July 23rd Tulsa Roost Watch Cancelled
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Dick Sherry
- Posts: 774
- Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2003 5:30 pm
- Location: Tulsa, OK
The Tulsa Audubon leadership has cancelled the event for this Saturday. It is hoped that there will be a lot more martins there on Aug. 6th.
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marcus
- Posts: 314
- Joined: Tue May 10, 2016 10:21 pm
- Location: Fairland OK
- Martin Colony History: Mom n Dad had a plastic 12 unit martin house with some martins as long as I can remember. In 2013 they had 1 pair. I don't think they fledged any. I then started learning how to take care of martins and in 2014 we took that house down and put up a Troyer 18 gourd rack. We had 7 pair with 28 fledged.That summer I built a T-14 (I was only 12). I was also given 4 natural gourds that I hung beneath the T-14. In 2015, we had 23 pair although only 22 pair fledged young. They fledged 88 young. In 2016, we had 36 pair, 210 eggs, 163 hatched, 149 fledge!! One pair fledged 2 broods. In 2017, I had 36 pair with 35 fledging young. They laid 204 eggs, hatched 155, and fledged 152.
Do you know if there will be another watch other then Aug. 6? The reason I'm asking is because that date won't work for us.
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Forum Admin
- Site Admin
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- Location: Erie, PA
So far all they have scheduled for now is August 6. We will share updated info here when it becomes available, and you can always to to Tulsa Audubon's website for current info as well. http://www.tulsaaudubon.org/
Forum Administrator
Purple Martin Conservation Association - Please consider becoming a member of the PMCA.
Purple Martin Conservation Association - Please consider becoming a member of the PMCA.
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Dick Sherry
- Posts: 774
- Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2003 5:30 pm
- Location: Tulsa, OK
Hi, Marcus. You and your family could visit the roost anytime that you want. It takes time to coordinate an event, determine where people meet for dinner, if they want, and have Audubon volunteers on hand to help answer questions, etc.. This year has been very unusual here. The weather in April and May delayed nesting, and I think some martins just gave up on nesting. Coopers hawks and other predators have had a very negative impact on the martins in the central part of the city.
It took longer to find the roost than in most of the recent years, and though there are a lot of martins (maybe 20 to 30 thousand), this is a fraction of what we have had (probably several hundred thousand each night).
If you can let me know when you all might be visiting, I would do my best to meet you all at the roost.
Thanks, Dick
It took longer to find the roost than in most of the recent years, and though there are a lot of martins (maybe 20 to 30 thousand), this is a fraction of what we have had (probably several hundred thousand each night).
If you can let me know when you all might be visiting, I would do my best to meet you all at the roost.
Thanks, Dick
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marcus
- Posts: 314
- Joined: Tue May 10, 2016 10:21 pm
- Location: Fairland OK
- Martin Colony History: Mom n Dad had a plastic 12 unit martin house with some martins as long as I can remember. In 2013 they had 1 pair. I don't think they fledged any. I then started learning how to take care of martins and in 2014 we took that house down and put up a Troyer 18 gourd rack. We had 7 pair with 28 fledged.That summer I built a T-14 (I was only 12). I was also given 4 natural gourds that I hung beneath the T-14. In 2015, we had 23 pair although only 22 pair fledged young. They fledged 88 young. In 2016, we had 36 pair, 210 eggs, 163 hatched, 149 fledge!! One pair fledged 2 broods. In 2017, I had 36 pair with 35 fledging young. They laid 204 eggs, hatched 155, and fledged 152.
Ok. If we decide to go, I'll tell you. Do you know when the most martins will be there? (probably a hard question)
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Dick Sherry
- Posts: 774
- Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2003 5:30 pm
- Location: Tulsa, OK
We never know when the greatest number of martins will be there, but I would guess this year that it could be in the first half of August. There will have to be an influx of birds from states to our north to boost the numbers.
I was reading this on the Tulsa audobon website. It says that 2016 has been a very bad year for martins in NE Oklahoma. Am I missing something? I'm just north of Tulsa and it has seemed like a very normal year for me here. Full houses with healthy clutches. Weather hasn't been too far from normal..... My birds are just finishing up as I type this. Just a few left at my location. Out of 42 nests, I had only two jump all summer.
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Dick Sherry
- Posts: 774
- Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2003 5:30 pm
- Location: Tulsa, OK
I am glad to hear that your colony has done well, because it has been a dismal nesting season in the city. I have only seen three colonies in town with multiple pairs of martins. A few years ago, I could easily find a dozen or more colonies that were thriving and producing quite a few young. The biggest negative is the growth of the Coopers hawk population. In our area, we have had the Coopers hawk, red-shouldered hawk and barred owls making life miserable for martins. Top that off with the cooler and wetter spring and it was very hard on them. In a normal year before the increase in predators, almost all of our martins would fledge their young in early to mid-June. Only subbies or renesters would have young to fledge in mid-July or beyond. Hope you have continued good luck because it may be colonies like yours that keep the martin numbers in a stable range.
What % of the Tulsa roost would you say is local? My birds have been consistent here. I have a gourd rack with 24 and a T 14 with 8 gourds. Everything stays full for the most part every year. I am in a rural area. 2011 & 2012 was rough. They've done well every year except for those two years. I put up the houses in 2010.
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DornCounty
- Posts: 2169
- Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2012 3:58 pm
- Location: Rural SE Kansas
- Martin Colony History: .
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Trio-Jedi
Dick.. we had a great year in SEK.. (at least where I watch) and alot of nests are just now fledging. I would guess peak will be middle aug. remember 2013 the peak was The week of Aug 15th.?
2017 - Home & Public Colonies - 300 Cavities
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Okie
- Posts: 541
- Joined: Mon Apr 11, 2016 3:26 pm
- Location: Claremore, OK
- Martin Colony History: 2016 Informed landlord now Have 2 pair returning from 2015 That is a miracle. Hoping for a very successful year, sparrow population on decline.
First house was plastic with crescent holes Had martins within a few days. Ignorant landlord gradually lost them
Then got Trio House and still lost most of them. Lots of sparrows
Dick the fledglings that were flying overhead every morning in Verdigris have left for Tulsa. That would include my 4 plus the other 3 colonies close to me. Don't know how many they fledged. But that would include 3 houses plus around 30 gourds. Very quite around here now. Only the barn swallows flying overhead.
Okie
PMCA member
2016 Started with 2 pair, 1 pair abandoned after HOSP destroyed eggs
1 pair= 6 eggs, 6 fledged
2017 1 pair so far, But they abandoned before nest complete for ?reason? Now Bridless and joined the Wannabes
2018 One pair ASY male SY female 5 eggs, 5 fledged
PMCA member
2016 Started with 2 pair, 1 pair abandoned after HOSP destroyed eggs
1 pair= 6 eggs, 6 fledged
2017 1 pair so far, But they abandoned before nest complete for ?reason? Now Bridless and joined the Wannabes
2018 One pair ASY male SY female 5 eggs, 5 fledged
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Okie
- Posts: 541
- Joined: Mon Apr 11, 2016 3:26 pm
- Location: Claremore, OK
- Martin Colony History: 2016 Informed landlord now Have 2 pair returning from 2015 That is a miracle. Hoping for a very successful year, sparrow population on decline.
First house was plastic with crescent holes Had martins within a few days. Ignorant landlord gradually lost them
Then got Trio House and still lost most of them. Lots of sparrows
Dorn I am curious. If I remember right you are from Pittsburg, KS. Do you think your birds roost in Tulsa?
Okie
PMCA member
2016 Started with 2 pair, 1 pair abandoned after HOSP destroyed eggs
1 pair= 6 eggs, 6 fledged
2017 1 pair so far, But they abandoned before nest complete for ?reason? Now Bridless and joined the Wannabes
2018 One pair ASY male SY female 5 eggs, 5 fledged
PMCA member
2016 Started with 2 pair, 1 pair abandoned after HOSP destroyed eggs
1 pair= 6 eggs, 6 fledged
2017 1 pair so far, But they abandoned before nest complete for ?reason? Now Bridless and joined the Wannabes
2018 One pair ASY male SY female 5 eggs, 5 fledged
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marcus
- Posts: 314
- Joined: Tue May 10, 2016 10:21 pm
- Location: Fairland OK
- Martin Colony History: Mom n Dad had a plastic 12 unit martin house with some martins as long as I can remember. In 2013 they had 1 pair. I don't think they fledged any. I then started learning how to take care of martins and in 2014 we took that house down and put up a Troyer 18 gourd rack. We had 7 pair with 28 fledged.That summer I built a T-14 (I was only 12). I was also given 4 natural gourds that I hung beneath the T-14. In 2015, we had 23 pair although only 22 pair fledged young. They fledged 88 young. In 2016, we had 36 pair, 210 eggs, 163 hatched, 149 fledge!! One pair fledged 2 broods. In 2017, I had 36 pair with 35 fledging young. They laid 204 eggs, hatched 155, and fledged 152.
I misunderstood what was going on Aug. 6th. It would work for me except Mom and Dad will be gone so I don't have a ride. 
MAYBE I can convince my brother and sister to take me. That is a very big MAYBE. 
MAYBE I can convince my brother and sister to take me. That is a very big MAYBE. -
DornCounty
- Posts: 2169
- Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2012 3:58 pm
- Location: Rural SE Kansas
- Martin Colony History: .
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Trio-Jedi
Okie wrote:Dorn I am curious. If I remember right you are from Pittsburg, KS. Do you think your birds roost in Tulsa?
Hard to say, but based upon the numbers reported at the Tulsa Roost I would guess alot of them are kansas birds. At least by radar reading there is not a significant roost in SE KS. I think that birds from all the way up into Canada end up in that roost. I think it's more of a general wave than localized birds.
2017 - Home & Public Colonies - 300 Cavities
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Dick Sherry
- Posts: 774
- Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2003 5:30 pm
- Location: Tulsa, OK
Sorry, I haven't been on-line much the past few days.
Marcus, I hope you will be able to see the roost. Even if your siblings don't care for martins as much as you do, they will be impressed by the number of martins that are zooming around overhead.
I believe our roost starts out with local birds which then start going south as birds from farther north come in. By late July on, most of them must be from states to our north. The birds scatter during the day and leave in multiple directions. My guess is that the day is spent near one of the many lakes in the area. In the evening, they are streaming in from the west, the north and the northeast. One big difference this year is that they are not showing up over the roost until it is past the official sunset, and they don't drop into the roost trees until it is almost dark.
Martins have had a roost near downtown Tulsa since 1988, so almost 30 years. I think the longevity of a roost here is an important factor in it becoming a stopover roost for martins from many areas to our north. I hope it will continue to be so for many years.
Marcus, I hope you will be able to see the roost. Even if your siblings don't care for martins as much as you do, they will be impressed by the number of martins that are zooming around overhead.
I believe our roost starts out with local birds which then start going south as birds from farther north come in. By late July on, most of them must be from states to our north. The birds scatter during the day and leave in multiple directions. My guess is that the day is spent near one of the many lakes in the area. In the evening, they are streaming in from the west, the north and the northeast. One big difference this year is that they are not showing up over the roost until it is past the official sunset, and they don't drop into the roost trees until it is almost dark.
Martins have had a roost near downtown Tulsa since 1988, so almost 30 years. I think the longevity of a roost here is an important factor in it becoming a stopover roost for martins from many areas to our north. I hope it will continue to be so for many years.