concerned for martins at San Antonio Botanical Gardens

[Veronica G]

My boyfriend was in San Antonio on Saturday and stopped by the Botanical Gardens there. They've got some martin houses on site. He found a female hung up pretty badly on one of the SREHs and quickly found someone who works there - the houses are inside a fenced area. The man didn't know anything about the houses - how to operate the winch system and lower the house, not even how to open the doors to free the martin. So my boyfriend showed him how and freed the bird. There were two other martins trapped in the compartment behind the stuck bird too Does anyone know anything about this site? I live 200 miles away, otherwise I'd check on it myself. We plan on calling today to make sure the person who looks after the houses knows what happened.

Veronica

[John Miller]

Veronia

So glad you found this in time. I hope someone can weather strip the openings as discussed in this thread as a wing entrapment guard.

http://www.purplemartin.org/forum/viewt ... a82807d07b

Foremost, there surely are some folks there who could take over management of the site. In fact, I just know there are and you all may already be working on. If you don't get a response, contact the PMCA and maybe they can direct contact some members there.

I'm trying to get martins established in the Missouri Botanical Garden -- they gave me a pass for the gate and sometimes I go there at 6 a.m. on a summer morning. Can you imagine how glorious it is to walk through a beautiful garden at dawn and have it all to yourself! Well..maybe I should get more sleep. Anway, make them give some volunteer a pass. Tell them Dr. Peter Raven -- he heads the Missouri Garden in St. Louis -- bought us a bunch of martin houses. They all know him.

Stay on this,
John Miller

[Matt F.]

Veronica,

Give your boyfriend a big pat on the back from all of us. He made a great save!

Forum member "Scully" lives in San Antonio, and routinely checks on many many houses around town. I'm sure he'd be happy to check on it.

You should send him a private message, or email.

[Veronica G]

Good news. I just spoke to a very nice lady at the Gardens and she informed me that they have been in touch with the PMCA for guidance/recommendations! She is new to purple martins and doing lots of research on them, and they will be having a staff meeting to educate the staff on how to care for the martins. They are also looking for volunteers to help with nest checks, etc. I would love to volunteer but I live 200 miles away. Anyone interested can contact them at 210-207-3250.

Veronica

[markjohn]

Great work, Veronica! Hats off to you and your boyfriend!

robin

[Scully]

Thank you for attending to this Vanessa

I am indeed right here in San Antonio.

Just now is the very busiest time of the year for us. Regional Science Fair is Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week (Spring Break). We have twenty two projects entered, all of which I am directly or indirectly responsible for.

Good High School Science projects nowadays are pretty much like Masters theses, with an enormous amount of labor analyzing data, writing papers and printing slides for display boards, to say nothing of the paperwork involved.

I ain't been home before 9pm on a weekday since the week before last, and I won't get a day off anytime 'tween now and Wednesday

This is why I have been silent here.

Being part of the San Antonio "green" community I know a couple of folks over at the Garden.

I'll stop by there next week and check out their set-up.

Mike.

[Veronica G]

Wow Mike! You're one busy guy! I'm glad to hear you will head over there as soon as you find some time. The lady I spoke to (can't remember her name) didn't know anything about martins, but she seemed really eager to learn I'm sure they could learn a lot from you.
Good luck at the science fair!! I work in a research lab and frequently get asked to judge science fairs. I've never judged a high school science fair, just elementary and middle schools so far. I enjoy it.

Veronica

[Scully]

Wow Mike! You're one busy guy!

At this season I am, sorta like a martin with five three week-old young.

[Scully]

Just following up on this.

There are at least four purple martin houses up at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens courtesy of a teacher at another high school (who apparently does not have a web site).

The housing consists of two Goliads and two Trio castles, all with SREH and the trios modified with enlarged compartments. Sparrow traps are in place also.

As of yesterday this colony was beautiflly maintained. The wing entrapment problem has been adressed with the addition of those inserts after the pattern of John Miller.

A good friend of mine works at the Gardens, and yesterday he lowered the housing to show me all this. The employees have been informed of the tenets of martineering.

The teacher responsible for all this, in addition to keeping at least one school colony, (he maintains more than one I believe) also presents seminars at the gardens.

All in all he is doing a great deal to promote the practice of informed martineering

I would mention the gentleman by name here but I figure he could just as well do that for himself.

Mike Scully

[Veronica G]

Thanks for the update Mike! I've been wondering how the martins at the Gardens have been doing. I'm so happy to hear that the housing is being well maintained . Next time I'm in San Antonio, I'll be sure to stop by.

Veronica