Decent Martin Season

[Bob]

I was blessed with 33 pairs of martins this season. My site has 2 parts. Housing on the farm, which is very open and small set up sitting on the pond at the farm. The pond setting has alot of trees around, but is open by the housing, the housing sits right on the shore of the pond. By late May, there were no takers at the pond. I have had nesting pairs there for 6 years, but I pretty sure that site got hit by an owl the end of last season.

I moved one of the houses to the farm and within a week 3 pairs nested in the house. I left one house and 7 gourds at the pond, but no martins nested there this year, so I will move the martin house to the farm next year. The farm is very open.

I also had 5 successful tree swallow nests and for the second year in a row, one of my blue bird houses served double duty. Last year and this year, one blue bird house had a tree swallow nest fledge and about 1 week after tree swallows fledge, I cleaned out the house and a pair of bluebirds nested.

The sky around the farm is full of barn swallows and about 10 martins. I think these martins are recent fledges from my site and I think they are waiting around for my final 2 martin nests to fledge, before they move on. These 2 nests should fledge in 2 or 3 days, which would make them the latest fledges for my site.

[taxidermy lady]

That is good news Bob for Illinois wanna be's. Keep up the good work. I appreciate it.

[Dave Duit]

Nice to hear all went good Bob. Hoping for a great year for taxidermy lady to get a colony started.

[taxidermy lady]

Aw thanks Dave, I'll wish you the best too!!!