My friend continues to take and send me such great pics. If you recall, I got permission to place two Trio houses on my condo grounds last winter. I am really PLEASED and SHOCKED just how successful the project has been as we had never even seen a martin on the grounds in 7 years!
I thought you all might enjoy sharing my joy too.
Carl
New Pics from my Pompano Beach, FL site
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Carlton
- Posts: 1959
- Joined: Tue May 17, 2005 6:42 pm
- Location: Florida/Deerfield Beach
- Martin Colony History: I moved to South Florida, from Delaware, in August of 2015.
I care for a 6 condo Sunset House as well as two Deluxe Gourd Racks, with 24 Chirpynest/Excluder gourds, along a canal in Pompano Beach, Florida.
At Quiet Waters Park, nearby in Deerfield Beach, I care for a Deluxe Gourd Rack with 12 TVG's. I also care for a Deluxe Gourd rack with 12 Excluder gourds with Modified Excluder entrances. I am substituting 6 Chirpynest boxes for 6 of the Conley II entranced gourds in 2026.
At another local park, Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek, I care for a Trendsetter 12, 5 gourds rack with 60 Excluder gourds with Modified Excluder Entrances and 1 Deluxe Gourd Rack with 12 Troyer Vertical Gourds with Starling Stoppers over the Conley II's to keep out smaller starlings.
Are you going to be add more housing next year? Congrats on the start of this colony.
Landonn
Landonn
2010 1 pair at each site. Plus some unmated subadults hanging around at both sites.
2009 Had a lone subadult spend the summer
2008 visitors.
2009 Had a lone subadult spend the summer
2008 visitors.
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Carlton
- Posts: 1959
- Joined: Tue May 17, 2005 6:42 pm
- Location: Florida/Deerfield Beach
- Martin Colony History: I moved to South Florida, from Delaware, in August of 2015.
I care for a 6 condo Sunset House as well as two Deluxe Gourd Racks, with 24 Chirpynest/Excluder gourds, along a canal in Pompano Beach, Florida.
At Quiet Waters Park, nearby in Deerfield Beach, I care for a Deluxe Gourd Rack with 12 TVG's. I also care for a Deluxe Gourd rack with 12 Excluder gourds with Modified Excluder entrances. I am substituting 6 Chirpynest boxes for 6 of the Conley II entranced gourds in 2026.
At another local park, Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek, I care for a Trendsetter 12, 5 gourds rack with 60 Excluder gourds with Modified Excluder Entrances and 1 Deluxe Gourd Rack with 12 Troyer Vertical Gourds with Starling Stoppers over the Conley II's to keep out smaller starlings.
I am thinking of trying to get permission to add another house over on "The Island" where my condo is located.
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bwenger
- Posts: 1057
- Joined: Thu Jul 14, 2005 7:24 pm
- 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.
Good job Carl,
Who would have thought. Build it and they will come!
How's your site doing back home?
Bill
Who would have thought. Build it and they will come!
How's your site doing back home?
Bill
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Carlton
- Posts: 1959
- Joined: Tue May 17, 2005 6:42 pm
- Location: Florida/Deerfield Beach
- Martin Colony History: I moved to South Florida, from Delaware, in August of 2015.
I care for a 6 condo Sunset House as well as two Deluxe Gourd Racks, with 24 Chirpynest/Excluder gourds, along a canal in Pompano Beach, Florida.
At Quiet Waters Park, nearby in Deerfield Beach, I care for a Deluxe Gourd Rack with 12 TVG's. I also care for a Deluxe Gourd rack with 12 Excluder gourds with Modified Excluder entrances. I am substituting 6 Chirpynest boxes for 6 of the Conley II entranced gourds in 2026.
At another local park, Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek, I care for a Trendsetter 12, 5 gourds rack with 60 Excluder gourds with Modified Excluder Entrances and 1 Deluxe Gourd Rack with 12 Troyer Vertical Gourds with Starling Stoppers over the Conley II's to keep out smaller starlings.
My backyard colony, here in Southern Delaware, is doing great, Bill. I have 32 units available and all 32 have nests. I have some in THG's nearly ready to fledge now and others in my Trendsetter house as hatchlings.
My satellite site at the state park/marina here in DE did not attract any nesting pairs - 2nd year. It had A LOT of visitors this year but no one nested. I had 8 THG's and an MSS-8 there. Maybe next Spring will be The Year for that site. I thought I might get one nesting pair this year but Lady Luck was not with me.
Carl
My satellite site at the state park/marina here in DE did not attract any nesting pairs - 2nd year. It had A LOT of visitors this year but no one nested. I had 8 THG's and an MSS-8 there. Maybe next Spring will be The Year for that site. I thought I might get one nesting pair this year but Lady Luck was not with me.
Carl
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Steve Kroenke
- Posts: 4342
- Joined: Fri Nov 28, 2003 6:49 pm
- Location: Louisiana/Logansport
Hey Carl,
I really enjoyed seeing those photos of the martins at your satellite colony in Florida. I wish more folks would have at least one satellite site as these colonies can "raise" many martins which will help to populate more colonies in the future. Bob and I have six satellite colonies in northwest Louisiana and these sites are well occupied by martins each season.
Thanks for sharing these photos with us and for establishing satellite martin colonies.
Steve
I really enjoyed seeing those photos of the martins at your satellite colony in Florida. I wish more folks would have at least one satellite site as these colonies can "raise" many martins which will help to populate more colonies in the future. Bob and I have six satellite colonies in northwest Louisiana and these sites are well occupied by martins each season.
Thanks for sharing these photos with us and for establishing satellite martin colonies.
Steve
PMCA Member
300+ pairs of martins each season
300+ pairs of martins each season
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bwenger
- Posts: 1057
- Joined: Thu Jul 14, 2005 7:24 pm
- 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.
Carl,
That's great to hear about your home colony as well.
Did you have any problems with sparrows at the marina? I put up a new Lonestar Goliad house at a marina here in northwest PA and I spent hours there trying to rid the site of HS, but they kept coming. Most of the time it was at 5:30-6:00am when few people were around. Last count was 11 males and 2 females that have developed lead poisoning or dislocated vertebrae.
I had one pair that really seemed interested on a Sunday morning but a male HS showed up and went into the cavity and spent 30-45 seconds getting to know the SY female and when she came out she had decided that this house wasn't for her. I had missed him with a pellet gun only 30 minutes earlier, so had I hit him, that pair may have stuck around to start the colony, but they left. The SY birds definitely don't like confrontation.
Good luck,
Bill
That's great to hear about your home colony as well.
Did you have any problems with sparrows at the marina? I put up a new Lonestar Goliad house at a marina here in northwest PA and I spent hours there trying to rid the site of HS, but they kept coming. Most of the time it was at 5:30-6:00am when few people were around. Last count was 11 males and 2 females that have developed lead poisoning or dislocated vertebrae.
I had one pair that really seemed interested on a Sunday morning but a male HS showed up and went into the cavity and spent 30-45 seconds getting to know the SY female and when she came out she had decided that this house wasn't for her. I had missed him with a pellet gun only 30 minutes earlier, so had I hit him, that pair may have stuck around to start the colony, but they left. The SY birds definitely don't like confrontation.
Good luck,
Bill
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Carlton
- Posts: 1959
- Joined: Tue May 17, 2005 6:42 pm
- Location: Florida/Deerfield Beach
- Martin Colony History: I moved to South Florida, from Delaware, in August of 2015.
I care for a 6 condo Sunset House as well as two Deluxe Gourd Racks, with 24 Chirpynest/Excluder gourds, along a canal in Pompano Beach, Florida.
At Quiet Waters Park, nearby in Deerfield Beach, I care for a Deluxe Gourd Rack with 12 TVG's. I also care for a Deluxe Gourd rack with 12 Excluder gourds with Modified Excluder entrances. I am substituting 6 Chirpynest boxes for 6 of the Conley II entranced gourds in 2026.
At another local park, Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek, I care for a Trendsetter 12, 5 gourds rack with 60 Excluder gourds with Modified Excluder Entrances and 1 Deluxe Gourd Rack with 12 Troyer Vertical Gourds with Starling Stoppers over the Conley II's to keep out smaller starlings.
Thanks Steve and Bill!
I had some HS competition at the DE marina site but I kept right after them with narrowed entrances to the THG's (using tape temporarily) and glue traps and using Spar o Doors in the Trio house. I did not have too much trouble keeping up with them. I told the park people that I would need to control HS if I was going to be successful in the project and they agreed. They just asked me not to do it in front of park visitors. That as no problem as I was there early in the day too. It USUALLY does not take too long to catch a pesky HS once they have really committed to a gourd or condo.
I did have a problem AGAIN this year with a tree swallow wanting a gourd on the rack. Once again I got him relocated to a shepherd's hook gourd about 30 feet away. He and a second TS pair eventually took up nesting on my two shepherd's hooks on each side of the martin rack. They are feeding their young now.
I do not think that bird competition was the problem this year nor do I think there was any problem with the housing offered. I think the martins were just not yet ready. There was a lot of interest this year, as compared to last year, and I have a good feeling about the Spring of 2012.
I had some HS competition at the DE marina site but I kept right after them with narrowed entrances to the THG's (using tape temporarily) and glue traps and using Spar o Doors in the Trio house. I did not have too much trouble keeping up with them. I told the park people that I would need to control HS if I was going to be successful in the project and they agreed. They just asked me not to do it in front of park visitors. That as no problem as I was there early in the day too. It USUALLY does not take too long to catch a pesky HS once they have really committed to a gourd or condo.
I did have a problem AGAIN this year with a tree swallow wanting a gourd on the rack. Once again I got him relocated to a shepherd's hook gourd about 30 feet away. He and a second TS pair eventually took up nesting on my two shepherd's hooks on each side of the martin rack. They are feeding their young now.
I do not think that bird competition was the problem this year nor do I think there was any problem with the housing offered. I think the martins were just not yet ready. There was a lot of interest this year, as compared to last year, and I have a good feeling about the Spring of 2012.