I think I've come up with the best attraction tool yet, But I'm gona need a little help. I've played the dawnsong CD with very litte results. I'm curently using a day time chatter CD, again with very litte results. I think I need another CD.
I've read many times here about martin behavior at fledging time. I was talking with James Strickland a few days ago, and he was telling of his experience last year. He said that his birds nested late last year, and even thuogh he had a few visitors on and off all year, at fledging time he had about 40 martins show up to help encourage the young ones to fly. This year he seems to be off and running by leaps and bounds. I think he's up to 6 pair plus 1 extra male so far.
There has to be something different in that particular time period in the martin vocabulary. A different pitch or tone, or maybe a different sound all together not made at any other time of the year. As I stated earlier, I've read many stories here of flocks of martins showing up to help. My question is how would others know if there wasn't something different about their call.
If someone could find a small colony of 2 or 3 pair, and could get a recording of the adult calls at fledging time, I bet you would have the ultimate attraction tool. And I would be more than happy to try it out to see how it works!
Gobbler T, I absolutely agree with you. I have noticed that when there are large nestlings begging for food at my colony, there are also a LOT of birds visiting that are not my colony birds, ASY and SY birds among them. I think the sound of large nestlings begging is the best attracting tool there is and broadcasts to other martins that this is a great place to raise young. Birds who did not nest or nested unsuccessfully seek out successful martin colonies with large nestlings and fledglings and remember these locations the following year. Many of these visiting martins even stay the night at this time. We need a CD of the sounds a colony with loud begging young!
Well I'm glad to know that ya'll don't think I'n nut's! I'm not sure it's the sound of hungry babies though. I'm talking about fledging day. That day seems to be special to all martins for some reason.
Tony,
As you know I had my first pair and only pair last year, so I watched them as much as I could. I think you may be on to something. There were gobs of PM around when each of my 5 babies fledged.
I noticed about a week before they fledged, and also when each one of them fledged, the female sat on the utility wire close to the house and repeated over and over a one syllabus sound. I think it's the sound she makes so the young recognize her voice after they fledge. The little ones were doing this to.
The closest thing I can think of that comes close to this sound, is like a lioness calling for her cub.
I remember all the other PM coming each time one of the babies fledged, and their usual chatter, but I could still hear Maddie ( my female) above all the other sounds.
Yvonne
2011 visitors
2012 1 pair ASY male, SY female 9 eggs, 8 hatched, fledged 5
2013 5 pair fledged 8
2014 4 pair fledged 15
2015 7 pair fledged 25
2016 10 pair fledged 31
2017 17 pair fledged 69
2018 18 pair fledged 69
2019 21 pair fledged 52 (biting gnats lost babies)
2020 17 pair fledged 53
2021 16 pair fledged 62 ( hard freeze in Feb for days. Lost 39 birds. My oldest and wisest)
2022 11 pair fledged 43
Martin Colony History: In 2024, 82 pair with 350 fledged youngsters. 110 total cavities available, 82 Troyer Horizontal gourds and a homemade PVC / metal 28 compartment unit, 1 fallout shelter. Hawk and owl guards included. Martin educator and speaker. President and founder of the Iowa Purple Martin Organization. Please visit Iowa Purple Martin Organization on Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1627283871068161 Emails send to [email protected]. Subject line include Iowa Purple Martin.
It is post like these that may be a blip on the map and then suddenly end up being huge in the future. These little happenings can turn into big things with research. Nice observation.
Mite control, heat venting, predator protection and additional feeding during bad weather add up to success. IPMO LOGO1.jpg
I would imagine martins would cue into any indicator of successful nesting, such as parents calling to fledgling young, or grown nestlings in the nest. I have only been a martin landlord for three years and can only speak about the experiences at my colony. Perhaps some of the experts in martin behavior with more experience, for example John Barrow, John Miller or Emil Pampell, will chime in.
In my first year, when I put up my T-14 with four gourds in January, I watched the as the ASY martins returned to my area and they ignored my housing completely. They piled into my two neighbors OLD run down sparrow infested unmodified S&K barns. I expected this as they had fledged many martins from these houses for a long time, but it was depressing to watch the martins ignore what I thought was far superior housing. Finally in mid-April I was able to attract three SY pairs. The ASY birds completely ignored my housing until I had older nestlings loudly calling from their nests. At that point, it was 5 days or so prior to any young birds leaving the nest, the ASY birds in my area (and more SY birds and even some hatch year birds) suddenly showed tremendous interest in my housing and I noticed many birds that were not nesting there spending the night. That year was 2011 and Texas was having a horrible drought and ultimately there was not much fledging from my house. My SY birds were inexperienced parents under extremely difficult conditions and out of three nests only one nest with a single nestling fledged. I observed this young bird when it fledged and it was without much fanfare (probably not typical). The other nestlings from the other two nests all starved to death in the nest - very depressing. My point is that I had a lot of interest from other birds that year but unfortunately there wasn't much fledge behavior going on.
The following year I had seven pair and much better success. All my nests fledged young but prior to any young fledging I noticed that there were SY and ASY birds that were not nesting in my housing visiting and even spending the night. That year the birds in my housing fledged before my neighbor's birds did, and I suspect there were re-nesting attempts in their houses due to nesting failure in those 6X6 compartments. In any event, once my birds had fledged young and were no longer returning to my house there was no activity at my place but I noticed gobs of birds checking out my neighbors houses when there were older young loudly begging from their houses.
I would imagine martins use a variety of clues, visual and auditory, and certainly the sounds of parents calling to their fledgling young would be a big attractor as this indicates to martins that "here is a place where you can fledge young." But I can also tell you that at least at my colony, the sound of older young begging, and maybe the sounds of parents and young learning each other's calls at this time too, is a BIG attractor to other martins. These sounds would be easy to record too, as they are almost constant at a big colony, whereas the sounds of fledging occurs less commonly. Obviously it is more than just sound, surely the sight of these activities is also a big (bigger) attractant but that is harder to replicate when you have no martins.
The dawn song has big value in that it can attract martins to your colony that same season, and you may have nesting birds that year. But if I were trying unsuccessfully to attract birds year after year, I would try to play the sounds of young calling from the nest late in the season as this would be easy to record, as well as the sound associated with fledging if possible, and this may attract birds to the colony that would nest there next season. Food for thought.
I would love to hear what other more experienced landlords think.
You may be on to something, I don't know. Nestlings taking flight, especially at a new colony happens at the time when successful nesting pairs are shopping their fledglings around, showing them colony sites where they can nest the next year. It is very common for adult pairs to take HY birds to other colonies, so the sounds made by adults attempting to coax nestlings out of the nest happens at the same time that quite a bit of visiting goes on anyway.
So IMO, it may not be a sound cue that causes the other birds to be at the site, they may be there anyway. Or maybe not.
High quality plastic gourds with porched, tunnelled SREH are Martin magnets.
Many of these ideas have some merit, and they may work. However, the very best method is still to have a wide open space with no trees nearby, and keep away all starlings and sparrows. Many other things may help, but have very little influence, just my opinion. If you still cannot attract martins, then there may be a lack of martins looking for a home, and playing the dawnsong or anything else probably will not solve the problem
Brad-AL wrote:You may be on to something, I don't know. Nestlings taking flight, especially at a new colony happens at the time when successful nesting pairs are shopping their fledglings around, showing them colony sites where they can nest the next year. It is very common for adult pairs to take HY birds to other colonies, so the sounds made by adults attempting to coax nestlings out of the nest happens at the same time that quite a bit of visiting goes on anyway.
So IMO, it may not be a sound cue that causes the other birds to be at the site, they may be there anyway. Or maybe not.
Great point Brad. I would counter that after all my martin young had fledged last year there were no visitors to my house, all the martins were checking out my neighbors housing with large begging nestlings in them. Again, I were trying year after year to attract martins unsuccessfully I would add the sounds of older nestlings and fledglings late in the season to my arsenal of attracting tools. (maybe these sounds are already in the daytime chatter CD??) We all know having martins at your housing is the best way to attract martins but this seems like an easy way to at least fool them into checking out the housing and considering it for next year.
P.S This year the martins came back to my housing before they arrived at my neighbors! Ive got great numbers and lots of nest building right now. Even a few subbies.
Gobbler T I think you have something there. I noticed at fledge time here that a lot of adults stick around and help the young. My site only has 18 Gourds and the parents are busy feeding the Fledglings still in the Gourd they are calling for more food. So the other Martins are teaching the Fledgling how to hunt food and fly. I also notice that when there is a jumper that a lot of martins will try to get it to fly.
One year I had a pair that Fledged late and about 8 or9 Martins stayed until all where Fledged.
At the time this all happened I didn't think much of it but since you brought it up there is something to your idea. I will pay more attrition this year.
Thanks for thinking out side of the BOX
Dave
Martin Colony History: First pair in 2009 after 28 years of trying. 3 pairs 2010, 17 pairs 2011 and 35-45 pairs since. Many additional colonies are now springing up around mine in an area once completely void of Martins. I offer 50 compartments at my site consisting of primarily Excluder II gourds on Gemini racks. Also a wooden T-14. I utilize electric fence type predator guards on the base of the poles. Supplemental feeding is crucial in maintaining my colony. I platform feed throughout the season as needed. My site tends to be a stop over point for additional birds as they migrate further north.
In order to successfully attract Martins to a new site you need.
1. Martins to attract.
2. Housing for them free of competitors
3. Wide open well manicured space (the bigger the better).
4. Some nearby water for drinking & bathing. (the bigger the better again)
You could stand on your head and play South American jungle music with mirrors on your shoes but without "number 1. above" it is near impossible to attract them.. You need an overflow from nearby sites to do it easily. One unhappy pair that moves your way also gets it done.
Martins are very intelligent. You really can't trick them. But you certainly can coax them. Dawnsong is a viable way to get them to look and hang around. Decoys can confuse them but also peak coureousity.
If they need a place to nest you will have a hard time stopping them if you have the list above.
You need to create a successful overflowing nearby site to increase your chances. Then you need to make your site the best it can be.
That is my opinion. That is what I did. I always felt if you can get a few youngers at the same time interested or a two already paired looking to renest. That is key.
Lets hope for that to happen.
Doug
Supplemental feeding plays a major role in Western Pennsylvania. Finally got my 1st pair in 2009 after 28 years of effort. The colony has grown quickly to 45 pairs that I care for. Many new colonies have now sprung up around me in the past few years as well. Where there was none.... there is many.
Thanks Dave & Doug
Well Doug I guess you've solved my mystery! I have 3 of the 4 and I guess we all know witch one is missing. The most important one. This has been my suspicions all along. I may be looking at waiting as long as you did. However I'm giving up after 27, I think you earned & deserve the record!
