To the PMCA and all its fourm members I am pleased to announce that PMCA regristerd coloney # 095221 has a pair of sub adult martins nesting in it.
After all these years of trying the dream has come true.
They started staying around the end of may and like a lot of young adults they were gone more than they were home causing many anxious momets wondering if they would EVER come back it appears that they are nesting/ sitting on eggs now.
I dont consider myself a real landlord yet, they havent fledged young yet and there is always a chance next year my site will be empty, it is sure good to have a pair around and listen to real martin song instead of the C/D's.
PMCA member and Martin fanatic....
2011 A pair of subbies fledged three young but none returned in 2012
2015 One Pair of subbies came and stayed a few nits but got chased away by Bluebirds and Tree swallows.
2017 0ne pair of subbies nested and fledged 4 young
2018 Tree Swallows AGAIN chased away any martins that wanted to nest
2019 Same old story................
It's a small start, but so was mine a few years ago and now I am filled to the max and there were very few few martins around this town. There were quite a few when I first came to this town 35 yrs ago, but they had all but disappeared. I took down 6 trees and boom! They appear to love it now.
I got restarted with 2 pr. It does happen if you don't give up.
I am very happy for you!
Good Luck,
Last edited by AllenH on Sat Jun 11, 2011 10:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
Thanks for sharing that great news with us! I know you have been trying for MANY years to attract purple martins to your site and now it looks like you have succeeded.
Many martin colonies have been started with just one pair. Then the next year, more martins and so on.
I don't know if I can smile bigger than I am right now. Congratulations!!!
Fledged over 3,000 martins in beautiful southern Indiana since 1996.
Started 2 colonies and mentored 3 colonies with total fledged >4,000 martins into the world.
Congratualtions on your perseverience. I know you will take good care of your one pair and lets hope next year brings several more nesting pair to your site. You give me encouragement that I might get a nesting pair one year.
Tim
Licensed Bander
2015 - 14 Pair - fledged 68
2014 - Moved to Kansas - 7 Pair, 35 eggs, 28 fledged in first year
2010 Thru 2013 - Moved-Tried to start new colony
2009 - 46 pair, 217 eggs, 178 fledged
2004...notta
2005-2008 lookies
2009...lookies, and a SYM hanging around a bunch
2010...an ASY pair! 5 eggs, 5 babies fledged! yehawwwwwwwwww
2011....still only one nesting pair..extreme heat killed the babies
2012..ASY pair...fledged 4 babies!
2013 notta, few lookie lous
Donnie, thats the best news i`ve heard in a long time. Congrats to you and your birds, they are going to be lucky to have you for there landloard. I am not going to say too much, but, one of thoes gourds that I made from either your seeds or Larrys may have a male sy taking it. Thurmans seeds were no good last year, he sent me some others to try. I have been trying for ever too, close but still no cigar. Maybe that pair will bring more to help your odds for next year. Good going,wish you lots of luck..... Ed
Donnie,
A "small announcement" with a Big Message. Your friends in the southern tip of the country send our congratulations. You are so deserving and will be a super landlord. May many martins find your site--in the days and years ahead.
~~TEAMED WITH A MARTIN GODDESS~~
Member/Mentor-PMCA. I do regular nestchecks and participate in PROJECT MARTINWATCH!! Coordinated 3 geolocator studies-2009, 2010 & 2013. State and Fed licensed bander (retired Jan., 2020)
You got eggs, your a Landlord. I sure hope they are successful in fledging young and then you should be well on your way to getting a sizable colony. Enjoy the season!
I am so happy for you. Congratulations! I have been hoping you would eventually get martins. It's great that they are young birds. Gives hope they are healthy an will return next year. Good luck my friend. Enjoy those martins while they are around this summer.
Congratulations! It is always good to hear of new colonies in the north being established, where the birds have been scarce for so many years! I wish you many more pairs in the future!
Donnie....Congrats on getting your first pair, I sure know how you feel,
when it feels like you have waited a life time to get a start in martins.
I know you will make a great landlord.
I am interested in knowing what type of housing the martins chose, was it a gourd or house ?
It took me years to get a start, I tried different types of housing but last year i finally had a SY pair to stay, they used a natural gourd.This year the male came back as a ASY. he chose the same gourd he used last year. Sure hope you have the very best of luck with you birds.
1990 -2009 trying
2010 1 pair 2young fledged.
2011 1 pair, & 1 SY male...6 young hatched 5 fledged.
2012 1 pair...4 young fledged.
2013... Back to starting over...
Martin Colony History: First pair in 2009 after 28 years of trying. 3 pairs 2010, 17 pairs 2011 and 35-45 pairs since. Many additional colonies are now springing up around mine in an area once completely void of Martins. I offer 50 compartments at my site consisting of primarily Excluder II gourds on Gemini racks. Also a wooden T-14. I utilize electric fence type predator guards on the base of the poles. Supplemental feeding is crucial in maintaining my colony. I platform feed throughout the season as needed. My site tends to be a stop over point for additional birds as they migrate further north.
I know the feeling you have right now. Fingers and toes are still crossed Huh?
Doug
Supplemental feeding plays a major role in Western Pennsylvania. Finally got my 1st pair in 2009 after 28 years of effort. The colony has grown quickly to 45 pairs that I care for. Many new colonies have now sprung up around me in the past few years as well. Where there was none.... there is many.
Location: Pennsylvania/Espyville/Pymatuning Reservoir Area
Martin Colony History: Taking care of 11 active public colonies and trying to start two more in northwestern PA. Also attempting to restart another one in southwestern PA, in Collier Township's Hilltop Park. In 2017, not sure what happened but the ASY male returned and then a couple of weeks later he was gone. It could have been weather related. No other birds showed up. I had a starling nesting at the Public site that I had trouble getting rid of. In 2018, we fledged 629 martins at all of the sites.
Thanks for all the well wishes and replies everyone! The female is definatly sitting on eggs, how many I dont know yet, havent done a nest check yet they are nesting in a wooden house which is identical to what my neighbors have. They have showen little intrest in any gourds that I have up including the ones attatched to the house they are in which leads me to believe they were raised in a wooden house at my neighbors last year.
PMCA member and Martin fanatic....
2011 A pair of subbies fledged three young but none returned in 2012
2015 One Pair of subbies came and stayed a few nits but got chased away by Bluebirds and Tree swallows.
2017 0ne pair of subbies nested and fledged 4 young
2018 Tree Swallows AGAIN chased away any martins that wanted to nest
2019 Same old story................
