The Stafford roost this year so far is looking like a replay of last year where we had gradual increase in numbers from June thru August, peak in early September, then a rapid decrease over the next few weeks with the Martins finally disappearing by the second week of October. The Willowbrook roost is still visible on morning radar but it's been a few weeks since I've visited there & I haven't heard any recent reports. The two roosts are typically about the same size.
Here's a 2.5min video from Stafford Saturday night including about 30 seconds of footage from the car show which is in the same shopping center as the roost but far enough away so the birds are not a nuisance: http://youtu.be/2ZkLblUTgYk
Pic taken Saturday evening at the staging area next to the roost:
Thanks for the video. I hate it but so far, we have not had a chance to go to see the roost. The martins quit coming to visit us as I took down the gourds, and have not seen any at our place for about 2 weeks. I will start putting up the gourds again in mid Dec, and try to have them all up by mid January
I enjoy looking at the classics, wish I would have gone to see them
Additional note. As of last Saturday all 27 of the usual trees at the Stafford roost (Houston SW) were fully occupied with Martins plus an four additional trees of overflow nearby.
Radar over the past few days shows that the Willowbrook roost (Houston NW) has shrunk quite a bit. In fact all the roost rings across Texas and Louisiana have virtually disappeared except for Stafford and maybe one in the McAllen area. Wonder if migrating Martins from northern areas have chosen this as a stopping point before proceeding on their journey southward.
The Stafford roost ring is circled below in the TX/LA regional radar image from the morning of 9/2/14. There are some concentrated areas of activity in SW Louisiana and along the Waco/Austin/San Antonio corridor but these are not typical PM expanding donut patterns.
Don, that is a great video! If they are using that many trees, there could be 2 to 4 times as many birds there as have been at the Tulsa roost. That is a really huge number of martins. I wish I knew if some of the birds that have been here have come through that roost in Houston. It would be almost a straight shot south, and then another almost straight shot to the Yucatan Peninsula. Thanks for posting the video!
Dick, I think the two Houston roosts are each about the same size as the Tulsa roost. I recently did some rough estimates of sizes of the two Houston roosts from radar patterns and compared to some other roosts including Tulsa using the same method to try to gauge the size of the Houston roosts. These numbers are just swags so I trust your better judgment on the size of the Tulsa roost.
204K: Stafford (Houston SW) average four dates between 8/3/14 and 8/21/14.
190K: Willowbrook (Houston NW) average two dates 7/31/14 and 8/15/14.
205K: Tulsa, single date 8/6/14.
290K: Stafford two dates 9/1/14 and 9/3/14. Big surge here around the first of September while Willowbrook dropped. Stafford should be ramping down steadily now thru the end of September.
I'd also be interested in knowing that paths these birds are taking and whether they're hopping from roost to roost on the way south. Guess we'll have to wait for the geolocator data. It would also be interesting to sit out at the staging area with a scope and try to pick out some banded birds and get the IDs. This would tell us where the birds originated but not the path they are taking.
Don, thanks for posting those roost estimates. I will check the Tulsa roost again over the weekend, but I am expecting a substantial drop in the number of birds that are still using it. A strong front is supposed to come through tonight, and I think those are a factor in moving the birds south.
Looking for banded birds at staging areas is a good idea. Getting close enough to get a good image would be a challenge here, but it would be worth trying.
Martin Colony History: Started trying to attract purple martins in 2012! It's finally happened in 2017! 5 years!!! ASY male and SY female came May 1st, fledged 5 babies!
taxidermy lady, it's great that you had the opportunity to observe the martins heading over toward the roost. You're probably correct, that they were roosting on the other side of the river. So close but so far...
Keep up the good work on attracting martins. With so many in your area and with great advice and support from this forum, your efforts will soon be rewarded.
Visited the Stafford roost last night (9/6/14) and numbers were up once again. The usual 27 trees were all occupied plus 4 trees nearby, and another ten trees at the far end of the parking lot were partially occupied. Several curious onlookers asked about the birds so I gave them copies of the roost alert. Both Houston area roosts are still showing up on morning radar - Stafford is gigantic while Willowbrook is clearly visible but shrinking. Cold front is expected next weekend and that will probably get them moving south. Next stop appears to be Harlingen because there is a large roost down there also.
Here's a flash photo of some of the Martins approaching the trees:
Although the numbers are still huge, there was a noticeable decline in at Stafford Tuesday evening (9/9/14) compared to three days ago. We should continue to see a steady decline over the next few weeks as the Martins head south.
Numbers continue to decline at Stafford (Houston SW) although still plenty of Martins here - enough to fill the skies over the shopping center parking lot. Tonight after the birds settled in, there were about 20 trees occupied (out of the usual 27).
With the cold front & winds pushing down from the north this past weekend, we saw lots of migration - hummingbirds mostly moved south, swallows of several types were seen traveling northeast (?) steadily Sunday morning. Some were martins.
Jedin you took the words right out of my mouth! Thanks Don---best roost video I've seen so far. This may be a silly question but do the martins bump into each other! Their activity looks so hyper like they don't know what they are doing or where they are going Is there a purpose or meaning to all their continuous circling? Or is it like a dance for them? Would love to see a roost in person.
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Jody
Ed, I haven't been over there in the morning. I suspect by that time any grounded birds would've been taken by feral cats that patrol the area. In the evening I've found remains of dead birds, mostly just wings. We rescued an injured bird last year and took it to the wildlife center, rehabber said it had a broken clavicle so it must have flown into a parked car or light pole. In a couple of incidents at the other roost, a bird was found dead from flying into something, and another one was found grounded, treated overnight and released in the morning.
Louise, wave of hummers was here last week and moved on. Maybe 8-10 still here, down from 25-30 a week ago. Lots of swifts on the move. Groups of 100 or so swirling around. 1000+ counted at the swift count near here a few days ago.
Jody, I can't explain the antics of the Martins as they descend to the trees. Very entertaining though!
Last night at Stafford the numbers were up from a week ago. 25 of the usual 27 trees were filled with Martins, plus a few more at the far end of the parking lot. There were zero birds at the staging area prior to sunset, which is typical, some evenings they skip the staging area and head straight to the roost. There is still a small roost pattern visible on morning weather radar at the other roost site in the Willowbrook area.
Here's some video from last night, under 4min: http://youtu.be/MmV1e2hzjug
