Puzzled

Meem · Sun May 20, 2012 8:05 pm

Hi, I posted on April 5th that I had not even seen a Martin. May 1st a male came and sat on my house and talked to me. The next day a sub adult male came and checked the house and gourds. Well, they stayed around for 3 days, not staying at night just in the day time. The sub adult has been here every since. He doesn't stay at night but in the morning is here eating and preening his self. I have seen four flying over the oak trees like they used to and so does Tweety (sub adult). He eats and preens and goes in the house which I went and bought a brand new one thinking that was why they weren't coming. Yet around 8:00 to 8:15 he tells me goodnight and flys off to the south. This has been going on for about a month. He never comes with a lady either just him. Anybody ever known one to do this.? He loves to talk to me.

Emil Pampell-Tx · Sun May 20, 2012 8:13 pm

Its too late in San Antonio for the martins to be looking for new housing. You need to wait until next year, he may be back, and be your first martin to spend the night. Now its time to go to the roost in preparation for the trip to S America.

It would be nice to see him come back, and talk to you next year

flyin-lowe · Sun May 20, 2012 8:51 pm

That is how my colony got started. I had an SY male that picked out a cavity and spent most of the days there for several weeks. He ended up spending the night some but never attracted a female. The next year an ASY male showed up and shot straight into the same cavity so I am sure it was the same male. Either way I ended up with 5 pair that first year. Many people start a colony this way, a lone subby male who can't get a mate. But the next year when he is an ASY the females won't turn him down.

Bill Hyde · Mon May 21, 2012 12:08 pm

Ditto here. Last year we had four subbie males but only one female who picked a mate and laid two eggs which eventually fledged. The three male bachelor subbies stayed and all slept in separate gourds. This year we currently have four nesting pairs; the subbies, if they follow the same schedule as past years, could start showing up later this week.