds like you had no martins and they showed up and immediately started nest building; what a surprise! Congrats!
TimG
PMCA Member
Home Site: 2012-15 visitors
2016 - 1st pair, fledged 5
2017-18 Zero
2019- 3 Successful Pr
2020- 21pr, fledged 76
Satellite Site: 2014 - visitors
2015 - 2 pair fledged 9
2016 - 13 pair fledged 44
2017 - 31 pair fledged 118
2018 - 44 pair 163 fledged
2019- 49 pr 219 fledged
2020- 47 pr 209 fledged
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ToyinPA
Posts: 2227
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2006 6:07 pm
Location: PA/Avis
Martin Colony History: The 1972 St. Agnes flood wiped out all the Martins in my area. One day, in 1997-98, 5 or 6 Martins landed on the power wires crossing my back yard. I had no house for them. They kept coming back day after day. We got a martin house a few weeks later & they have been coming back every year since. I average 12-15 pair per year.

Congrats :). Hope the rest find mates & your numbers increase.

Toy in PA
PMCA Member
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Henry Limpet
Posts: 122
Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2015 3:48 pm
Location: IN./Howe, via the s/w side of Chicago
Martin Colony History: Trendsetter-8. Set up in 2014 at my summer cottage, a beautiful natural inland lake in N.E. Indiana's Amish Country. T-8 is on cleared land behind my pole barn and adjacent to a farmer's field

2015: Had several flyovers in early June with 1 dedicated SYM visitor who visited each day for well over a month. He brought by a few PM "parades", with 8-12 PM's who would visit all at once, but soon leave. (Added 2 gourds to bottom of the T-8). We discovered a large (Amish) colony apx. 3/4 mile South of our T-8. We think this will eventually be our "feeder" colony.

2016: Put up a Trio G'Pa lakeside. Overall, not as much interest as 2015, likely because of our vacation to Gulf Shores, AL. in early June.

2017: Finally switched over to wheat straw. Success!! One nesting pair. Fledged 4!
2018: Zilch.
2019: Slow start, nothing observed by mid June. Wet, cold Spring a factor??
2020: Barely any sightings.
2021: Several observed high in the sky, eating. No interest so far!

Great pic! Thanks for the update. Please send one pair North to me. I usually don't see PM's until early June in my town.

As I always say........"Plenty of time left"
Be careful how you wish . . for wishes can come true . . be sure that every wish you make is one that's right for you!
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Kuemic
Posts: 176
Joined: Fri Jan 15, 2016 7:17 pm
Location: Topeka, KS
Martin Colony History: 2015 1 pair, 2 eggs destroyed by HOSP
2016 1 pair, 2 fledged, HOSP 46
2017 1 pair, 5 fledged, HOSP 14
2018 daily visitors, HOSP 12
2019 1 pair, 2 fledged, HOSP 14
2020 1pair, 5 fledged, HOSP 17
2021 2 pair, 7 fledged, HOSP 21
2022 3 pair, 12 fledged, HOSP 18
2023 8 pair, 35 fledged, HOSP 16
2024 13 pair, 55 fledged, HOSP 11

LOVE the photo, thanks for sharing!!!! --Michelle
Michelle in Topeka
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taxidermy lady
Posts: 2988
Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2014 10:21 am
Location: IL/Ellis Grove
Martin Colony History: Started trying to attract purple martins in 2012! It's finally happened in 2017! 5 years!!! ASY male and SY female came May 1st, fledged 5 babies!

Beautiful photo! Thanks for sharing! Goodluck!!! :)
Sharon from southern Illinois
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mcampbell65
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2016 9:49 pm
Location: Centerville, Indiana
Martin Colony History: 2016 - 1 nesting pair, 4 fledged
2015 - 0
2014 - 0
2013 - 2 nesting pairs, 10 fledged

BillieJR wrote:What a great picture!!!

I'm happy for you that you are finally seeing progress! That also gives those of us, further north, more hope. Sending good luck wishes to you for a very successful year. :)

Thank you! We had a very bad late season weather system move in. I lost 5 Bluebirds that were about to fledge, so, thinking maybe the Martins were just delayed getting here. Which in the end, maybe, was better for their sake.
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mcampbell65
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2016 9:49 pm
Location: Centerville, Indiana
Martin Colony History: 2016 - 1 nesting pair, 4 fledged
2015 - 0
2014 - 0
2013 - 2 nesting pairs, 10 fledged

LonesomeDuck wrote:Congrats! I'm in Arcadia about an hour and a half northwest of you. Tried to start my colony in 2016, just had visitors so far, no nesting pairs as of yet.
Good luck! Last year, my young pair got started the first week of June if I recall, so, they are still coming through. There are two near by established colonies that are finally full here.
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mcampbell65
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2016 9:49 pm
Location: Centerville, Indiana
Martin Colony History: 2016 - 1 nesting pair, 4 fledged
2015 - 0
2014 - 0
2013 - 2 nesting pairs, 10 fledged

avesrun wrote:Great news mcampbell! Did the martins just show up and start nest building or had they been around for awhile? From your post it sounds like you had no martins and they showed up and immediately started nest building; what a surprise! Congrats!
TimG

Tim,
I run a Bluebird / Tree Swallow trail, and yesterday I was doing photography at the the houses that are around the Martin House. I check those two houses daily when I get home from work. I've seen a little Martin activity over the past week, but, none was hanging around. But, yesterday evening, they were all over. It's as if they marked their territory, and was making it known.
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mcampbell65
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2016 9:49 pm
Location: Centerville, Indiana
Martin Colony History: 2016 - 1 nesting pair, 4 fledged
2015 - 0
2014 - 0
2013 - 2 nesting pairs, 10 fledged

ToyinPA wrote:Congrats :). Hope the rest find mates & your numbers increase.

Toy in PA

Thanks, and good luck to you! :)
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mcampbell65
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2016 9:49 pm
Location: Centerville, Indiana
Martin Colony History: 2016 - 1 nesting pair, 4 fledged
2015 - 0
2014 - 0
2013 - 2 nesting pairs, 10 fledged

Henry Limpet wrote:Great pic! Thanks for the update. Please send one pair North to me. I usually don't see PM's until early June in my town.

As I always say........"Plenty of time left"

Thank you! Mine young pair didn't start until early June last year.
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mcampbell65
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2016 9:49 pm
Location: Centerville, Indiana
Martin Colony History: 2016 - 1 nesting pair, 4 fledged
2015 - 0
2014 - 0
2013 - 2 nesting pairs, 10 fledged

Kuemic wrote:LOVE the photo, thanks for sharing!!!! --Michelle

Thank you Michelle! The Tree Swallows and Bluebirds have been easy and fun to photograph this spring :)
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mcampbell65
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2016 9:49 pm
Location: Centerville, Indiana
Martin Colony History: 2016 - 1 nesting pair, 4 fledged
2015 - 0
2014 - 0
2013 - 2 nesting pairs, 10 fledged

taxidermy lady wrote:Beautiful photo! Thanks for sharing! Goodluck!!! :)

Thanks, and good luck to you! :)
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