Visitors

[Tim Mangan-Kansas]

When I had my large colony on the lake, normally by the first week in August, all my martins were long gone and I didn't see them again till the following spring.

Since the large roost started forming at Lake Ouachita, I have been playing my dawnsong recording each morning and receiving many visitors to my martin housing at our house. (This is the first time in three seasons I have had visitors at our new locaation.) At first, it was a combination of ASY along with SY and HY. As the roost started to break down, my visitors were limited to HY with an occassional SY male.

The roost finally broke down about a week to 10 days ago. I decided to keep the dawnsong playing just to see what would happen. Here it is Sept. 4, and I am still getting martins coming down to investigate the recording. I am not getting the large numbers as I was earlier and the visitors now are made up of single birds and an occassional pair. They are all HY birds. They are also not arriving till around mid morning unlike previous weeks when they were here within an hour after sunup. This would make sense since the martins I was getting during that time frame were greater in numbers and just leaving the Lake Ouachita roost.

Yesterday, Sept. 3rd, I had seven show up at different times throughout the morning; five singles and one pair, all HY's. The last one to show up arrived at 10:30 am. As soon as he lit on the gourd rack, he squatted down, wings sagging and beak open. He appeared to be one tired martin. He undoubtedly heard the dawnsong and wanted to be around adult martins to come down and rest. He let me walk right under him and he never did flush due to my presence. I couldn't help but wonder where his natal birth site was and where he might have been the previous day. He stayed about 20 minutes and then took off flying south as all of my visitors are now doing.

I believe the martins I am now receiving visits from are migrating martins from our northern states. When I had my large colony, I just felt come the first week of August, all the martins were gone and that was it for another year. By playing the dawnsong, I have been able to draw martins down to my martin housing when I thought they were all gone. It is totally amazing to be able to watch and study this behavior that I have ignored all these years.

Tim

[John Miller]

Very interesting observation. Our bird rehabbers just released a group of martins along the Mississippi River. Maybe they will find company.

John

[DornCounty]

At least some will know where your place is next spring. Hoping for the best.

[bacato]

Tim, just curious where are are located now. I kept a boat at the Crystal Springs marina for a lot of years - as you know that isn't too far from the roost. If you don't want to spell it out publicly, you can PM me.
-Brett

[Tim Mangan-Kansas]

Brett:

We moved from Lake Hamilton to about five miles southwest of Hot Springs. We are about 10 miles, as the "crow" flies from Lake Ouachita where the large Martin roost is located.

[bacato]

Thanks for the response Tim. MANY times I've driven out hwy 70, and taken the Sunshine road up to 270 - then west to Crystal Springs of course. Always enjoyed that route out thru the country. One of my coworkers grew up out in the Sunshine community.

[Tim Mangan-Kansas]

Brett:

We live a block off of Sunshine which is the road you were referring to in your travels.

Tim

[Matt F.]

Very interesting observations Tim!
That is really neat that your getting to see so many Martins stop by, that are in route to South America.