Where did they go?

[Guest]

Me and my wife put up a martin house last year and had little success,So this year we were very happy to see a nesting couple take up residence in our back yard.We would go out on our back porch in the mornings and evenings and watch them building the nest and protecting it from other birds,They had only one baby that survived and just last week it was flying around with the parents! But the last few days we haven"ta seen any of the birds we are very confused as to what could have happened to them?The only thing I have done differently is fill in a drainage ditch that is about 15 feet away,But there is open field and other ditches in close proximenty to them.Any Ideas??

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

After they fledge, they stay at your colony probably between 1 and 3 nights, then they go to a large (hugh) pre-migration roost. When a large flock decides to go to S. America, they start leaving in the fall.

They go to these roosts to get away from owls, snakes, and hawks. It is a dangerous time in their life when they are nesting.

[Sue]

upsman, After the babies fledge, the longest I have had them return in the evening was around a week.

[Mary Dawnsong]

Wow! You had martins fledge in late May in North Carolina?
That sound's early, maybe not impossible, but very early.

You also describe these birds as actively defending their nest. Frankly, that sounds more like Tree Swallow behavior then martin behavior.

I recommend that you lower your house and look at the nest. If there are feathers in the nest, then you did NOT have Purple Martins - you had Tree Swallows.

Tree Swallows are great, but only one pair will occupy a martin house and they will not allow martins to nest there. So allowing Tree Swallows to occupy a martin house is a waste of compartments -and- you will never get martins. You can have both, though, if you give Tree Swallows their own gourd or bluebird house strategically located.

So, please check that nest just to be sure.
If there are feathers in that nest let us know and we can advise you on how to proceed next season.

My best, Mary

[CUL Lou~Mich]

Another tell tale sign that they were Tree Swallows is if their bellies, and chests were snow white, or greyish colored. White is TS, Greyish is PMs. CUL Lou

[Guest]

Thanks for the info everyone,I am almost positive they were martins,They were larger than the tree swallows or what we call barn swallows around here,also we have two different colonys within 1/4 mile from us so that could explain the disappearance.Are the male swallows also dark purplish black?We saw the martins run other birds away from their house several different times during their stay

[Mary Dawnsong]

If the male was all dark feathers and a dark beak, then you definitely had martins. That was a really early brood for NC, I would think. Congratulations!

Martins will defend their nest and flight area, especially as fledging time approaches. However, they are usually not as fierce and territorial as Tree Swallows.

And yes, what you have just experienced is normal.
Martins use housing only for the purpose of raising a family.
They usually leave the housing within a week of fledging their young.
The rest of the year they live outside which is actually much safer than living in a compartment where owls, hawks, and ground predators can prey on them -and- where the population of parasites can explode.

As your colony grows, the nesting period will be more spread out and you will get to enjoy the birds longer.
I would expect that in North Carolina most colonies would have martins fledging young well into July. Here in southern Michigan my latest nests fledge in August and over the years I have had a few very late nests fledge late August and stay into early September.

Good luck next season,
Mary