I checked today and have newly hatched babies in both of my occupied compartments. I'm nervous to even try to open the door for fear of disturbing the nests but there are three or four at least in each. I had read that in hot weather you can put blue ice packs in the next compartment over, and since it's supposed to be 99 this afternoon I put the blue ice in the empty compartments. (Well, only empty because I AGAIN pulled out another sparrow nest from it.) So of my 12 compartments, three have martins, but one is a poor single guy who never found a mate, and of the two pairs, both have newly hatched babies.
My question is, is the blue ice thing right? I cannot even remember where I read it! Also, it's supposed to be 114 in two days, if the Weather Channel is to b trusted. Any suggestions for helping out in the heat? Thanks!
Lucy
Questions on heat
-
Louise Chambers
- Site Admin
- Posts: 6208
- Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2003 1:07 pm
- Location: Corpus Christi, TX
Lucy,
There was a thread titled Heat posted yesterday, maybe that's where you saw the blue ice reference?
http://www.purplemartin.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16861
Removing the house sparrow nest (did it have eggs, or nest only?) and replacing it with blue ice will help cool the martin nests BUT also might be putting your newly hatched martin nestlings at risk. When the male house sparrow finds his chosen cavity occupied by blue ice, he may try to take over the martin nests on either side by pecking and tossing out the nestlings. I think it might be safer to remove the ice and catch the HOSP with a trap, if you have one - and then put the blue ice into that cavity.
What kind of house, and do you have a trap you can place in the compartment? Edit: I looked at some of your earlier posts, so now know you have a duracraft hex house and spare o door traps ( a GREAT sparrow trap, with reduced size hole so martins can't get captured). I'd put a trap door on that compartment and maybe another not being used by martins. Once you catch and get rid of the male HOSP, it will be safe to use blue ice or frozen water bottle in the HOSP cavity.
There was a thread titled Heat posted yesterday, maybe that's where you saw the blue ice reference?
http://www.purplemartin.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16861
Removing the house sparrow nest (did it have eggs, or nest only?) and replacing it with blue ice will help cool the martin nests BUT also might be putting your newly hatched martin nestlings at risk. When the male house sparrow finds his chosen cavity occupied by blue ice, he may try to take over the martin nests on either side by pecking and tossing out the nestlings. I think it might be safer to remove the ice and catch the HOSP with a trap, if you have one - and then put the blue ice into that cavity.
What kind of house, and do you have a trap you can place in the compartment? Edit: I looked at some of your earlier posts, so now know you have a duracraft hex house and spare o door traps ( a GREAT sparrow trap, with reduced size hole so martins can't get captured). I'd put a trap door on that compartment and maybe another not being used by martins. Once you catch and get rid of the male HOSP, it will be safe to use blue ice or frozen water bottle in the HOSP cavity.
Thanks -- I'll try the trap again. I've about given up on trapping because they just seem to be endless. I've wondered if the males HOSPs are smarter -- I only catch the females, except for one male I got rid of last week, and as I said, I've about given up trapping because it seems like for all my trapping, there are always more.
As far as the nest I pulled out, I can't recall if it had eggs or not.
I hate sparrows!
Is all this up and down for the house not going to make my martins upset? I try not to mess with them because I'm so afraid of causing more trouble than I cure.
As far as the nest I pulled out, I can't recall if it had eggs or not.
I hate sparrows!
Is all this up and down for the house not going to make my martins upset? I try not to mess with them because I'm so afraid of causing more trouble than I cure.
-
Louise Chambers
- Site Admin
- Posts: 6208
- Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2003 1:07 pm
- Location: Corpus Christi, TX
The martins are pretty tolerant, the more you work with them, the calmer they will be about nest checks and such. It's worth it to work hard on getting rid of the house sparrows, pretty soon they should not be as big of a problem. Since they are capable of poking holes in eggs and killing martin nestlings, it's a worthwhile project to get rid of them.