lost babbies

[jeff gregory]

last year during a bad thunderstorm on a late afternoon day in july causing my gourds to fall to the ground killing atleast 10 babbies. the adults stayed a couple of more weeks then they left.in the fall when i cleaned out my gourds i found like i said about 10 dead babbies.
do you think the adults will return this year or will i have to start all over on that particular rack ? my other rack was just fine . full occupancy. what do you guys think ?

[John Miller]

You should be okay. Martins will tend to favor the successful rack early in the season, but likely many will go to the second rack after the first one fills.

Your site overall still has the stamp of approval of having fledged young. Somehow the word goes out on the martin internet when this occurs and sites often triple the next year in occupancy, so long as most cavities do fledge young.

In Forest Park, St. Louis, which has scattered housing locations, the first year, 2005, we had total 9 pairs. One lone house, its one pair lost the babies to wet weather. The next season, I think that location had about 10 pairs, and the other jumped from its 8 to 14 (full) and so on.

John M

[Tim Mangan-Kansas]

Jeff:

Since the damage occured in July, possibly the martins did not have time to renest. Did you get the gourds re-hung right away after the storm? Did the martins return to the gourds after they were put back up. If you got them re-hung right away and the martins returned, I feel they will come back. You mention you have a second rack that was full and not disturbed during the storm. You will be fine for 2012.

My biggest concern would be why the gourds fell from their hangers during the storm. I would be sure to make upgrades to keep them from falling off their hangers in the future.

Tim

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

If the gourds fell, and you put them back up in the exact same place on the gourd rack, then maybe some survived. If you got them all mixed up, and if no babies were raised at your site, then they may not return. They will return if they successfully raised some babies. Whatever you used to hang the gourds, quit using it and get something much stronger so that they do not fall again. Good luck this coming year.

[Chriscreole]

I found 2 dead babies when I took down the S&K hous they were flegling size, must have been the heat. Mine are going to shocked in a happy way when they see the new Super System with all THG & TVG's