Good news, bad news-we're back online in South Central MO!

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KathyF
Posts: 3522
Joined: Thu May 24, 2007 1:57 pm
Location: Missouri/Licking
Martin Colony History: Colony started - 2007 with one pair
As of 2018 - 84 cavities offered, max # of pairs hosted - 82.

Hey! We're back online baby!! Wow, you don't appreciate electricity until you're without it. We had 100mph straight-line winds Friday morning - took down power poles & trees & destroyed houses everywhere. But we made it with only minor damage to our home and we just a couple hours ago got power back!

So here's the update from the last 4 days:

Good news: I had lowered my Trendsetter and 2 gourd racks 1 hour before the bad winds hit and they ALL survived the wind :grin: ....albeit, there were a few "clinching" moments when I thought the racks & martin house were going to take off! :lol: :shock: Those 2" aluminum poles are the BEST!!! :lol:

Bad news: One of my ASY males decided to come out of his gourd during the worst part of the storm and it blew him smack into the pole of the other gourd rack and then off into the trees & fields

Good news: I *think* he's back & ok.

Bad news: One of my mentee's martin houses fell over into the mud. He had it on 1.5" galvanized pipe that bent like a toothpick. :cry: He's on vacation with his family out of area, so hasn't seen the damage yet.

Good news: His 4 pair of ASY martins were unhurt :)

Bad news: I couldn't get the house back up as I'm not strong enough to bend the pipe back up or get the house off the end to put it on another pipe - his martins were flying around my head while I tried. It was very sad. :cry:

Good news: I think his 4 pair are here at my place now. :grin:

Good news: The HOSP that we had been trying to shoot for 2 weeks in his martin house also lost their nest w/ 4 eggs. :twisted:

Bad news: His HOSP pair are here at my house now. :evil:

Good news: I shot the female this morning. The male is next!! :twisted: :twisted:

What a weekend - glad to be getting back to normal & reading everyone's posts!
Last edited by KathyF on Mon May 11, 2009 8:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Sometimes", said Pooh, "the smallest things take up the most room in your heart."
2023 - 82 pair
2022 - 80 pair
2021 - 75 pair
2020 - 78 pair
2019 - 80 pair
http://kathyfreeze.blogspot.com
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The Olsons
Posts: 3200
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 12:57 pm
Location: North Padre Island, TX

Kathy,

Oh my gosh....I really do not know what to say other than "This has been awful for your and your martins"....100 mph wind. I cannot even imagine :shock: I am glad to hear that your power is back on and your damages were just minor....Mother Nature sure gets worse every year. Some of us have too much rain, others (like us) have none.

I hope for you that everything is back to normal soon and that this was your only bad experience this season...best wishes. You should probably have a nice glass of red wine :grin:

Astrid
Love it or leave it~~~Astrid :-)
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Guest

Kathy, here in ellington we missed the worst part of the bullit,as far as i know it just took out a lot of trees and blocked most of the roads.
I got power on about 4pm yesterday.
Just a while ago a martin buzzed my house and gourd rack,it looked like an SY male but i wont post it untill i know for sure.
Glad you didnyt get blowed away. :)
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KathyF
Posts: 3522
Joined: Thu May 24, 2007 1:57 pm
Location: Missouri/Licking
Martin Colony History: Colony started - 2007 with one pair
As of 2018 - 84 cavities offered, max # of pairs hosted - 82.

Thanks Astrid! I had LOTS of wine during the power outage - there wasn't *much* else to do! :lol: :lol: We were very glad that the temperature wasn't very high during the days without electricity. We got 1" of rain in 15 minutes, right before my rain gauge took off in the wind. :lol: :lol: I think it's somewhere in St. Louis by now. :lol: :lol:

Scariest thing I've ever been through...hubby laughed at me. As pieces of our porch were being torn off I was trying to see around them to see if my martin poles were still standing. :lol: :lol: I guess I'm a die-hard fan!!!

Wish I could send you some rain....our ground is really soaked - that's why we lost so many trees around this area. :???:
"Sometimes", said Pooh, "the smallest things take up the most room in your heart."
2023 - 82 pair
2022 - 80 pair
2021 - 75 pair
2020 - 78 pair
2019 - 80 pair
http://kathyfreeze.blogspot.com
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KathyF
Posts: 3522
Joined: Thu May 24, 2007 1:57 pm
Location: Missouri/Licking
Martin Colony History: Colony started - 2007 with one pair
As of 2018 - 84 cavities offered, max # of pairs hosted - 82.

Thanks Jack - I'm glad I didn't end up in another county somewhere! I'm so glad to hear you may get martins this year! The sub-adults are coming into this area the last few days too. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you - you really deserve them! :grin:
"Sometimes", said Pooh, "the smallest things take up the most room in your heart."
2023 - 82 pair
2022 - 80 pair
2021 - 75 pair
2020 - 78 pair
2019 - 80 pair
http://kathyfreeze.blogspot.com
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Guest

Kathy,

WOW!!! That sounds like a wild week end. Glad Yall are ok with only minimal damage.
8)
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jim h
Posts: 31
Joined: Thu Jan 29, 2009 12:03 pm
Location: Fl. Plant City
Martin Colony History: We have been landlords since 2010.
In 2015 we hosted 50 + pair.

we had a very quite weekend compaired to yours!!
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Jeff Robinson
Posts: 908
Joined: Mon May 04, 2009 3:32 pm
Location: Rogersville, Missouri
Martin Colony History: 2008 - Current
72 Cavities - 70 Pairs in 2021
PM Mentor

Much more good news than bad - So glad to hear your Martin Colony made it thru the storms Kathy...oh, and you too! :lol: We had it pretty tough here in Rogersville too, just 12 miles east of Springfield, but thankfully, all three of my poles/houses, and 2 gourds made it thru the weather, and with the Martins intact too. Thankfully though, our winds stayed somewhere in the 60 - 80 mph range. I just reported on my "Still Trying in SW Missouri" post that we've had this year's 1st pair staying since Saturday night - yee haaa! All I need is one successful nesting/fledgling season to get'er cranked up....I hope!
Jeff
PMCA Member - Bedrock Colony
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