Dawnsong works and so do PCP pellet rifles
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Gene Scherrer
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Mon May 05, 2014 1:32 pm
- Location: WV/Moundsville
- Martin Colony History: 2013,14 - trying
2015 1 pair, 5 eggs, 4 hatched , 4 fledged
2016 ASY male arrived Apr 25, attracted a female , stayed a week and left SY male arrived May 24, stayed 3 weeks no female. Lots of martins here in migration , as many as 22
I have three sites, each with a T-14 and gourd rack with 8 PMCA gourds . All have SREH. I had a few visitors last year, including three youngsters in late Aug, during their return migration. This year I had more visitors, but none stayed. I installed an outdoor speaker on the gourd rack at my home site 10 days ago, and programmed a laptop to play Dawnsong every morning from 5:00 AM till 7:30 AM. I went out of town for 3-4 days and came back to three pair flying over my house and landing on both the T-14 and gourd rack... proof that it works. I discontinued playing and all are seemed to be settling in. Dawnsong does work and so do PCP pellet rifles. I have killed or trapped 80-90 HOSP since putting up housing in May 2014.
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bwenger
- Posts: 1057
- Joined: Thu Jul 14, 2005 7:24 pm
- Location: Pennsylvania/Espyville/Pymatuning Reservoir Area
- Martin Colony History: Taking care of 11 active public colonies and trying to start two more in northwestern PA. Also attempting to restart another one in southwestern PA, in Collier Township's Hilltop Park. In 2017, not sure what happened but the ASY male returned and then a couple of weeks later he was gone. It could have been weather related. No other birds showed up. I had a starling nesting at the Public site that I had trouble getting rid of.
In 2018, we fledged 629 martins at all of the sites.
Gene, welcome to the Forum.
Hope some of these visiting birds start to nest at your colony! It sounds like you are doing everything right, especially in the reduction of house sparrows and starlings.
It will just be a matter of time before you get some nesting martins.
Good luck and let us know how you make out. You still have another 2-3 weeks to start a colony this year. We should still have some SY martins returning to our area.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to put the questions on the Forum or feel free to send me a message or email.
Bill in PA
[email protected]
Building the Purple Martin population one bird at a time!
Hope some of these visiting birds start to nest at your colony! It sounds like you are doing everything right, especially in the reduction of house sparrows and starlings.
It will just be a matter of time before you get some nesting martins.
Good luck and let us know how you make out. You still have another 2-3 weeks to start a colony this year. We should still have some SY martins returning to our area.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to put the questions on the Forum or feel free to send me a message or email.
Bill in PA
[email protected]
Building the Purple Martin population one bird at a time!
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Gene Scherrer
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Mon May 05, 2014 1:32 pm
- Location: WV/Moundsville
- Martin Colony History: 2013,14 - trying
2015 1 pair, 5 eggs, 4 hatched , 4 fledged
2016 ASY male arrived Apr 25, attracted a female , stayed a week and left SY male arrived May 24, stayed 3 weeks no female. Lots of martins here in migration , as many as 22
Bill,
Thanks for your response. I have another site in MD at Keysers Ridge, at 3000' in the mountains of western MD., so spring comes later. I only go over there every few weeks. I had a SY male on the gourd rack, when I was cutting grass, so I am keeping my fingers crossed for that place as well as my home site.
Gene
Thanks for your response. I have another site in MD at Keysers Ridge, at 3000' in the mountains of western MD., so spring comes later. I only go over there every few weeks. I had a SY male on the gourd rack, when I was cutting grass, so I am keeping my fingers crossed for that place as well as my home site.
Gene
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Louise Chambers
- Site Admin
- Posts: 6208
- Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2003 1:07 pm
- Location: Corpus Christi, TX
Gene, I also want to congratulate you and thank you for what you are doing - very giving and selfless to do all the work, and it's not going to be something you can enjoy in your back yard, but will be something that many others will enjoy when they visit your three public sites. A big cheer to all the landlords out there who care for martins at public sites - it will make a difference for the martins. 
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Gene Scherrer
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Mon May 05, 2014 1:32 pm
- Location: WV/Moundsville
- Martin Colony History: 2013,14 - trying
2015 1 pair, 5 eggs, 4 hatched , 4 fledged
2016 ASY male arrived Apr 25, attracted a female , stayed a week and left SY male arrived May 24, stayed 3 weeks no female. Lots of martins here in migration , as many as 22
Louise,
Thank you for your nice comments. My first experience with martins, was when I was in scouts over 50 years ago. There was an active colony at a country store in a pretty isolated area. We built a martin complex with the old 6"x6" compartments and put it in an open area, that my dad had leased, about two miles from the site. We attracted martins, but despite being in a rural area, that long ago, there were starlings that took over. I shot a lot of them with a shotgun on weekends, but never could control them, plus we could only lower the complex by tilting the 2x6, that was sandwiched between two other treated 2x6's anchored in the ground. Had I known about SREH, when they were developed, I would have been building housing many years ago. Thanks again for responding.
Gene
Thank you for your nice comments. My first experience with martins, was when I was in scouts over 50 years ago. There was an active colony at a country store in a pretty isolated area. We built a martin complex with the old 6"x6" compartments and put it in an open area, that my dad had leased, about two miles from the site. We attracted martins, but despite being in a rural area, that long ago, there were starlings that took over. I shot a lot of them with a shotgun on weekends, but never could control them, plus we could only lower the complex by tilting the 2x6, that was sandwiched between two other treated 2x6's anchored in the ground. Had I known about SREH, when they were developed, I would have been building housing many years ago. Thanks again for responding.
Gene