So far I have had visiting ASY males and females. Some have landed and checked out the houses and others simply flew over and circled then left. I checked the houses today and there is no sign that the birds stayed over or even entered. This year I've put in nest trays (so that's new) and I put in a nice pine needle bed with the hopes of making it very attractive. Last year I had only one house with 8 compartments and it was full. I had a lot of success so I decided to put up another exact same house this year making it two with 8 compartments each. Last year it was around this time that I had my first visitors and eventually residents. Can I expect the same this year? I'm hoping they return and bring their friends. It just seems like that with all the visitors I would have at least some stay. Has anyone experience this before?
I have lots of activity too. Seems like some are staying, and some are moving on. I think these early arrivals might continue moving on, and that they are just stopping by for the night. Hard to tell for sure, but I'm sure they will settle down, and eventually some permanent residents will move in. Stay patient, and sooner or later you will have some permanent residents if you don't already. Sounds like you prepared the housing well, so now it's up to the birds. I am getting a little anxious too, but I'm sure all will be well when things settle down. It's still very early in the Martin season, and we have a long way to go with lots of birds that haven't made it to us yet.
How many pair did you have last year and in past years? If you just had a couple pair and your colony is young there is no guarantee that the martins you had last year will make it back. So you could just be seeing visitors passing through. At my old colony almost every year when my first martins would return I would see them for a day or so and then they would disappear for a couple days and then come back. It was also not uncommon at all for them to hang around some during the day and then go elsewhere to spend the night in the beginning.
You have done everything right, enlarged compartments, proper nesting and even duplicated the house so they dont see something they dont recognise, all correct.
Id recomend patients, its very early and it sounds like the birds uou have had come by arent bonded to the site or if they are your last yesrs birds they are staying the night somewhere else they feel safer at. Not because of any deficiencies but because they just returned from their communal roosts in the Amazon and they are still in that mode. I dont know your set up so forgive me but in the mean time id recomend you look around the site for tree linbs you can trim out to make the whole place attractive. I call it the bubble of compliance, sort of a holistic view of the entire area. A birds eye view so to speak, haha. Its tough to see them come and go but thats what they do. Just my two cents. Keep at it and dont second guess yoursefl, you are doing good!
Tom
A good house sparrow is a dead house sparrow.
HOSP: 17. Starlings: 23
When humans go out looking to buy a home, they seldom buy the first house that they look at. Birds are much the same. They go to the places that they like best
The first and most important thing that martins like is wide open spaces. They do NOT like to nest in places where the trees are too close to the housing. I lived in Louisiana, and I know that martins are plentiful, so the place to start is to eliminate some nearby trees. Good luck.
If you had a "full 8-room house" last year, then chances are excellent that you'll refill that house again this year. The birds you see coming and then leaving are probably on their way northward to their original nesting sites. I have the same happen here in MO, both at the beginning, and at the end of the season. It's normal. It's early in the season, so my advise is to give it some time and you should start to see PM's from your area settling down and sticking around to nest.
Jerry congrats on your PMs return I don’t believe you have anything to worry about you had a full house last year they will be back , sometimes some early arrivals may be from a different colony they stop off for awhile and rest before continuing on their migration.
Robert , South Carolina
PMCA member
40 year PM landlord
2018 season
21 pairs 107 eggs 99 fledged
2019 season
23 pairs 122 eggs 105 fledged
2020 season
23 pairs 122 eggs 72 fledged
2021
I have had it happen for just about every year that the Martins would come in go into the gourds and when night time would come they would leave. I would have to agree that they come form living in flocks in South American and they are not in the mood for love just yet. Give it time.
Early scouts (even returning birds from your colony from last year) can and will leave the site for hours and even days at a time. This is normal behavior. I wouldn't worry too much this early.
