do babies come back?

[crnman3]

I can't wait for the martins to start coming in!!

The jump my colony made from 2010 (6 pair) to 2011 (15 pair - 100% occupancy!) was beyond what I would have ever thought would happen.

I know last years adults will come back, if they survive the trip, but...

Do the martins born here last year come back to the same colony they were born at?

I am putting in a new pole that will have 9 more gourds this year, (24 total gourds on 2 racks) and wonder what additions i might expect to get.

I know this has probably been asked, (and answered) before.

Thanks for for the info.

[ron20m]

I've read this before but don't remember exact number. from a genetics point of view you wouldn't want them to all come back and they don't. I think the number is around 20% return to same spot. You can probably search archives and find an article

[DebA]

I've read here that the babies do not typically return to your site, but may go to a neighbors nearby site. So having another landlord relatively close (mine are within a few miles) is helpful to the growth of both colonies.

Deb
PMCA MEMBER
2009 Fledged 2
2010 Fledged 6
2011 FLedged 10, 2 ASY pairs, 1 SY pair
2012 Ready and watching

[Tim Stover]

they are just numbers you dont know how many will come back more than the numbers i believe if they survived the trip

[Tim Mangan-Kansas]

This question regarding SY's returning to their birth site recently came up elsewhere and I responded from memory. I just checked my records, so I can give you actual numbers from my previous colony.

In 2008, I banded 127 nestlings at my colony. In 2009, I observed six of these 127 banded nestlings return to my site as SY's. Of the six returning, two of them, one male and one female stayed at my site, paired up with other SY martins and successfully fledged young.

Previous studies have indicated the average mortality rate of hatch year martins runs anywhere from 40% to 60%. If 50% of the 127 nestlings that were banded in 2008 did not survive, that leaves 63 nestlings to return as SY martins. I saw six return to my site in 2009, which is about 10%. I believe 10% is the common stated percentage of SY martins returning to their natal birth site.

Tim

[dsonyay]

Tim- that was a very good project. Did you have any of the banded birds reurn as ASYs in 2010?

I had three fledge last year out of the three hatchlings I had. It's kind of sobering to think that maybe one is likely to return to the US out of those three- much less to my place.

Good post Tim.

[jmeyer]

David,
That one that returns may be the first to start a new colony for someone else. Your efforts have paid off!

[Tim Mangan-Kansas]

David:

We moved to a different house in April of 2010 so I can't say if any banded birds returned. During the nest checks the new owner let me conduct on the one pole left at our old house, I did not observe any banded martins.

Tim