Ohio landlords - Feedback Request

[MingjoMartins]

Well, first congratulations to all of you successful Ohio landlords!

Year three and as of today I am still at a wannabee status. I have had multiple visitors who have stopped by over the last few weeks, but all continued their journey north. I have had one pair of subadults spend most of the day, and a few singles in the last day or two, but so far the well continues to be dry for me. All seem to prefer the round hole gourds, but all check out my SREH housing options as well.

With the exception of one overnight ASY male early in the season, no martins have spent the night to my knowledge. I have been unsuccessful at finding any purple martin colony less than 15 miles away, and I think I have stopped at every house in the vicinity which had even a remotely martin looking house!

So first - if anyone is reading this posting and is close to Pataskala, Granville, New Albany, or Johnstown - please let me know!! Drop me a line - I would love to see your setup, etc.

My real reason for this post is that in looking at previous sub adult reports, it appears Ohio averages approximately 20 posts more or less annually, and we are approaching similar numbers this year as of today. Does that mean the season is essentially over for me? Do your colonies in Ohio right now have their "normal" number of sub-adults or are you anticipating more? How late in the season do you typically get your sub-adults?

Again, congratulations to all of you successful landlords, you are an inspiration to all of us wannabees! I'll continue my dawnsong and daytime chatter throughout the summer, but I have to admit with 58 visitors last year throughout much of the summer, I am starting to think that there is a fairly large amount of luck involved in this hobby as well!

I won't give up and wish all of you the best, hopefully raising a fledgling this year that will find my little martin utopia here in Pataskala!

Thanks for your feedback and response, it is valuable and appreciated!

Attached is what I had hoped to see this year, LOL at this point I would settle for just a pair!!!!

[Ron Shaffer]

Great looking housing..although I would suggest predator guards.

I think birds in Ohio are rougly 7-10 days behind this year. My pair that got me started back in '04 didn't start carrying in nesting materials until June 2. (I remember the day well, because it is also the date I found out I was going to be a father for the first time! )

So I'd say you still have time, hang in there. I have a friend who lives 10 miles away who is in his 8th year of trying. He is sandwiched between two colonies ...a mile away on both sides..and gets visitors every year. You're right..there is a good bit of luck involved.

And keep your housing up through August....and playing the attraction CD's...some pair out teaching Jr. how to catch bugs this year may be your ticket next year.!!

Good luck!

[Indiana_Tom]

Hi Ming,

Hang in there. I am a first year landlord of one pair of SY's. I just saw them for the first time 4 days ago. Building nest now. I do see several martins flying in my area. Paragon, Indiana, 35 miles SW of Indianapolis. I had been hearing for weeks now that the martins were running behind this this year because of the weather (rain/storms) in the southern states. I am starting to see quite a few martins around here. Just in the last week. My theory on my getting a pair is they were all going to the inhabited sites first. Now a lot of the sites are getting filled and so they are just looking for a place to mate now. I had a second pair at the gourds this morning. They stayed quite a while but were gone in the afternoon. That is the way the first pair did. Stayed a little longer each day.

My main point is, NOW is the time to really try to draw them in. Many or the regular sites are full. I played Dawnsong each morning starting at 5AM Just got the daytime chatter CD about 7 days ago. Played it about 7am to 8am. It seemed to do the best at attracting PMs for me. I parked my Harley about 40 feet away from the gourds and cranked it ALL the way up. It was loud. As a martin would come in, I turned it down. Left it just enough that he could hear it. If he started to leave, I cranked it up again. I did that morning, noon early afternoon and about 7:30 to 9 in the evening.

I know you were asking the buckeye boys but we are about the same distance north. Give it a real hard push the next couple of weeks. The pM's know it is time to nest and the ones that are arriving now are having to fly around a lot to find a home.

I am new at this but if I were a PM, that is what I would be thinking.

Good Luck.
Tom

[kborder]

first of all, I was just wondering where in Pataskala you are - my sister lives there, and we visit often, I'll try to check out your place next time we're in the area

I don't think you should give up yet on this year, we just got our sub-adults a couple of weeks ago - I am in Dresden, OH, about 45 minutes from you - at least the martins know where you are, and a co-worker in Zanesville just got his first two pairs about 2 weeks ago

Hang in there!!

[BigT]

We are in Grove City, feel free to stop by if you are in the area! Terry

[Bill Kepley]

I have had visitors since 4/19, many have scooped out nest bowls and even brought in some leaves. None stayed longer than 3-4 days and only 2 were females. Last year the 1 pair that nested here showed up on 6/7, and immediately started nest building, laid eggs, and hatched babies on 7/7. So I am still optimistic, keeping the S/S under control, and enjoying the BB and tree swallows.
Bill

[Guest]

My housing is in the Millwood/Danville area and I'm martin-less as well. The responses on this forum are encouraging as I hope for late first-time arrivers like some of you have mentioned.

[MingjoMartins]

All - Thanks for your responses! If anyone else has yet to chime in - please feel free to do so.

Kborder and Wannabee - I am located about one and a half miles south and west of the intersection of the NEW 161 and State Route 310.

Feel free to drop me a line if you are going to be in the area and would like to stop by.

I continue to have multiple fly-by's almost daily - unable to determine if it is the same pm or multiple - end result though is that they just stop to investigate the housing, take a dip in the pond, and then preen on top of the houses and then they are gone. They always fly directly south, but for the life of me I cannot find where they head to and I have literally been up and down each road. If there is a martin house - it is well hidden!!!

I am still trying - dawnsong on from 5:00 a.m. until I get home at night! Mix it up occassionally with daytime chatter - although at least for me the dawnsong seems to bring them in much better.

[Guest]

Good evening to all, 1st time poster, long time reader! We live about a mile east of Kirkersville, Oh just off Rt 40. You've been to our location a couple of times, so my reply is primarily for those not familiar with my site. We are , by the way, less than 10 miles from you as the martin flies (assuming no detours for dragon flies and such.)

We currently have three T-14's and 8 Troyer horizontal gourds with Conley Tunnel entrances. The t-14's all have cresent entrances due to a very high starling population. We've used these entrances for about 5 or 6 years and the martins have had no problems with these entrances after a short trial period.

We've had martins since 2000, but kept records since 2006 only. We currently have 40 couples, 154 eggs, and 5 hatched just this Monday. Last year we had 46 couples, 214 eggs, 176 fledged. 2007 we had 43 couples, 208 eggs, 166 fledged, and in 2006 we had 26 pairs, 116 eggs, and 95 fledged.

Another martin site is about 1/4 mile east of us on Rt 40 with two t-14's, a small 6 hole metal house, and 8 super gourds. His numbers have been close to ours. He uses cresent holes also.

I can't say how many second year martins are here, I'm ashamed to say, I still cannot distinguish a sy from an adult female.

[MingjoMartins]

Cease and Virginia - Thanks for chiming in. For those of you who have not been to their site - very nice site!

Today has been an interesting day - woke up this morning to a wonderful site - a sub adult (I believe female) who was relentless in checking out the site, but not the brightest bulb in the box either. I watched her for more than 45 minutes before I had to leave for work and she clearly navigated the round hole gourds below the T14, was bored by the crescents in the T14, could care less about the crescents on the Trendsetter, but LOVED the PVC house!

Now as far as navigating the SREH - bat shape style - door.......not while I was here. As I watched, all I could think about was the hokey-pokey, you put one foot in, your put your next foot out.....do the..... (Yeah, it is quite the mental picture!).

I'm still here crossing my fingers, toes, arms, and legs hoping that I see some activity tonight.

Wannabee yes - giving up....NEVER!

[Terry]

MinjoMartins, I don't post much here, but you still have plenty of time.
The bulk of the sub's should be here in the next couple of week's.

The most important thing to getting Martin's is a good open location and of course Martin's in your area.
Sound's like you have, from all the looker's you speak of.

I am near Maumee Bay State Park and have hosted Martin's 8 year's.
We have close to 90 pair as of now and the sub's are just now showing here the past week. Iv'e seen 7 or 8 and don't know yet how many will stay. Iv'e even had ASY's showing in the last week.

I got a chuckle out of your comment about the not so bright girl checking thing's out.
She not dumb, that's what they do. They'll sit and look in them holes, what seems like forever! They seem like they are leary especially at new site's. Once they decide to stay, they'll settle in, pick a cavity and if all goes well raise a family. Good luck to you, I hope she decides to stay with you!

[ajh]

Up here in northwest Ohio, D-day (June 6th) always seems to be a busy day for subbies showing up at new colonies. The first week in June is usually very productive but then the second week brings an abrupt end to SY migration here.

Keep the faith, it will happen.

Arnie Hoersten Delphos OH

[MingjoMartins]

Thanks to everyone who has replied to date - it is certainly encouraging for us wannabee's and much appreciated.

No action here since last post, at least not that I am aware of, but in all fairness we were gone most of the day. Not good news from a purple martin front - but great news from a wannabee front as we successfully closed on 20 acres of property just down the road from our current location.

We don't plan on building for a number of years, and my goal is to build up a fairly good local breeding population prior to moving since we are only going to be about 1 1/4 mile away. Ideally increasing my likelihood of attracting birds at the new site once the house is built.

Even better news is that one of my current neighbors is interested in hosting purple martins as well, and we are setting her up real soon (her husband is building a t14 for her). So if I do have martins before we move, they will have many local choices if the new owners do not have an interest.

LOL - but I guess I better get the cart behind the horse first, and get my first pair!!

Any new information on a 2009 Ohio Purple Martin event?

[Guest]

Still no visitors...I've scoured the area and can't locate any nearby PM housing. Lots of Amish PMs within 10 air miles. We are still hopeful!

[MingjoMartins]

Hmmmm......so what happened to the updates on the sub adult Ohio listing - it now says 22 but did not update with the information? Does the PMCA stop updating the sub adult info in June? Bummer if that is the case for all of us wannabees!

[Indiana_Tom]

Hi Ming,

I read somewhere that PMCA would only add full information after June 1, once every 7 days or when 10 reports had been received. I think this is the reports you are asking about.

I am hoping you will be one of the individuals that can make an addition to the report.

Good luck
Tom

[MingjoMartins]

Tom - Thanks for the quick response.....and the kind words, they are much appreciated! Still having the occassional visitor here, so there is still hope! I see elsewhere that people are reporting subs being late this year so I hope they are right!

Interesting enough - I found a "new" road behind our new property, well actually not new, just one that I had not known about. I drove down it this evening and found quite a few pm houses. Didn't see any martins, but there were two people houses in particular that had pm housing in the front yard! Hey, my thoughts are if it is in the front yard.....they are at least trying! I will drop in on them this weekend as time permits and keep everyone posted! If there is housing in the area I am going to find it!