Tulsa Roost Has Shifted to the Double Tree

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Dick Sherry
Posts: 774
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2003 5:30 pm
Location: Tulsa, OK

I went to check on the roost last night and found they had shifted to the west and were using trees next to the Double Tree parking garage and a large tree next to the elevated walkway to the Convention Center. At dark some were still flying around the trees that had been used as the roost up until now, but I did not see any landing in them. They are also coming in to roost earlier. If you are planning on visiting the roost, I would try to be there by 8 PM, and the view from the top of the Double Tree Hotel's parking garage should be great. The numbers have jumped up considerably, but I don't have an estimate. This could go on for a few more weeks, or the site could shift again, so if you want to see a spectacular sight, now is the time.
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stan davison
Posts: 715
Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2005 7:48 pm
Location: Tulsa Oklahoma

Dick, I was there last night in front of the doubletree. I was bombarded with questions from hotel guests about the martins. I gave basic info and directed them to the website. One of the guests said yesterday he found 3 dead ones in the parking lot. Tens of thousands of them at the roost last night spectacular. . When I got out of my car I noticed a skinny hungry black cat headed towards Frisco street. When it got dark I headed back to my car and that cat walked right by me with a Martin in his mouth. He has to survive too.
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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

Stan are you getting any fly over or stop over visitors? I have not seen any for a couple of weeks. Lots of barn swallows who make me do a double take to make sure they are not martins.
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
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Dick Sherry
Posts: 774
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2003 5:30 pm
Location: Tulsa, OK

Stan, almost every year there have been cats moving around near the roost trees, especially at the BOK autobank where the martins were roosting in Bradford pear trees. They were easy to climb, and there had to be a lot of birds within easy reach. I know it is part of Nature, but I hate to see the martins getting picked off when there are so many starlings and sparrows available.
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stan davison
Posts: 715
Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2005 7:48 pm
Location: Tulsa Oklahoma

Dick that cat was walking toward the corner tree at 6th and Frisco. That might explain why the birds have shifted from those trees. Okie, my birds are long gone. My last subbie pair fledged 2 out of 4. One was dead in compartment and one jumped early and didn't make it.
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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

Sorry about your loss. I lost 2 also.
Are you coming Sat? If so I would love to meet you. I am trying to recruit some newbies.
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
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stan davison
Posts: 715
Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2005 7:48 pm
Location: Tulsa Oklahoma

Okie, I will try to make it down there.
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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

That will be great Stan look forward to it. I have managed to lasso some newbies so we can get them educated & hopefully interested. See you there.
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
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Dick Sherry
Posts: 774
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2003 5:30 pm
Location: Tulsa, OK

I went down to the roost earlier last night (around 8 PM), and some birds were already in the trees. They had several fly-offs and returns as thousands more circled overhead. I believe there were easily several hundred thousand martins. As it got darker and most of the birds were down, there were a few more fly-offs, and the birds came within feet of where I was standing on the garage roof. It is an amazing sight!
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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

Wow Can't wait to see that
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
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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

the parking garage view is unequaled in the martin roost world. If you are considering it, get there.
2017 - Home & Public Colonies - 300 Cavities
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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.

AMEN x 10.
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