Ideal Martin location but no colony...

[Mitch Booth]

Hello Everyone,

A little background here on my situation. I've been trying to attract martins for about 8 years. The first 5 years I really didn't have a chance due to flyways and encroaching trees.

2012 I purchased a new home with an existing T-14 that was starling filled. I put up my Deluxe Gourd rack w Super Gourds all SREH about 40 feet from my front porch next to a 1-1/2 acre pond in my front yard. Still no martins for 2012.

2013 I had one successful SY pair that had 4 eggs, hatched 3 and 2 fledged. The nestling loss was not due to predation. They raised their nestlings in the gourd rack which was more ideally situated on the property versus the existing T-14. Enough flyways and completely away from trees.

2014 I'm all excited for my returning pair to end up with nothing except visitors all year long. In an attempt to get a colony started I installed a second gourd rack next to the other about 15 feet away for the arrival of thousands of visitors a day from the Fall Pre-migratory roost about a mile away as the crow flies. I installed all Troyer Horizontals with Colony II entrances and porches. I also installed 4 natural gourds in place of 4 Super Gourds and have converted all openings to Colony II entrances with porches.

So the question of the day is: For those of you that have established colonies in an ideal location how many years did it take to get a colony started?

You can view my location by typing in 6149 Renninger Rd Akron Oh 44319 to get a bird's eye view of location. Both gourd racks are to the left of beach viewing from above.

I'm trying to get my 2015 expectations in check, as 2014 was a complete disappointment.

Thanks for any and all comments,

Mitch

[Mitch Booth]

Also a side note that the Portage Lakes area (where I reside) was recently named the Purple Martin Capital of Ohio. We have colonies pretty much everywhere up here in my area. I guess that may be a disadvantage with so many active colonies to draw in all the second year birds.

[avesrun]

Hey mitch keep your hopes high. Your second post hit me for my opinion which is that the colonies around you are sucking up martins; either way i would think you're set up for success sooner rather than later. Your situation is opposite of mine; I'm on my third season in a decent location in what I would call a Martin deficit area. Closest colony may be as close as 20 miles or as far as 50; I haven't found a true colony to date. A couple of unmanaged houses here and there.
All you can do is stay vigilant and hope for the best.
Myself I've already after only2 seasons been telling myself for 2015 to try and go with the flow on whatever happens and not let the whole thing bring me down if this is not the year.
I've gotten to where I've become very appreciative of the visiting martins each season; at least I get to see martins and they keep me optimistic about the work involved in putting up the housing each season. Good luck in 2015.
Tim

[rrmartins]

I would add a house or two near gourds to increase your chances. Different martins like different cavities. Never give up.

[Mitch Booth]

Thanks Tim for the reply.

I had one individual tell me that I'm trying too hard.... decoys, mud, mirrors and the Dawnsong playing non-stop.

After some thought I think he may be on to something. I put up wood duck boxes, tree swallow boxes, bluebird boxes, chickadee boxes and nesting tunnels for Mallards and leave them all alone and do absolutely nothing and every year they are all filled.

I just need to be patient and continue to eliminate the starlings and house sparrows. I need to be thankful for what I have and quit worrying about it and if it happens it will happen.

Thanks,
Mitch

[apundt-TX]

Your site looks awesome.
And the pre-migratory roost close by increases your chances of someone keying in on your site for this year. Are there any colonies close by with martin nests not cleaned out yet. Maybe you can swap gourds so you have a couple of lived in gourds to make the new martins inspecting your housing more at ease.

I did this for my home site by swapping gourds from my father-in-laws site that i manage.

[taxidermy lady]

Mitch,
I do not have a colony started yet! BUT This is my 3rd yr. of trying to get them back. i had martins 10 yrs. ago when my property had small trees. I planted a lot of trees in 1990 for shade, they grew and grew. All my martins left! I did not know trees were bad for them! I have my back yard tree free again! It is very open now! If you have removed trees from your yard and made it open it may take a few yrs. for them to get used to that. I have removed approx. 10 trees in 3 years. And I still have a front yard full of trees for shade.
When you only have one pr. Something may have happened to your pair and the fledglings. It had to be heart breaking for you last yr. when they did not return.
Having all those visitors surely some of them will remember your location!
Good luck!

[Matt F.]

Hi Mitch,
You may have already considered this, but curious as to what kind of housing the surrounding colonies are using?

[Archer]

Great place you have there, I couldn't imagine anything better for martins. Don't give up, I had a similar situation. My first pair in 2012 fledged 2, the following year, only visitors. The disappointment was hard to get through but I kept my hopes up for the next year. Last year a female sy came on May 23rd and she stayed. Didn't take long for the boys to find her. That's all it takes, just the right one and your on your way.

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

Mitch, I am not very good at looking at your site computer wise. However, from what I can see, there are many trees on several sides of your property. If your house sits in a "hole" of trees, then that may be the problem. Martins like at least 2 directions for flyways, and 3 is much more preferable for flyways. If indeed you have a hole where your house is, it does not help much to have an open space around your house...What I am saying is that you cannot attract martins in a forest with a hole in the middle. Keep in mind, I do not know if this is your case. Wishing you the best of luck

[taxidermy lady]

If this site is not open enough there's a lot of us in trouble.
It looks like the trees are plenty far away to me! Forty feet is plenty but further is always better! I have read that zillions of times! I think it's just a matter of time for you!
Get ready to order more gourds in a couple yrs.

[Archer]

That yard is about as big as a football field and wide open, can't see any problem with the location.

[DornCounty]

Keep HOSP and Starlings away... offer a variety of openings... with good location... all you can do is be patient. I don't know of anyone who did the above and didn't eventually get them.

[GeneP]

Mitch, your site is a 1000 times better than mine. If you were able to attract a pair before then you should be able to do it again. Keep at it. It took 4 years for me. Too many neighbor trees may put an end to my small colony. Hang in there.

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

Surely the site looks great, but it does not answer the question that if there are many trees, like a forest, around the site, it becomes very difficult to establish a colony

What I am trying to say is that martins like locations where there are open fields nearby, water nearby, and not totally enclosed by trees.

Again, I do not know if this condition exits.

[Anthony Neira]

Mitch, as everyone else here say's, "Don't Give Up!" I 'm sure a big part is with what you noted about all the success going on around the other sites. I would try to SPY ( O.K, Visit them) & see how close the other Martins are to the other homes & trees. I was very lucky in that my 23 year old colony started from older '50s & '60s PM Ghost Towns, where 1 or 2 pair still lingered on, & I just happened to re-start it, first with 1 pair, & growing slowly, even with my place Blitz by trees, my Martins seem so grateful, they don't mind being so close to my Trees & House! Crazy! BUT it also helped that there were ( Sadly still are ) NO Serious Landlords around for miles, I only know of a small one downtown. So please investigate the others around you! Good luck, Anthony

[Mitch Booth]

Hi Emil,

Thanks again for gourd seeds. You sent them to me in the beginning of the Summer. Yes the birds eye view is a bit deceiving. The tree line is well over 100 yards away from the gourd racks. The house sits in the center of 11 acres and it takes about 5 hours to mow the grass w a commercial zero turn mower. Just about all the sites nearby plus the two I manage have tree lines considerably closer. My other site however was much different. That site was tree encroached w no open flyways.

Just about all the members of our Portage Lakes Purple Martin
club that visit feel the site is about as good as it gets. We have many lakes in the area one of which is less than a mile away that hosts the premigratory roost.

I would say the 50 or so colonies within a 5 mile radius use primarily Super Gourds. We do have one colony w 156 gourds but it is only at 70% occupied.

We even had a hot air balloon land in the front yard to give you an idea how much room we have.

Mitch

[Mitch Booth]

Archer and DornCounty,

Wow I can't imagine getting 6 pair in one one year from 0 the previous year!!

Archer our stories are very similar!! I bet you were soooooo disappointed in 2013 and then to get 6 pair the following year is amazing. How many cavities do you offer? Where about is Altona? Did you play the Dawnsong much?

Mitch

[Archer]

Hey Mitch, getting six pair was way beyond my hopes, I can't be anything but thankful. Four of the pairs were successful, the other 2 nests failed. Considering they were all SY, maybe the nest failures should not be a surprise. I have about 60 cavities on 4 different units. In 2013, when no nesters showed up, I read the article in the update by James D. Ray,
From Rags to Riches with Purple Martins-Good things Come to those who wait. I was encouraged by this article and "chased the dream"

Altona is in Southern Canada, I live eight miles north of the international border, just north of North Dakota.

I played the Dawn Song and Daytime Chatter in rotation, all day, most days. The first martins that showed up, liked it, and were not bothered by it. More kept coming everyday. Once the first pair was seriously into nesting I scaled it back. I will do the same again this spring.

I am hoping God sends some your way this spring.

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

Hi Emil,

Thanks again for gourd seeds. You sent them to me in the beginning of the Summer. Yes the birds eye view is a bit deceiving. The tree line is well over 100 yards away from the gourd racks. The house sits in the center of 11 acres and it takes about 5 hours to mow the grass w a commercial zero turn mower. Just about all the sites nearby plus the two I manage have tree lines considerably closer. My other site however was much different. That site was tree encroached w no open flyways.

Just about all the members of our Portage Lakes Purple Martin
club that visit feel the site is about as good as it gets. We have many lakes in the area one of which is less than a mile away that hosts the premigratory roost.

I would say the 50 or so colonies within a 5 mile radius use primarily Super Gourds. We do have one colony w 156 gourds but it is only at 70% occupied.

We even had a hot air balloon land in the front yard to give you an idea how much room we have.

Mitch

Mitch, your description sounds very good, I too think that you will succeed in getting martins at this location..best of luck