Get ready Indiana

[landonn]

A martin was reported yesterday in IN. Seems very early. Supplement feeding maybe very nescessery this year, so get ready IN and other northern states they're are coming.

Landonn

[flyin-lowe]

I am going to put my T14 up this week. I also have a new AAA gourd rack that I need to get into the ground. I have 6 Bo 9's, 4 TH's and 4 TV for the new rack. I have also ordered tunnels for the Big Bo's that I already have.
I know it seem early but looking back over the past several years Indiana usually gets it's first arrivals in the very beginning of March. Everyone else seems to be a couple weeks early this year so I suspect we will be the same.

[landonn]

Flying-lowe

Yeah if IN gets more arrivals I might put it up early this year. Since my colony is very young I don't think they will arrival before I put the housing up. Looks like you will be busy. Have a great season.

Landonn

[flyin-lowe]

I too have a young colony so I am not expectiny any of the earlier returns. However the closest colony to me the guy never puts his housing up until last minute so I want to be prepared in case we get some cold weather and his birds are looking for a place to spend the night.

[Indiana_Tom]

Hi landonn and flyin-lowe,

I had better get the lead out. I have been watching the scout report trying to gauge when I should get things up. The cold weather has me running behind though. My garage is not heated and I have been waiting for a warmer day to get my work done.

In the process of building two new rack systems this year and having 12 gourds on each rack. I ordered and have 12 new THGs from PMCA and think they will work really well. I also have a ceder T10 that I didn't put up last year. It has never had a nesting pair in it yet. I plan to try it again this year.

Looking forward to a good year

[landonn]

Indiana_Tom,

Sounds like you are going to be busy. Have a great season. The only change to my site this year is that I am taking down the heath house and replacing it with a small gourd rack. I will have two gourds racks up this year.

Landonn

[Grady]

Oh no!!!! My first arrivals in 2009 were May 4. Last year was April 4. Today's sighting in Indiana is ony a few miles from my house . I better get going too!

[JJ Jones]

Like most of you, I am very excited about the upcoming martin season. However, I hope that they delay there trip up here for a least another (2) weeks or more. I have seen some very cold weather snaps that lasted almost a week and devasted our area population. In fact, I lost my entire colony due to the weather in 2006. I hope that this is going to be a good year for our travelers. Good Luck to all Hoosiers.


JJ

[landonn]

JJ,

I would have to agree with you. I think supplement feeding going to be very necessary this year. Hopefully we don't have to use it much this year.

Landonn

[flyin-lowe]

I got the ground stake for my new gourd rack in the ground yesterday. I am putting up my T14 this afternoon. I won't mind waiting another 3-4 weeks for my arrivals but we will see.

[Indiana_Tom]

Hi everyone,

Well, I sure wish I was more ready than I am. I was figuring on a couple of weeks yet before even the scouts started to arrive.

I can get a gourd rack up quick but I was wanting to have a new rack built to change out the old one. I will know tomorrow. If I give it the entire day, I may be able to get the new one finished and then switch it with the one currently on the pole. Then, I want to build another and get a second pole and rack up.

Sure am glad I am retired now so I can spend time on the important stuff.

I have a few frozen crickets from last year. Anyone know where to find some more if they are needed? Do the bait shops have them this time of year?

Good luck to everyone this year.

[landonn]

Indiana_Tom,

Private Message Sent.

Landonn

[Indiana_Tom]

Thanks for the information Landonn.

Hopefully we will get a few warmer days and there will be some bugs about. If not, I probably have enough for three or four days.

Thanks again

[flyin-lowe]

Online is the cheapest place to get them. But if you don't need a huge order then bait shops and pet shops carry them. I have been looking at the forecast and as of right now the only time they are predicting the highs to be under 40 degrees for 2 days in a row is on the 10th and 11th. That is far enough out this it could change. As long as the highs get into the 40's I think the martins can feed. I am starting to see house flies and ladybugs around my house. I don't want mine to return this early but I think if they do they can survive. I would be more worried about getting rain for a couple days in a row then the weather being to cold for them to survive.

[landonn]

Flying-Lowe,

I agree with you. I think martins can feed when its in the 40s, but I think it would have to be sunny.Supplement feeding I think would be helpful to the martins when its in the 40s. If it were cloudy and it was 50s I think the martins would have a hard time feeding.

Landonn

[rtolliver]

I got my "U" turn sign up !! I hope they hold up for a couple more weeks, their really pushing their luck arriving this early !! I expect to get a few a little earlier this year. Anxious to see them arrive, I ended up with 40+ pair last year, so this year is sure to be interesting

[Indiana_Tom]

I hope the martins are on R&R a little ways south. It is too cold up here and the rainy weather won't help either.

Been working on building two new gourd racks for the past several weeks. Going kinda slow. I have one ready to put up but need to set the ground pipe and concrete it in. It will have half Natureline and half THGs.
Anxious to see how the THGs do.

I have been keeping track of the scouts and worrying that I might not have something up when they arrive. So, yesterday I put 8 Natureline gourds on a rack I used the last two years. If they arrive early, at least I will have a nice pine nettle filled gourd waiting on them.

I usually have a pair or two of tree swallows nested in their own gourds before the martins arrive. This year, I haven't seen any trees yet and the scouts are getting close. If my gourd racks were close enough to the house to keep a good eye on, I would block all the entrances until I saw a martin. I think I will close all but two gourds tomorrow. The tree swallow gourds are up and ready to go.

Not much else going on. Just thought I would add a line or two and put the Indiana thread back on the front page.

Good Luck all.

[landonn]

Indiana_Tom,

It shouldn't be long before you see your first Tree Swallow. Based on birders reports Tree Swallows seem to have started to flooded into IN. Seems to me that martins have slowed down, but you never know. Looks the weather around here could get nasty next weather. This could be tough for the martins.

Landonn

[Indiana_Tom]

Hi landonn,

I am sure it will workout either way. I prefer the trees arrive and get settled in their gourds before the martins show up. I have four pair of committed martins so it is not as big of a problem as it was the first year.

Actually my first pair of martins turned out to be Tree swallows. I have learned a lot from that time to now. Even though they were not martins, I really took a liking to them. Watching them skim my large open field for bugs is so entertaining.

Martins are strong little birds and will probably do just fine but I hope they hold back for a week or so and let it get a little warmer up here. They may want to bring a sack lunch also. Not very many bugs out yet.

I checked and I have about 200 crickets ready for them if they need it.

Best of luck

[flyin-lowe]

The good is that the we are not going to be having a heat wave anytime soon but the long term forecast shows highs reaching the 50's most days and more importantly the lows won't be getting down into the 20's. Mid to high 30's is not ideal for overnight lows but it is survivable.
I won't be disappointed if mine don't show up until April.