Northern Mn..ASY male here 6 days
I had a ASY male show up on May 17th.. He has been checking out my 2 T 14 s, going in the nest boxes.. Ive got Troyer H gourds hanging underneath but he has shown no interest in them... He's here almost all morning but is gone the rest of the day until evening...I think he's staying the night , but not totally sure as sometimes he shows up just at dark. I did have a female show up last Friday.. she spent 15 or 20 minutes landing on the T 14 s,, checking them out...the ASY male was calling and really excited. She did show up again that same evening but only stayed for a couple minutes and then was gone. Yesterday i had a female do a fly by..I have no idea if it was the same one or not..Im playing the dawnsong but have it set on moderate volume, not blasting . So that's what's happening here in northern Mn. The ASY male sure seems to like it here. All i can do is hope that he finds a female that likes it too...The last 3 years i've only had visitors but the previous 3 years i had 1 pair each year successfully raise their young....All i can do is hope for the best...Any thoughts or suggestions from other landlords would be great...Thk s Dave
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1BirdmanEye
- Posts: 18
- Joined: Sun Apr 17, 2016 8:00 pm
- Location: Janesville,wisc
- Martin Colony History: First nesting pair in 1995.
If you haven't already,try stuffing some pine straw in each gourd,that would be the white pine,soft needle dried out not green,I make a nice layer in each of my gourds,just might be what you need to satisfy the female,good luck.
Thanks for the info 1 BirdmanEye.. Yes i already have dried pine straw in the gourds and the T 14's.. I had no sooner posted in the Forum this morning when the ASY male hung onto a lone Super Gourd with a crescent opening...He didn't go in but he peeked in 2 or 3 times.....I have also smeared some mud around the openings and on the porches....Dave
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4th Gen Martin Fan
- Posts: 1498
- Joined: Thu Jul 04, 2013 1:19 pm
- Location: TN/Collierville
- Martin Colony History: I have been exposed to purple martin sounds in utero when my mother went out to get my father away from his martin colony.
I played around the martin colony every summer and watched as my father maintained his colony. In the late 50's until the 70's he did not notice European Starlings in south Texas.
When old enough, I helped maintain his colony. My primary task was eliminating English House Sparrows with a 1956 Benjamin 317 .177 air rifle.
When I settled into my own home, I started my first colony with an original Trio Castle and Trio Grandpa. When I moved again, I did not put up any martin houses. Frustration with European Starlings in the Southeast US was overwhelming.
Found PMCA Forum and learned about modern enlarged compartments and SREHs.
Inherited my father's last martin house, a Trio Grandma, modified it to modern specifications and have had good results since then.
I recall Bob Buskas of Northern Sky's Purple Martin Colony.
He first posted in 2007 about his bungalow design made from wood because he was not having success with plastic gourds in his northern latitude colony in Alberta, Canada.
https://www.purplemartin.org/forum/view ... low#p67247
I recall one post mentioned that the martins were checking out but not nesting in plastic gourds at his northern colony. Could this problem be applicable to your situation?
I am thinking about getting his bungalow plans and trying a few out. If the bungalows were vented with PVC elbows, then they could be plugged during the early spring. When daytime temperatures exceed 90 degrees F, then the plugs could be removed to allow circulation to avoid heat build up in the hot summer days.
I hope that you have success in your northern latitude colony.
Mark.
He first posted in 2007 about his bungalow design made from wood because he was not having success with plastic gourds in his northern latitude colony in Alberta, Canada.
https://www.purplemartin.org/forum/view ... low#p67247
I recall one post mentioned that the martins were checking out but not nesting in plastic gourds at his northern colony. Could this problem be applicable to your situation?
I am thinking about getting his bungalow plans and trying a few out. If the bungalows were vented with PVC elbows, then they could be plugged during the early spring. When daytime temperatures exceed 90 degrees F, then the plugs could be removed to allow circulation to avoid heat build up in the hot summer days.
I hope that you have success in your northern latitude colony.
Mark.
Mark.
Firm believer in HOSP/EUST Control, Enlarged Compartments, SREHs, Pole Predator Guards, Owl/Hawk Guards, Mite/Parasite Control, Housing Insulation, and Vents for Compartment Cooling.
PMCA Member.
Firm believer in HOSP/EUST Control, Enlarged Compartments, SREHs, Pole Predator Guards, Owl/Hawk Guards, Mite/Parasite Control, Housing Insulation, and Vents for Compartment Cooling.
PMCA Member.
Mark, thanks for the info...a short history of my martin set up here in northern Mn.. the past 3 years all i had were visitors, no nesters...But the previous 3 years i had one pair each year nest and fledge their young..The first 2 years they nested in the same T 14 and the 3rd year they nested in a TH gourd..AS of yesterday the ASY male is still here, haven't seen him yet this morning,,, really foggy and dense skies...but two days ago i had a lone SY male show up.. He hung around for a few minutes and then headed north...then around noon a single female showed up...The ASY male was doing his best to entice her..calling from a nest box, flying with her , doing what ASY males do best..she hung around for 15 or 20 minutes and she too headed north...But around 3 30 a lone SY female showed up...She landed on the T 14's, sticking her head into entrances that the ASY male was in and calling to her...They went flying and feeding ...She stayed around for an hour or so and then she's gone.. She sure seemed to like it here so who knows...All I need is a female to settle in with the ASY male and I'm back in business. Oh, I talked with a local landlord yesterday on the phone...he's about 5 miles or so away as the martin flies...He hasn't even seen a martin yet this year and he's had martins at his site for close to 40 years..but he has the old time setup , round holes,tilting poles, etc...June is usually when I see more martins on the move here in northern Mn....Were the 2 females the same one or not....?? Thk s for any an all input you may have for me....Dave
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4th Gen Martin Fan
- Posts: 1498
- Joined: Thu Jul 04, 2013 1:19 pm
- Location: TN/Collierville
- Martin Colony History: I have been exposed to purple martin sounds in utero when my mother went out to get my father away from his martin colony.
I played around the martin colony every summer and watched as my father maintained his colony. In the late 50's until the 70's he did not notice European Starlings in south Texas.
When old enough, I helped maintain his colony. My primary task was eliminating English House Sparrows with a 1956 Benjamin 317 .177 air rifle.
When I settled into my own home, I started my first colony with an original Trio Castle and Trio Grandpa. When I moved again, I did not put up any martin houses. Frustration with European Starlings in the Southeast US was overwhelming.
Found PMCA Forum and learned about modern enlarged compartments and SREHs.
Inherited my father's last martin house, a Trio Grandma, modified it to modern specifications and have had good results since then.
I am always so excited to hear from northern landlords. Your later season makes this part of the season still fun for those of us noticing that new arrivals are dwindling down.
I sensed from your earlier posts that you were an experienced landlord.
Your current situation sounds very promising.
When do the last arrivals occur in your area of Northern MN?
Mark.
I sensed from your earlier posts that you were an experienced landlord.
Your current situation sounds very promising.
When do the last arrivals occur in your area of Northern MN?
Mark.
Mark.
Firm believer in HOSP/EUST Control, Enlarged Compartments, SREHs, Pole Predator Guards, Owl/Hawk Guards, Mite/Parasite Control, Housing Insulation, and Vents for Compartment Cooling.
PMCA Member.
Firm believer in HOSP/EUST Control, Enlarged Compartments, SREHs, Pole Predator Guards, Owl/Hawk Guards, Mite/Parasite Control, Housing Insulation, and Vents for Compartment Cooling.
PMCA Member.