I posted on Sunday morning that there was nothing to report, but Sunday afternoon... If you want to attract martins, this is how you do it. Have a party in your back yard, and play country music on your Dawnsong speaker right under your housing! It seems to have worked for me!
We had a gathering here with 7 adults 2 children and 2 dogs. All in the yard about 25 feet from my gourd rack. About 3:00 I saw a ASY female circle over head about 50-70 feet up. Glad to see her but nothing to dance about. 30 min later she returned with a male, also ASY. They landed on the rack, and hung around for 10 min or so. I wanted to hear them so I steped inside and turned down the music. Once they left I was wondering if they would return. After waiting for 30 min or so, I gave up and turned the music back up. Within 60 seconds they were back! It was the music.
They hung around all afternoon going in and out of every gourd on the rack. On the the third trip they brought a second ASY female. She was not so reseptive to us being there but the first two paid no attention to us at all, like we wern't even there. Certainly I was watching at dark, and about 10 min before, they left. But... last night they stayed.
I can only speculate that there must have been some damage to some housing somewhere close during our recent tornado and high winds. They are with out a doubt a mated pair. Where one goes the other follows. And it was obvious they were looking for a new home. And I'm hoping they have found it. I know one night doesn't a colony make but it's a start!
