The slow death of colony! Not Good

RC Moser · Sun Jul 03, 2011 8:40 pm

This will probably be the worth year for me being PM landlord. I wish I was one of the ones that don't know what really goes on in colony. Cool spring, little rain, extreme wind, and now unbearable heat for most of June. July will probably be worse. My colony babies and fledglings are slowly pass away. Too late for nest checks, most are pass fledge dates. Had 208 in early June. I bet I got less than 60 left to fledge and maybe 40 have made it that was lucky enough to hatch early enough to survive.

To Top it of got some generation X teenagers SY's that all they want to do is hurass and knock babies off the porches. I seen one even pull one out.

And it that wasn't enough out of 4 Bluebird attempts only one has sucessfully fledged 2 babies. Woodpecker tree got blow over for all the strong winds with of course no rain. I cut top off and put the nest section back up. I dought they will survive either. How depressing makes you not want to do this!

Emil Pampell-Tx · Sun Jul 03, 2011 8:50 pm

Things will get better, they always do. Lets hope for a couple good years.

flyin-lowe · Sun Jul 03, 2011 9:31 pm

It seems like every year there is one part of the country that has weather that is bad for the martins. I know it is not likely to happen but I would like to see a couple years where there were not a bunch of deaths due to weather. There are enough obstacles in the way of a martin that the weather should be a worry but it always is.
Good luck to you and I am sure your colony will bounce back soon.

Michael Sanford ~ OK · Sun Jul 03, 2011 9:45 pm

Same thing in north Edmond, R.C. Dreadful, dreadful season. We won't have many subbies next year.

Guest · Sun Jul 03, 2011 10:38 pm

Similar situation here, RC. This has been the worst season I've had as PM landlord. Looking at perhaps 50% of the young making it to their first flight, and most of those were from the early part of the season.

June was the month of the jumpers for me.

If it's any help, it looks like this coming season will be better: La Nina is fading and turning to an El Nino cycle

Sam Harris · Sun Jul 03, 2011 10:51 pm

Same here RC. My 3 nest had alot of jumpers today, I put most back, but I dont know if they will make it. They will probably jump out tomorrow.

Scott D.- La · Mon Jul 04, 2011 6:16 am

That is unfortunate to hear, especially from the same people it has happened to before. I thought OK had received abundant rainfall this year? Although I had a decent year, It was the worst I have ever had. The ongoing drought has caused so many problems for gardener's and PM landlords. I have lost 31 fledges that I know of with a few more nest still to fledge. I will probably find a few more dead as I start taking down racks that have fledged and gone. We have rehabbed more birds than we ever have had to and I live very close to a river however, the water levels are as low as I have ever seen in my lifetime and looks more like a creek than a river. The swamp is dry and has been for a couple years now. On a positive note, I did fledge several hundred and will give my numbers soon when I calculate my fledging success. Hope you all can get a break in the weather soon. It was 108 yesterday with the heat index, but a front is supposed to bring the temps down to 96

Steve Kroenke · Mon Jul 04, 2011 7:03 am

This season has been my worst purple martin year ever. The tornado disaster was bad enough in late April, but our martin colonies recovered after the housing was repaired.

But this devastating drought and unbearable hot temperatures have decimated the flying insect population in our area. Hundreds of martin nestlings/fledglings have probably perished from starvation and possibly heat stress. I have lost count of the number of dead ones.

However, we have still managed to fledge a good number of martins and I believe possibly a thousand plus have been roosting every night in our colonies. Last evening, my gourd racks were COVERED with martin fledglings and they were still there this morning. The owls have not attacked so far but that could change any time.

I am hoping for a much better martin season next year. The key for our area is good rainfall amounts in the fall, winter and early spring to fill up ponds and other bodies of water. Dragonflies need slow moving bodies of water to breed and it takes several months to several years depending on the species for these insects to mature into "food for martins". We had this rainfall situation for the 2010 martin season and there was PLENTY of food for the martin nestlings/fledglings.

Steve

RC Moser · Mon Jul 04, 2011 7:08 am

Most of OK rainfall has been in the southeastern part of the state and a band through northeast central. Seems the West, southwest, and central to northeastern parts are in severe drought. Other problems are the wind, unusual strong this year. even if you get little rain the heat combined with wind blow dried it out the next day. Probably no different in parts of La. Texas, NM, Ks.

LIke most of the rain splits either goes north or south of us in central part. Most rainfall has been patchy if you were under the cloud burst you got some, 10 miles down the road dry as bone what I have been experiencing.

PM aren't only ones suffering I think it hits about all species. Even with little coud burst I had last night it will be burnt off by afternoon and make it more miserable with high humitity. 16 days over hundred and rest were above 95 since last week of May. Coming forcast right at or over 100 for awhile. Probably be another 1980 year or worse when I was in Texas got over 100 degrees and not below 85 for like 40 straight days.

John Miller · Mon Jul 04, 2011 3:42 pm

RC

I don't know how you keep up your spirits at all... but as Emil says, it will get better.

We're having a pretty good year in Missouri. The martins in St. Louis at least are one to two weeks later than most years because of rainy weather in May and early June, but conditions are very good; plenty of rain and only a few very hot days.

I wonder if next year, if more styrofoam sheets would be helpful for very hot climates. Would not help with drought, but maybe cooler. I'd think one could attach styrofoam sheets to some roofs, especially Trio housing. Would not be pretty, but maybe we could spray foam on gourds...just brainstorming. You're smarter than I about housing modifications and I'd encourage you to experiment.

John Miller

Scott D.- La · Tue Jul 05, 2011 6:31 am

I think the biggest issue is starvation and dehydration. The drought areas have major insect collapses combined with high pressure systems that set on top of us and blow hot air which serves to really dry things out along with the PM babies. At times it feels like a blow torch outside. The heat came early this year with 100 and higher temps in May, with very low humidity readings. Normally, if your going to get these temps it's going to be late July and August with high humidities. The weather the last 3 years has been nothing short of bizarre. Everything in my garden was mulched 6 inches deep in hay to hold moisture in however, with the heat,low humidities, and blow torch winds, the hardiest of plants had trouble and was the worst gardening year I have ever seen. Those PM babies can handle a lot but when they are starved and dehydrated the odds are not in their favor. If it was not for early egg laying this year, I would have had a complete disaster on my hands, one that I would not have been able to do nothing about. I am lucky I only lost 31+, it could have been much higher if egg laying would have been delayed like it was for Steve.

Peggy Riley · Tue Jul 05, 2011 8:21 am

Same at my colony. I've lost so many fledgings due to the heat. Parents are feeding but the fledges are jumping at 21-22 days old. Once they've jumped it's hard to keep them in the gourds. I still have a few nests with young less than 10 days old.

Hang in there RC, it always gets better.

mcollmer · Tue Jul 05, 2011 10:29 am

Rc, I know how you fel. I live in the southwest corner of the state just a little north west of Altus.I have lost count of how many babies has been lost due to high temps and starvation We have had temps up to 107 with no rainThey jumped and died fron heat and starvation,I still have 6 pair trying to find bugs to feed there young. They should fledge in the next few days. I hope they make if.

akp · Tue Jul 05, 2011 11:06 am

As bad as it is on our side of the state, I really feel bad for you all on the west side and in Texas and western KS. It is just horrible. It was bad out in western OK when I was turkey hunting out there in April. It must be close to unbearable now.

Definitely not a good year for the martins. My colony grew exponentially and I still have many chicks. They're starting to fledge. Averaging 2-3 dead chicks/day. Had close to 80 chicks to begin, now have just over 60. Not a whole lot we can do. I check for jumpers about every hour or so and replace them. Lost an entire nest of three that were probably a week from fledging. Went to church on Sunday morning and got back around 1:30. All 3 had jumped and fried on the ground. Nature is nature and you can't control it. I try to help when I can, but also understand that its out of my control.

Dick Sherry · Tue Jul 05, 2011 11:38 am

RC, this has been a bizarre nesting season, but don't give up on being a martin landlord. If the people with the most concern about the martins and who have the most knowledge about what it takes to be a good landlord give up hosting them, then the birds are really in trouble.

Sometimes we know too much about the difficulties they are dealing with. We can solve some of them, and others are just out of our control.

Martin hosts have to be optimists, and next year just has to be better than this year.

Hang in there. The martins need us!

Dick

Sam Harris · Tue Jul 05, 2011 4:20 pm

Well my season is finally over as the last two fledged today. I still see a few flying nearby, but it is mostly quiet here now. Hopefully next year will have better weather.

akp · Tue Jul 05, 2011 7:04 pm

News flash.......first day in over a week that I have not had a bird jump!

Linda Reynolds · Tue Jul 05, 2011 7:28 pm

RC, I absolutely, 100%, agree with Dick Sherry on this post.

Those of us that know the most must carry the torch, and proceed with optimism into the 2012 season. We must continue to do the best we can in spite of this year's failures.

2011 has been a bad season for so many. The drought conditions in TX, LA and other southern states has been awful. Those facts are a given. However, try to view some of the videos that will be soon posted of roosts.....Look at, and marvel at the numbers of martins present. The roost videos give hope to those that believe this season stinks..........

It might have been a bad season in your yard, but other colonies have fledged martins, and the roost videos will show success. Individually, we are only a part of the whole...........so continue doing what you know to do, and it will all work out in the end.

Matt@atx · Wed Jul 06, 2011 10:18 am

I have to agree with RC and Steve here. I have only been doing this for 4 years but this season was horrible in Central Texas. We may have lost 2 maybe 3 birds between 2008- 2010. In 2011, I lost count after burying over 15 in mom's nice flower bed along with all the eggs destroyed by subbies, and SOOO many youngsters just disappearing less than 30 days old.
Giving us the benefit of the doubt, I'd say we have lost approximately 70% of our young this year out of 20 pairs either dead or unverified inspite of the amount of time, work, money, and hardship we put in this season. Im exhausted but would not quit because I started this colony for my step dad in 2008 with our first 3 pairs after he tried to get them for 28 years. He passed away on 01/29/11 and two days before that, he asked me to look after our Martins which was the only thing he asked me to do so I did it and this year as seen a lot of death.
We have 1 nest with 3 babies left which we supplimental feed with beef heart to keep them hydrated.
What they have to look forward to this week in the gourd. Wed~ 103 degrees, Thursday~ 104 degrees, Friday~ 104 degrees, Sat~ 102 degrees, Sunday~ 101 degrees, Monday~ 102 degrees. add 5+ degrees with the heat index. no rain. The hell never stops here......
I have done nothing but work, sleep, and struggle to help these birds for 3.5 months with little success in such a awful place.
I agree with RC, experiencing this makes me not want to continue this. If I see another Spring/summer here like this one, Im one step closer to encouraging these birds to move on. Hopefully much further north were they can live.

Eddie McKnight · Wed Jul 06, 2011 1:21 pm

Folks, I feel your pain, but for a different reason. I started off with more active nests than ever. And I have supplied the hawk population this year with more adult and fledgling birds than I thought possible - even with wire mesh guards around all houses and gourds.

As many of you have addressed before, the early part of the season it's the migrating smaller, faster hawks, and now it's the coopers dining on fledglings since they don't know to get off the wire and hide.

So I don't know which is worse - but I guess mother nature will take her course and like the first entry said "sometimes I wish I didn't know what was going on".