Can't even see a martin...
I have been a martin landlord for the past 3 years....before that i had lots of lookers but nothing stayed and nested...But every year i have had only 1 pair nest but others looking.....Each year the single pairs sucessfully fledged 4 to 5 young...This year i had a lone ASY male show up on April 19 th....tried feeding him cricketts but he never ate any that i know of.....cold weather,, wind and snow....He stayed for almost a week spending the nights in one of my T 14's....haven't seen him since.....Then on May 7th i had a single female show up in the morning....I put cricketts on the porch of the THG that she always sat on....she ate all that i put out for her...she stayed for about 3 hours or so and i haven't seen a martin since.....I think that im starting all over from scratch...Im located in Itasca Co , Mn.. Ive been playing the dawn song when im home but there are no martins.. The only landlord close to me is about 5 miles away...He's had martins for 30 years or so and as of last week he had 2 ASY males and 3 females.....Things look pretty bleak...
wow the martins have come full force here in Northern Canada. Our condo is full with 12 pairs....it does seem really strange??
2007 none
2008 few landed
2009 - 2 pair - 9 eggs- 9 fledged
2010 - 1ASY pair and 4SY pair total 10 bird
2011 first ASY pair May 06
2012 first pair arrived May 01, May 21 total 10 pairs 49 babies
2013 May 04 martins 2 pair May 19 total 12 pair
2014 May 08 2 pair May 12 almost full 10 pair
2008 few landed
2009 - 2 pair - 9 eggs- 9 fledged
2010 - 1ASY pair and 4SY pair total 10 bird
2011 first ASY pair May 06
2012 first pair arrived May 01, May 21 total 10 pairs 49 babies
2013 May 04 martins 2 pair May 19 total 12 pair
2014 May 08 2 pair May 12 almost full 10 pair
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Larry Budrow
- Posts: 12
- Joined: Fri Jul 02, 2010 12:09 pm
- Location: Illinois/Hawthorn Woods
Hi Dave
I had been trying for 15 years at my home site and last year I got my first pair and they raised 4 young. Also had the ASY male return April 19th and spent the night in the T14 for a week and then never returned. I manage several public sites and the numbers were down and starting to pick up now with the warmer weather. Yesterday and today birds are coming in to investigate the dawn song recording. Just think and hoping that more ASY birds will come in with the SYs.
An old neighbor from Marble.
Larry Budrow
I had been trying for 15 years at my home site and last year I got my first pair and they raised 4 young. Also had the ASY male return April 19th and spent the night in the T14 for a week and then never returned. I manage several public sites and the numbers were down and starting to pick up now with the warmer weather. Yesterday and today birds are coming in to investigate the dawn song recording. Just think and hoping that more ASY birds will come in with the SYs.
An old neighbor from Marble.
Larry Budrow
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AllenH
- Posts: 74
- Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2008 11:37 am
- Location: Minnesota/Crookston
- Martin Colony History: 2008 2 pair, 2009 22 pair, 2010 39 pair, 2011 51 pair
2012 66 pair, 2013 65 pair, 2014, 59 pair, 2015 67 pair
2016 78 pair, 108 nest cavities
Hi Dave,
There is still hope for you. The SY's are now arriving in good numbers. My first SYM was May 5th. I had been getting a few SY's one or two at a time since. I added a Gemini rack w/24 THG's on the 22nd. Before it was assembled and up I had two new SYM's waiting on an adjacent T-14. Today I have 5 SY and an ASY/SY pair claiming Gourds. There are extra females here lately looking for a mate. I did a check today and have 21 eggs.
I only lost 1 ASYM due to starvation (found him in a compartment that has 6 eggs). I've Fed 40 thousand Mealworms and 10 thousand Crickets so far this season. Most birds arrived on the verge of starvation. Bugs are still scarce around here and they still look for food on the feeders.
I currently have about 70 pair an counting.
A lot of PM's perished south of you around Mille Lacs. My brother was picking them up by the bucket full, he hadn't fed them before. This happened around April 20th.
Hope you get some SY birds.
Al
There is still hope for you. The SY's are now arriving in good numbers. My first SYM was May 5th. I had been getting a few SY's one or two at a time since. I added a Gemini rack w/24 THG's on the 22nd. Before it was assembled and up I had two new SYM's waiting on an adjacent T-14. Today I have 5 SY and an ASY/SY pair claiming Gourds. There are extra females here lately looking for a mate. I did a check today and have 21 eggs.
I only lost 1 ASYM due to starvation (found him in a compartment that has 6 eggs). I've Fed 40 thousand Mealworms and 10 thousand Crickets so far this season. Most birds arrived on the verge of starvation. Bugs are still scarce around here and they still look for food on the feeders.
I currently have about 70 pair an counting.
A lot of PM's perished south of you around Mille Lacs. My brother was picking them up by the bucket full, he hadn't fed them before. This happened around April 20th.
Hope you get some SY birds.
Al