Missouri Landlords Be Alert! Danger Ahead!

[Show-Me-Mike]

Not from hawks, not from owls, not from sparrows or starlings, but from Mother Nature instead. I've seen all this before, warming weather, trees leafing out, fruit trees flowering, then wham! a cold, wet snap like the one bearing down on Carroll County, Missouri and across the state. This spells potential danger for our martins.

It will happen like this. You may be looking at you martin houses from your window, or walking around or underneath them and something odd catches your eye. You may see a single tail feather, or the back-end of a martin protruding from a compartment. Be aware of what this could mean! You should lower that house immediately and inspect that compartment. I have experienced this exact same circumstance in the past 10 years and discovered a disaster ready to happen.

Martins being the social bird that they are, will cram themselves into a single compartment in weather like this in an effort to stay warm. Since no one is in charge to keep track of the maximum occupancy for a compartment, they just follow one after another inside until there is no wiggle room left. Oftentimes, the last martin to shoehorn itself in will get stuck at, or just inside the entry, trapping the others inside...sometimes 20 or more. Unless you come to their rescue, they are all doomed.

I have rescued & freed at least 50+ martins in the past 10 years in situations just like this so be vigilant with your nest checks. They're just as important in foul weather as in fair weather.

Best wishes to all for a successful martin season!

[John Miller]

Michael

Good reminder. We have a rainy spell moving in..hopefully only a few days.

In addition to piling in a compartment, it's just good to remember that cool long rainy spells are rough on them.

In early May 2007, a low got stuck over Ohio and we had a week of light drizzle and highs in the low 50s. It took people by surprise. Martins were chirping as the weather didn't seem horrible bad but after days of poor feeding conditions they just started dropping. Some folks filled buckets with dead birds. We're never out of the woods until mid May with cool weather concerns.

John

[DebA]

That's depressing, John. This weather is depressing. I love living in a four seasons place. I even love winter. Until it keeps coming. The only positive is the moisture we are getting. I credit the Trendsetter with keeping my birds warm enough to get through this. To think last year I worried when the lows would dip under 40. Hah.
Deb

[phldave]

I haven't established a colony yet, but I am afraid Iowa landlords are in for a serious event over the next several days. Rain, snow, and low temps.

Dave

[Robbo]

Interesting, I have only seen that with Tree Swallows.

[Show-Me-Mike]

I woke up to a snow-covered landscape this morning with snow covering the crab apple trees in bloom, golf course with green grass peaking through, and my three martin houses holding 60+ martins while trapping 20+ inside their compartments. (see attached photos) The compartments that faced north and west had snow-covered entries trapping the martins.

I immediately lowered the houses and cleared off the snow to allow their release. Some took off immediately to enjoy? the cloudy sky filled with falling snow while others decided to sit it out. They all flew eventually. I also had to free two martins that somehow got twisted entering compartments with conley 2 entries. (the only kind I have for better or worse) This seems to happen from time to time regardless of weather.

I'm counting on warmer weather tomorrow and Sunday which is forecasting 50's and 60's, then near 70 degrees on Monday. But mainly, I'm trying to fight the good fight and keeping the faith. Best wishes to all through this difficult spring.

[Dave Duit]

I removed snow twice today that was blocking the entrances. In this cold weather they can pack a compartment full. There were almost 7 in one compartment when I did my nest checks. Brutal weather will hopefully be ending soon for all of us.