Same pair of Purple Martins with eggs in two nests
It looks like I have a pair of purple martins that are splitting their time between two gourds. I placed a starling-resistant crescent entrance on one gourd after they laid their first egg, and it looks like they laid a second there and then moved on to a gourd that has a round hole. The second gourd also has two eggs and I'm waiting to see if they lay a fifth. I see one or the other parent at both gourds. Should I leave things as they are. Or should I move all of the eggs into one nest. I'd like it to be the one with the starling-resistant entrance because they moved into these two gourds after a starling drove them out of a round-hole gourd with tunnels. I trapped it. I'm using S&K big bo gourds and so can interchange entrances, though the two that they are now occupying are hanging from a Trio Castle and are attached with wire, so I cannot add tunnels as this will destroy their balance. My inclination is to do nothing and see what happens.
This is tricky. Watch really close. Because their may be 2. Females with one male. I had that last year. One female I do not see her a lot. She was like the mistress he was more devoted to the other female and slept in her gourd. But he fledged young from both gourds. On the other hand I have heard of this happening with SY birds. I have never had it happen here. But if I did I don't think I would mess with the eggs because I would not want to loose them all. Whatever you do good luck and please update us. Also I have bo11 and tunnels seem to help balance them out. But I do not know how yours are hanging of course.
2008 1 pair
2009 3 pair
2010 7 pair
2011 20 pair
2012 44 pair 280 eggs 210 fledged
2013 67 pair.
2014 67pair
2015-2022 67 pair
2009 3 pair
2010 7 pair
2011 20 pair
2012 44 pair 280 eggs 210 fledged
2013 67 pair.
2014 67pair
2015-2022 67 pair
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baileysambone
- Posts: 131
- Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2011 12:38 pm
- Location: Louisiana/Baton Rouge
Idybala
If you are sure it is one female, then I would move the eggs to one compartment and close the other one up for a day or two.
Same thing happened to me this year and in 2012.
I notice my males claim 2 compartments and I think sometimes the female just gets confused.
In 2012, I only had 1 pair and the female laid eggs in 4 different compartments.
I would close up the round hole and move the eggs to the crescent entrance one.
Otherwise she might try and incubate both sets of eggs and loose all the eggs.
Yvonne
If you are sure it is one female, then I would move the eggs to one compartment and close the other one up for a day or two.
Same thing happened to me this year and in 2012.
I notice my males claim 2 compartments and I think sometimes the female just gets confused.
In 2012, I only had 1 pair and the female laid eggs in 4 different compartments.
I would close up the round hole and move the eggs to the crescent entrance one.
Otherwise she might try and incubate both sets of eggs and loose all the eggs.
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
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
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baileysambone
- Posts: 131
- Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2011 12:38 pm
- Location: Louisiana/Baton Rouge
duplicate sorry
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
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
Last season I had an SY pair move into a 6x6 round hole compartment in my trio which was reserved for sparrow eviction. Worried that the pair might abandon the nest, I just left it like that instead of changing to a sreh & it was no problem and the pair ended up fledging four.
http://i1150.photobucket.com/albums/o61 ... 44c6fa.jpg
Best of luck on your martin season... dt
Two B09s are hanging under my trio by a pair of L-brackets fashioned into a makeshift u-bracket & oriented so the gourds swing side-to-side instead of front to back. If yr gourds are already occupied you might want to leave them as-is and maybe during off-season add the tunnels with some sort of bracket arrangement instead of hanging with wire. PMCA also offers a bracket for hanging gourds. Photo showing how I attached my gourds:...hanging from a Trio Castle and are attached with wire, so I cannot add tunnels as this will destroy their balance.
http://i1150.photobucket.com/albums/o61 ... 44c6fa.jpg
Best of luck on your martin season... dt
2025 - 15 pair, 56 fledged