This is my first year trying to attract martins and I'm doing everything right because of this forum. I have a Lonestar Alamo and eight gourds all equipped with SREH entrances to provide protection. I have neatly placed pine needles to prep the birdy beds. I chose the perfect location against an open feild, I've got a pellet gun for starlings and a trap on the way BUT riddle me this! I have a pair of tree swallows trying to squat in one of my gourds. They are beautiful and brilliantly acrobatic, but I understand they're fiercly territorial so I ousted the couple today. I am worried though, that without some form of supplemental housing they may return.
Does anyone have advice for getting this tree swallow pair to house somewhere else if they persist? Should I purchase supplemental housing geared specifically to this species? If so where should I put it in relation? I have an old Heath unit with round holes I could put on the other side of the house, unseen by martins, under a tree. Since I've got the house I'm itching to make it useful. If I control my starlings and house sparrows, perhaps another sort of bird will use this house? Course I don't want to put it up just to house an enemy.
Still playing dawnsong and day chatter... now just gotta pray!
Matt has given you the best link there is for controlling TRES & Bluebirds!
Take the gourd they're interested in and place it on a shepherd's hook to move it the prescribed distance - plug all other holes. That's the easiest and cheapest way to move them. By the way, they'll be back next year - they too have site fidelity, so be prepared to host martins AND TRES!
"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
You must follow the link above and it does get frustrating. Having to leave your PM house closed waiting on the TS to commit to a nest can be torture if you are starting out and seeing PM's coming into your area. If you commit to it now and give the TS a week or two to get going in there own nest then you can still open your PM house up in plenty of time for subbies to arrive.
thanks for the advice. I have followed the directions on the TRES and BB advice page and now I'm crossing my fingers. I lowered and plugged my housing and set up a supergourd at the appropriate distance. Equidistant from my PM rig I put a BB house on the opposite side so the PM housing is sandwiched between the other housing. The TRES are still perching on the PM gourd rack but I have faith they will find the supergourd for them. It doesn't have a porch though. All my PM houses do. Do TRES need porches? It is murder waiting. Especially since the TRES have not immediately taken the available supergourd. I made the white dingleblossom on a string to entice them and now I have my fingers crossed. Should I open my BB housing too?
Flopass wrote:thanks for the advice. I have followed the directions on the TRES and BB advice page and now I'm crossing my fingers. I lowered and plugged my housing and set up a supergourd at the appropriate distance. Equidistant from my PM rig I put a BB house on the opposite side so the PM housing is sandwiched between the other housing. The TRES are still perching on the PM gourd rack but I have faith they will find the supergourd for them. It doesn't have a porch though. All my PM houses do. Do TRES need porches? It is murder waiting. Especially since the TRES have not immediately taken the available supergourd. I made the white dingleblossom on a string to entice them and now I have my fingers crossed. Should I open my BB housing too?
No, TRES don't need or like porches - they like to cling to the front of the gourd / nest box. If you have BB you can open the housing, but know that the TRES may also decide to take that box instead of the gourd.
I tried signs such as "TRES only in THIS box" and "BB only in THIS box", but they ignored them.
"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
This is one of the most frustrating parts of starting a new colony in TS country. My TS have been back for 2-3 weeks and have showed no signs of breeding/nesting behavior. Don't be frustrated to see them on your racks as even once they start nesting they will still sometimes use the highest perching space around to perch and hunt from. Once I see them start carrying feathers into the nest I know it is safe to open my PM house.
The good news is once you have an established colony of PM's they won't be as shy and typically will not allow the TS to take over their housing.
These are pictures of my rig so far. I have yet to put up signs telling the birds where to go and how to behave! If anyone has suggestions about placement please comment! Notice I do have them down right now in order get my TRES to nest as this is the first year I'm a beginning a colony.
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Side yard. Over open field. Next to driveway. This distance is within the 120ft limit from the house.
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Birds eye view from the TRES supergourd. You can just make out the BB house on the other side of the PM canyon!
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Closeup of the PM rig. No takers yet, but I am hopeful. No, those gourds are not hanging from my tv antenna! HAHA!
Looks pretty good. Somebody with more knowledge then me might comment on weather or not the TS and BB house actually facing the PM house and each other is good, bad, or indifferent.
looks like a great set up, Bring on the Martins. It's good to have them all face towards each other. I have had trouble with tree swallows for about three or four years now. Before I attracted my first pair of Martins, I was forever moving the tree swallows gourd that they chose to nest in. I would wait till they started bringing in the big feathers to line there nest with, then I would move that gourd down to a shepards hook close by. Even this year they are hanging out around the martin housing. I have a feeling they'll end up back in the housing they were in last year once they start getting serious about nest building.
Good luck this year in attracting that first pair or two or three !!!!!!
Russell
Well. Here in Tennessee I'm still waiting to raise my PM housing due to TS indecisiveness. At points I see male and female TS and BB checking out the housing surrounding the PM housing. Even at the same time. But neither bird seems to be taking up residency. In my supergourd designated for TS there is a rounding at the back of the nest, added hay, but no feathers or eggs yet. Could it be the TS are just using my gourd to squat? I'm afraid these buggers have two homes and they're wasting my time! As spring goes on, I wonder if I am already too late. Is it too late to get TS or BB to nest? Or do they nest throughout the summer? Do they come and go? Have the subbies arrived in TN yet? I guess I'm just freaking out. I just really want to succeed this year. Have I missed the deadline or should I just remain patient? If my TS never stay and lay eggs when is the absolute latest I should raise my PM housing? These birds are playing tricks on me.
Arrrrgh! You're bringing back memories of last year. I had the exact same problem!
Don't give up. I got impatient and killed my PM chances for the entire season. If you feel yourself getting frustrated take a walk. There's still plenty of time!
I finally have feathers in the TRES nest but still no eggs. Let's hear some opinions as to whether or not I should go ahead and raise my PM housing or hold out for the first egg. I know it's still a gamble without eggs, but as a first timer what would you do?
I understand how eager you are to get your TRES committed; but you must remember that their instinct to delay egg laying is normal and desirable in weather like we've had, with cold nights and wet windy weather.
I monitor a dozen or so TRES gourds... scattered around a 34 acre lake; and I can report that all but the most eager TRES moms have delayed egg laying. Most nests STILL have no eggs. Four days ago, the over-eager female (who happens to be at my next-door neighbor's) began egg laying; and I fear for her success with the cold nights we've had.
I see that warmer weather, day and night, is now predicted for the next few days in both Kentucky and Indiana, so I suspect we will both be seeing eggs very soon! Despite the nuisance the TRES are for you right now, they are a very desirable little bird and you must not be angry with them. In fact, I predict that since you are following the "interference protocol" so well, within a week the very same TRES pair that is giving you a headache right now will be busy protecting your martin rig from TRES invasion and will be your pride and joy.
The "latest date" mnemonic for my latitude is "an egg before mothers' day and fledging about fathers' day." You can be even more confident in this wisdom since you are south of us.
Thanks for the advice Dan! The online TRES directive you've provided to us PM wannabe's is an invaluable resource and we thank you for it! I will wait for that egg!
If you don't have a BB there "hankerin'" to take a martin cavity, then you need NOT worry about blue bird interference right now. You can ignore the BB's and the designated BB housing until & unless you actually see BB interference... i.e. a BB threatening to invade your PM housing after you open it again.
ALSO, I forgot to mention in my post about the weather, we are beginning a week end... so I can picture you there monitoring your site closely. Now that you've got feathers in the designated TRES gourd, you might want to raise and open your martin rack(s) and RIDE THE TEETER TOTTER this week end. You might want to review this business about juggling the two rules when you can be on site to monitor things.
I see that you have winds from the SW right now, as do we in central IN. The SY's WILL be coming in this week end.
