SY Martins Continue to Arrive in Virginia

[Bill Pec]

Hi All,

SY martins continue to arrive at my site in Virginia . I am located in the southwestern section of the state so there is still hope of attracting martins for those living in Virginia and places farther north.

My best to you,

Bill

[lcline85]

Thanks Bill!

[omyakinback]

Hope someone post an answer to your question. I am a first year man, and have had one male desperately trying to draw in a female for about two weeks now. He gets about four visitors several times every day but no one stays, neither does he at night. Was wondering if it's to late for him to nest and raise this season. If they answere your question I think I would get my answere also. I live in NC northwest of Charlotte 50miles.

[Bill Pec]

Omyakinback,

I can't answer your question for your area. Hopefully someone will. Here in Virginia SY birds are still claiming mates, building nests and the first SY egg appeared today.
I too have questions. You mentioned that there is a male trying to attract a mate at your site without success. I have found that the male martins are usually easier to please than the females when it comes to nest selection. If the females are looking but not staying I would take a hard look at what you are offering. What are you offering in the way of housing? Are you offering a combination of houses and gourds? Are there pre nests in the cavities? Is there a tree issue? I have had very good success keeping the visiting birds by offering twelve inch deep nests in the houses and deep tunnelled gourds. At my place, having a few tunnelled gourds is the key to attracting and keeping the first of the visiting martins. Here, the visiting martins usually select the tunnelled gourds over the houses. If you are only offering shallow nest cavities in houses it may be difficult to convince the visiting martins to stay.
Luck comes to those who are prepared. Good luck,

Bill

[omyakinback]

Thank you for your response. I really have a great set up. I have one rack with 12 natural gourds, sizes are 9 - 11" ( all I could grow the 1 st year ). One Heath house 12 room modified to a 6 room double sized with 3 natural gourds underneath. Clear open site in middle of two three acre site,with all starlings and hosp under control. I was assuming it was a male trying to select a mate, have not much experience IDing yet. This is the first year for me and still learning,so all info would be appreciated. I assumed that our two locations would be very similar since we are not that far apart as the purple Martin flies. I do not have any tunnel gourds, only the modified house.

[Bill Pec]

Omyakinback,

Sounds like you have done a fine job getting everything ready for your martins. Congratulations. Are you playing a PM CD and do you have pre nests in the nest cavities?
Our location is about 100 miles apart. The SY martins that arrived at my place in mid June did not breed. But, that didn't matter, they still stayed around and entertained me. I presume many of those birds returned this year to help my colony grow and helped populate my neighbor's new colonies.

I'll be glad to help you. Just ask.

Bill

[omyakinback]

Nice chatting with you and again thanks for the help. Yes have per nest and playing dawn song. Have done about everything the experts on the forum have suggested. This is a great site for learning a new hobby. I was just wondering if it was enough time to get a nesting pair and if they had enough time to raise a family. Good luck to you and yours.

[Bill Pec]

Thanks Omyakinback,

My short answer is yes, there is still time for arriving SY martins to nest and raise a clutch.

Bill

[Kathy in VA]

omyakinbak,

I would suggest adding more variety in your gourds. I’d add a SuperGourd and a Troyer Horizontal gourd with a tunnel. I gave my visitors a variety pack when I was trying to attract martins and establish a colony—gourds of different styles with different shapes of entrance holes. My very first pair chose a (plastic) Troyer horizontal gourd over several natural gourds; and my first scout to arrive this year landed on the porch of a Troyer Horizontal, and it seems those gourds get the most investigation by the most martins here.

If you haven’t already done so, try adding extra perching rods across the house and the gourd hanging arms. Put several decoys on all systems (I used 6 on my one gourd rack!) Keep playing the Dawnsong 4:00am til dark, to help out your subadult male(s); then you can be attracting more martins even when he’s gone out feeding or isn’t in the mood to sing. Streak some mud under the entrance holes of gourds and on the house. Spread white pine needles and wheat straw out on the ground in an open area near the housing where the grass is mowed short. Provide crushed oystershells on elevated platforms or an open area of dirt. Never let any other species nest in the martin housing. There are many things that might make the females be just a little more interested in coming and feel secure enough to stay.

How far away from a human dwelling is your martin housing? Martins know they are safer, living closer to humans, so if martin housing is way out in the middle of a field, it may have great flyways but it may be too far from people for them to feel safe. You’re doing great to control House Sparrows and starlings—good for you!

If the bird you are seeing is not all blackish-purple and is sitting in a compartment or on a porch or perch rod singing and giving that clicking noise, you have a subadult male, trying to attract a mate. You may already know all of this, and I don’t get to keep up with the Forum regularly, so I don’t know what you have already read here. Better twice than none, since the one tip someone could have shared and didn’t, might be the one thing that would have helped you get martins!

Did you come to the last NC Purple Martin Society Meeting? I’m thinking I remember your “name” from some of the posts about it. The date for the next meeting has just been set: July 14--if you can come over for it, near Clayton, NC (to the east of Raleigh.) I’m sure it will be posted here by the organizers. It will be at a newly established colony; if your martin hasn’t found a wife by then, we can try to help you some more, for next year. You might try posting a photo of your site and housing, to see if any folks can see something else that might be a problem or that might help you. Don’t give up for this year yet! Keep trying new things.

lcline85,
Best wishes to you, too. Maybe it will happen soon. Just read all you can on the PMCA Home Page documents and the Forum and do searches to learn more.

Both of you might enjoy coming to the annual Purple Martin Field Day in central VA. Sure, it would be a long drive for you, but we have had folks who have driven to it from Pennsylvania, and it would be well worth your time and I think you will learn something and will have fun. Here is the link to the free event: www.purplemartinfieldday.org
Bill and a bunch of us Forum folks will be there!

[katkola]

Omyakinback,

I'm a little north of Bill and Kathy in Virginia. 2010 was my first year trying to attract PMs. I put my pole and gourds up on May 26th and got my first SY male on May 28th. So it's not too late. Don't give up!

BTW, that first male returned in 2011 and this year also. This year I have upwards of 7 pair right now and they have 28 eggs among them. I have other SY PMs that have just recently started nesting, so my numbers will increase.

Hang in there and enjoy the passion.

[lcline85]

Katkola that is amazing and pretty hope renewing. Did you play Dawnsong your first year? What kind of sound equiptment were you using? Im trying to reevaluate my sound system. Obviously a cheap cd player is not working well enough. I looked at powerhorns but can afford that and an amp right now. So ill probably have to wait till next season when I am finally employed!

[Bill Pec]

Icline85

An inexpensive substitute for an expensive sound system is an old Boom Box that can play a CD and has a continuous play mode. They are loud enough. Since they are cosidered obsolete by many they can often be found in a relative's basement for free. Other inexspensive sources are Pawn Shops, Goodwill Stores and eBay. I have recommended the Boom Box to several of my mentees with success and used one myself to start my colony. The box will have to be protected from the weather, but it works well enough. They can be put on a timer but the continuous play mode is usually not activated when on a timer.
Expensive sound systems work best, but in my opinion, they have three drawbacks. The first you have already mentioned, the expense. The others are that they are no longer needed once you attract martins and the effort needed to install them.

Are those Tree Swallows still behaving themselves at your father's place? Talk to you soon,

Bill

[lcline85]

Thanks for the advice, I'll keep my eyes out for a cheap boombox!

I swear I must have the most docile pair of Tree Swallows in the world. I'm expecting hatching though any day now. My BB eggs hatched today and the TRES are should be shortly behind them.

[Tim in VA]

I bought a cheap pair computer speakers from the local Mart ($15). Ran a long wire from the external speaker port on the computer out to the garage window where I had hung the speakers outside the top of the window. Hung them at the top of the window to help keep them dry. Programed the computer to play the DS intermittently through out the day. I think the whole thing cost me $25. Worked well and now have twelve Martins calling our place home.

Bill, SY Martins are still arriving here too. We are located appx 20 miles south of Richmond, just off of Interstate 95 (exit 45).

[katkola]

Hi there!

I purchased the Bird Magnet my first year and played it all season. Did the same last year (using the same machine). I have stopped playing it this year because it seemed to bother our new puppy....but I will definitely use it again next year.

[DAVE]

I Have too many SY's here. I'm full up and all of the folks around here are also full up. We have a combined 200 units this year which is 30 more than last year. But still hanging around being a real pest. What I figure is that we Martiner's must have raised a Bumper crop last year.
Dave

[lcline85]

I have been wondering about the bird magnet. Just curious is it already programmed with the dawnsong do you hook it up to your CD player/computer or something. I'm pretty confused about it and can't find too much info on it. Is the song it sings a long sequence like the dawnsong CD? Or just a short sequence repeated many many times?

I'm hoping colonies around here are starting to fill up! I had a minor setback today, had a HOSP that wants to take claim to my house so I had to lower it and pull nests. I put a sticky trap in the cavity he was interested in with a hole reducer, but he refuses to go in. I'm hoping if I dont catch him that I might at least scare him off. He hasn't found a female yet but he has been chirping out there for days!

[katkola]

I use a Bird Magnet and I have been very satisfied with it. The first couple of years I just had it sitting in a chair on my deck, plugged into an outdoor receptacle. The sound can be adjusted and you can also adjust it to play all the time or you can adjust it to start playing at dawn and stop playing at sunset. This year I had it hanging from stair railings off my deck, held up by Bungee Cords. Worked great!

Hope you get those Sparrows! They are bad news.

[lcline85]

Thanks. I read alot of past years posts on it. And decided to order one. We will see how it goes, should be here tomorrow!

Mabey I can keep the CD player on a lower volume out front by the house and the magnet out back on a higher volume to attract them in.

[Guest]

HI
YES, I HAVE MORE SY' HERE THIS WEEK
MORE MALES THEN FEMALES
PAIRING UP GOOD
2 OR 3 MORE PAIRES THIS WEEK
SHOULD PUT ME AROUND 60 PAIR THIS YEAR
I DO HAVE EXTRA MARTINS FOR SALE
MALES $1.OO,,, FEMALES $500.00
WITH FED X ,,, I CAN HAVE YOU A PAIR FOR $ 601.00 NEXT DAY
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND


DENNIS- POWHATAN