We are DESPERATE IN TX!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ken&Sheryle - TX]

Hi Everyone,

We did a nest check today and we have an average of about 1/3 of our fledgings have died due to this HEAT and LACK of rain in Texas; some of the dead birds have been quite 'big' too; almost as if they could have fledge any day.. I am so sad and really almost just want to hang up being a PM landlord; I have never, ever felt this way before, EVER after 16 years ; giving up being a PM landlord; I am sick @ heart and I feel so helpless. I watch outside and see that the babies are starving and don't know what to do and it's KILLING me. Tomorrow I told my husband we are going to lower the houses and attempt to feed the babies crickets; if they are 'starving' to the point where they might just take the food; who knows. The other night we did flick some crickets up; not many birds took any however there was this one Purple Martin; a male and he would watch my husband and take about two or three crickets and immediately go inside the gourd to feed his young...what a great parent...and then come back outside and wait again..that's HOW BAD it's getting; the male did that for about 1/2 hour and then finally stop; again the other birds really were not interested but this one just broke my heart cuz he took the food and went inside to feed his babies. Honestly I just can't take seeing so many birds die; it's just hurting so bad; okay I know they are only birds but I have taken them into my heart and worked hard with being a landlord and this is just tearing me up because I can't do a damn thing. Sorry for the language. I can't handle this; weak @ the heart I guess...maybe it's time for us to throw in the towel and just plant a tree in our backyard...cuz as I type this to ya'll I am crying for all the dead birds; it's not fair...they flew all this way from Brazil and what do they get...got to go...need to think about what we are going to do; seriously thinking it's time go call it quits; I do love them; maybe too much.

God Bless,
Sheryle

[MingjoMartins]

Sheryle -

My hearts go out to all of the landlords who are facing such difficult times this year.

I am a firm believer that the good lord never gives us (or our birds) more than we can handle.

Take some time to grieve your losses, and then pause for a moment and think of the larger picture. Although you may not fledge as many birds as you normally do, remember that each bird only needs to produce a minimum of one live fledge in his/her lifetime to replace his place on this earth.

Although this year may be tough, the pleasure and joy your martins will bring you (and all future landlords who benefit from your fledges) is much greater than the pain you are suffering right now.

This year, be thankful that you are able to fledge any birds at all, and if just one of those birds make it back next year to the states, you may be responsible for one new landlords joy next year.

Have faith and courage in all the good that you have done for your colony over the years, this year shall one day be a distant memory, and hopefully hundreds upon hundreds of fledges will have been born in the years which will follow this difficult one.

John

[Stephen Thomas]

Sheryle,
Mother nature is cruel at times. I am sure it is hard to see the little ones parish.

What would the purple martins do next year if you throw the towel in. If all the landlords felt like throwing in the towel, then there would be no place to go in Texas for the martins.

Maybe mother nature will be fair next year. Bring in rain and more insects.

So I hope you decide to keep helping the Purple Martins as best as you can. They need a place to nest.

Steve

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

Lets put things in prespective, some will survive, some will die, and there is not much that we can do, and we cannot save all of them.

Lets look at the positives:
1)would they be better off at a slum house?
2)we provide good housing, try to protect them from the predators, and this is much more than most people do
3)this is a 100 year drought, so it won't happen every year
4)I bet all of the martins that survive will be back at your place next year, and anxious to make up for this year, they will be singing their hearts out trying to attract a female. They will not hold your site responsible, they in some way realize that weather changes
5)many more reasons to be optomistic, but I bet that you will have a great year next year....Get some more housing, put up owl guards, snake guards, etc. Do like I do, work on the housing on all of those cold winter days....and enjoy what you have...

Lastly, I do understand your frustrations...

[dsonyay]

Man oh man! You folks in Tx are going through so much... I will say a prayer for you to have peace. And for rain.

Yes-- try hand feeding a few chicks.. Dip some crickets in water too. I think I read someone has tried that with good results in an emergency.

I'm on pins and needles right now. My very first attempt has resulted in one gourd with three chicks. They are being fed really well- but there are so many other dangers to those young ones. We in the bayous are blessed. Even when the rains are sparse, the bayous produce lots of insects.

Take care, and try to look at the big picture (if possible)-- PMs are having a pretty good year. Many martins all over the US are doing well. Even though the losses are tough to handle, those parents will not be deterred. They will pick up the pieces and do it all over again and again and again.

I think of Steve K up in north LA.. He went through a disaster in an instant and withing hours those martins were back at it.

Take care--- our prayers are going up now.

[Thurman Seber~TN]

We can only do so much. Do what you can. The martins in your area are better off because of you. This too shall pass

[birdbrat]

Sheryle, I remember a time several years back when I felt the same way. It was a very cold spring and my birds hadn't learned to take crickets from me yet. After finding 10 to 20 birds crammed into one compartment dead, I cried for hours. Then I was determined that if I was going to continue inviting these birds to live here, that I just had to find a way to get them to eat. I know it must be harder to get them to take supplemental food in warmer climates, since I have read so much on here about the starvation going on in Texas. But maybe you could hand feed the young and that would help the adults out a little bit. I have had success doing that here when something happens to one of the adults or if we have a stretch of bad weather. I know it's a lot of work and may not be practical in your case, but it might help you to feel a little better. I left the box lowered just enough to reach it on a step ladder and fed crickets every hour or so. At fledge time the other adults were right there to help out. Whatever you decide to do, remember that you are a good landlord and you really can't control nature.

[Ken&Sheryle - TX]

Thanks everyone, I have read your responses and you all make perfectly good sense; every single one of you; it does hurt though and as far as our site; it's a very good one at that; we work hard @ the beginning of the season with the darn hawks and then once they are not a problem things quite down and get busy with socializing and laying eggs; it's just so darn hard to see so many die; I do love them as I said; my friends who don't understand my love for them would be what the heck is your problem there just birds but for me they are so much more. Emil this year the SOME WILL DIE is SO MUCH MORE THOUGH, this YEAR IT"S MORE WILL DIE THEME GOING ON..that's killing me...I do understand that some will die; that happens every year but this year it's hard hit with this drought/heat; lack of food however I also understand they would not be better @ a slum landlord; I can't stand them; when I drive by and see houses like those it makes me sick to my stomach and also all the other things you said made sense too. Your right Stephen if all TX landlords threw in the towel; wouldn't be good but I just hope there would be the ones that are just starting out; very excited and ready to go; I remember those days however if I did throw in the towel I would miss them in Feb. waiting for them to come back; the excitement of seeing them arrive back; it's like Christmas. So maybe I need to grieve like John said and look @ the bigger picture....and just do the best I can and pray that the ones we have although knowing some are going to die; that's a fact. However the ones we put out there are better than NONE at all. Thanks everyone for your responded back.

God Bless,
Sheryle

[dsonyay]

And you know what? Those survivors will have some really tough DNA to pass on. "Only the strong survive" has a lot of meaning in the wild.

Yes- it's tough. Try to think like the martin. They don't throw in the towel-- they simply get back to business. We should too.

BTW- I'd be just like you too, I'm sure. I'm such a softy when it comes to things like this.

[Scully]

Just saw a recently fledged martin from a neglected house in my neighborhood, at least one made it out.

[Ken&Sheryle - TX]

THANKS EVERYONE...and Yes tomorrow I am going to lower the houses and try to hand feed the young 'crickets'...hopefully they will take some crickets..I will do just about anything; I don't care if I have to do it every hour on the hour; whatever it takes. I will do the BEST I can cuz I do CARE about them and want as many survivors as I can this year!!!!

[ToyinPA]

Sheryle:

If you can afford it buy crickets & meal worms in bulk. Maybe it will only take a few days of supplemental feeding to get them back on their feet so they can attempt to find food. There are many places you can order on line at discounted rates. Yes it can be costly, but to me it'd be worth it to keep them from starving. They (crickets) come in a box, put the package in the freezer over night. Dump them in a ziplock. Take out what yu need, put ina glas sdish with hot water for 2 minutes, dump on papertowel & you're ready to offer them up. I buy 3/4 inch size crickets. Meal worms may be cheaper & come in a sawdust type material. Freezing woudl be the same. Depending on where you order from/etc will determine how quickly you can get them. At best 2-3 days arrival time once ordered.

Since yours aren't trained to catch flipped crickets I'd opt to lower your houses enough you could reach up & place some in the nests a couple times a day. Use a large serving/cooking spoon & dump them on the balcony or in the nest holes. If that isn't an option then maybe you could put up a feeding platform close by so the parents could retreive the food from it. It wouldn't need to be anything fancy at this stage. I'd erect some sort of pole & screw an upside down frisby to it if that's all you can do quickly. A wooden dowel rod would work. Drill a few small holes in the frisby to let out any rain you might get (soon god willing). All it takes is one bird to get the idea & the rest will follow. Place a few live meal worms in it to get their attention. I'd put it 6 feet from the house so they can see it easily.

The 1972 St. Agness Flood in PA wiped out ALL the martins in my county in PA. We had none for 26 years. Had I been younger & know about these wonderful birds back then I would have taken action to save as many as I could then. I feel blessed I have a small colony now. To date no one in my county has listed having any martins. After all those years a few came back & chose me to be their caretaker. I had no house for them, but as soon as I knew what they were I got them a house & they've been coming back since 1998. I do what I can to keep them coming back each year. Last year I saw how lack of natural food can cause parents to abandon their chicks, letting them to fend for themselves & die to save themselves. I saved a few chicks & managed to get them to fledge. One was left for several days & finally a adult came along & off he went.

This spring we were very wet & cold. I watched my martins sit for 4 days not able to get food. Finally on the 4th day got them to accept crickets & feed them several times, even on good days, so they would know how to catch food when the weather didn't permit. Once my chicks are closer to fledging size I will erect my B&B feeder so they can also learn to get food from it & I will fling crickets to them.

It's heart wrenching loosing just one, let alone many. Do what you can to save as many as you can. Know that some are probably already too far gone to survive. Nature can be very cruel at times. We as humans, I fear, have upset the natural balance of things. I pray we can fix it before it destroys the planet.

Toy in PA

[Linda Reynolds]

When the going gets tough, the tough DO NOT go shopping, or throw in the towel. The tough fling crickets, scramble eggs, and do the very best they can to help their colony.

We are always going to experience good seasons, and bad, and when the bad seasons arrive, it is up to us to do the very best we can to assist all creatures in our yards.

Throwing in the towel will prove nothing, nor will it ever accomplish anything worthwhile. Buck up, learn about supplemental feeding, and do the best that you can. The best that you can do is all that anyone ever expects.

[DakotaLady]

Ah Sheryle, I am so sorry to hear of all your losses. Please hang tough girl. I agree with the others, if you are even putting 1 additional martin into the sky you are helping the PM's survive. Try to think about long term affects if you continue to be a landlord. Next year will hopefully be better. Please hang in their and try to focus on the positive aspects of what you are trying to do. Nature sure can be cruel.

[rehab]

#empty

[Sparky]

Pretty bad all around. Still, I have not seen a rain drop since the end of January. There have been some area showers as I have seen on the news, but nothing here but dead grass and trees. Much of the wildlife has been affected. I saw on the news the "Wildlife" rehabbers are at 700% over the last few years. I had an entire family of Blue Jay's die. Also, the mocking birds did not make it this year.
I'm pretty much done this season with a 63% loss on average from the last 11 years. Of course, I haven't been doing this for 100 years, but this season may be the worst ever (in my lifetime) and hopefully next season will bring rain.

[TX Rehabber]

Sheryle, I’m sorry you’re experiencing the losses that you are. Giving up is never an option. As a rehabilitator, if we gave up every time we experienced mass losses we would never be able to save the ones that could be saved. Our Center is the largest in North Texas and receives approx. 5000 birds each year and our release rate is about 80%. We may lose 20%, but it’s the 80% we concentrate on. Over the past 12 yrs that I’ve been involved, I remember several years back, we received over 300 Cattle Egret nestlings in just a few days from Joshua, TX due to drought. Like Martins these birds do not fledge until they can fly. Babies were bailing out of nest, out of shear desperation. None of these birds were old enough to fly, but took a leap of faith, breaking wings, legs, backs & necks. There were many babies that had to be euthanized, but many that were saved and released. It just about does you in to have to euthanize bird after bird after bird. Your reward comes and the smile returns to your face when you see the babies you saved released. As you and others know, in 2009, we experienced many, many Martin babies jump due to hot, dry conditions. We received 150 babies and fledged 102. I call that SUCCESS! I had from 60 up to 80 babies in my care at a time, if I found 1, 2 or 3 dead in the morning; I couldn’t grieve over those that I lost, because all the others were begging to be fed. They were the survivors. They had to be my focus.

Your babies that are alive now and have a chance to survive have to be your focus now.

We can’t save them all, but we do the best darn job we can!

[Matt@atx]

Good to hear from you Sheryle and sorry to hear about the death you are experiencing. I have seen the same this season and have posts documenting this. It sounds like Im being a downer or exaggerating the losses but I am not. Some will not answer due to this I suspect but it is happening and is awful.
I post the truth of what I see. heart breaking
Most of all of Texas is like this and Im disgusted with this place in the summers... Its hotter here than in Hawaii. Yesterday the weather folkes said it was 100 degrees...they lied. It was 103.
The forecast in Austin (and Im not sure how far away you are located) reads like this as of this Monday morning.
Monday~ 101 degrees, Tuesday~ 103 degrees, Wednesday ~104 degrees, Thursday~ 103 degrees, Friday~ 104 degress, and Saturday~ 103 degrees... We can add about 3 degrees to all those predictions and what we got is hell in a really big hand basket. Not even summer yet so the "best is yet to come". not a drop of rain.
What I say Sheryle is to hell with this land which is where it is from.
Lower the gourds and hand feed all who will eat. Remove the dead, change the nests and feed the living again.
Keep the nests clean, dry, and free of death, feed all who will accept.
Stay close as your schedule allows, they will know you care for them, feed and soothe those who would eat, comfort the dying, bury the dead, love all.
I understand you have a HUGE colony. I have read some of your posts for years.. You have done much for Martins in your region.
Ours has doubled in size to about 21 pairs yet I can account to only 5 to 6 birds to have fledged and I may be ( and hope) Im wrong about that.
We have just ordered a B & B from PCMA, have approx. 2000 mealworms in the frig. and approx 4500 frozen crickets bagged in groups of 500. When the B&B gets here, it goes up and we try to get adults to take food.
I have discovered ONLY they can feed feed those older fully feathered babies close to or past fledging age. The younger bald ones or with feathers coming just coming in will take crickets from you.
We are doubling our efforts in feeding while I shake my fist and spat upon this drought and land. it will not take my babies from me without my last defiance.. (middle finger)
a few years back, reading your posts and realizing in my mind how big and beautiful your colony was inspired me to do our best to start and look after the colony my step dad and I started in 2008..
AS long as your birds live, they will need your help. Keep up your good work.

[Louise Chambers]

Matt,

Until the feeder arrives, you can try putting crickets and some mealworms on roof of building if one is close enough for the martins to see them - we have fed our birds many times from the garage roof, since it's easy for them to see the crickets there.

Putting crickets inside gourds works well, but if young are very close to fledge age, (23 days and up) you'd need to be careful not to cause them to fledge prematurely, by using plug & string method. Hand feeding older nestlings, as you said, is not a good idea - they will get frightened and could bail.

[Matt@atx]

Thanks Louise,

We do not have any roofs or anything resembling a roof close enough to lay crickets on. We have a temporary 8 foot feeder but it is too short and they won't go to it.
I have made hole plugs from rolled up paper towels for lightness with string taped to it which I used to use with a 10 ft apple ladder before I touched anything but after I soon discovered, none could fly. Even those past fledging time could not fly because they are too weak.
First I have ever seen this. No need to plug holes this year.
Those who could fly are already gone by the time I get there and some I have recently witnessed return to the gourds at night.