Open a couple compartments or not
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jhcox
- Posts: 801
- Joined: Thu May 26, 2016 9:23 am
- Location: tennesse
- Martin Colony History: Started colony in 2014. 0 pairs
2015 0 pairs
2016 0 pairs
2017 0 pairs but visitors
2018 1 pair fledged 5
2019 10 pair
2020 25 pair
2021 42 Pair
2022 60 Pair
2023 72 Pair
2024 74 pair
2025 78 pair
I haven't seen any purple martins yet. I am a firefighter and work 24 hour shifts. I'm not sure if I should open some compartments just in case some purple martins want to stay overnight during their migration further north. Should I attempt to open some just in case or would it be too risky with the large number of tree swallows and starlings I have in my area. I have the purple Martin Dawn song aswell as several decoys. Are there any other tricks to the trade that might bring some purple martins to investigate my housing
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summer85cowgirl
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Sun May 01, 2016 7:57 am
- Location: Oklahoma City, OK
- Martin Colony History: 2015-put up the house, as is, and no takers.
2016-Modified the house for larger rooms, added two gourds, and played the dawn song daily. First pair arrived! 5 eggs, all hatched, but only 4 babies remain. None have fledged yet, but any day now!! Update: 3 out of 5 babies made it to fledgling! All flew off!
Hi! Have you noticed any martins in your area? We put up our house (but left compartments closed) around March 1st, which was our 'arrival date' for the area that I am in (Oklahoma). This past weekend was the first time we've seen martins in our area. So you might check to see when the martins are expected in your area and then open your house up.
The first year we put up our house with open compartments at the end of March (again, based on the arrival ETA chart) we had some visitors, but no one stuck around. The second year we put the house up again, this time with decoys, larger cavities, gourds, and playing the dawn song every morning. It worked like a charm and we got martins! So, I think if you opened up a few cavities you'd be alright, you'll just have to watch for signs of other birds nesting such as sparrows or starlings.
Good luck!
Abby
The first year we put up our house with open compartments at the end of March (again, based on the arrival ETA chart) we had some visitors, but no one stuck around. The second year we put the house up again, this time with decoys, larger cavities, gourds, and playing the dawn song every morning. It worked like a charm and we got martins! So, I think if you opened up a few cavities you'd be alright, you'll just have to watch for signs of other birds nesting such as sparrows or starlings.
Good luck!
Abby
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Ed Svetich-WI
- Posts: 815
- Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2004 10:05 pm
- Location: Brooks, Wi (McGinnis Lake)
- Martin Colony History: 24 Super and Excluder Gourds on two gourd racks, all SREH. Full occupancy. My philosophy is to maximize fledge % with existing cavities rather than adding gourds to grow colony, thus providing opportunities for new colony expansion. Fledge over 100 nestlings yearly from 24 gourds. Band nestlings in cooperation with state university. 2019 Adendum: Reduced colony size to 12 gourds to focus on more intensive management regimen.
Thanks for your service to your community.
First recomendation is to have SREH cavities if you do not yet have them. Thatt will take care of the starlings ( a skinny one might enter but not all that common). Second recomendation is to post a house for the tree swallows to claim. Place it about 25 feet from your martin pole. Check the PMCA website here and find the Drew Protocol. I think they call it the tree swallow emergency program. It will help with the tree swallows. I would keep the house closed until the tree swallows have nested and SY martins are arriving. If you are not there to watch the house, the tree swallows will claim it. If they claim it, they and their swarm will drive away any martin that investigates. Don't rush things. One step at a time.
Good luck.
Ed
First recomendation is to have SREH cavities if you do not yet have them. Thatt will take care of the starlings ( a skinny one might enter but not all that common). Second recomendation is to post a house for the tree swallows to claim. Place it about 25 feet from your martin pole. Check the PMCA website here and find the Drew Protocol. I think they call it the tree swallow emergency program. It will help with the tree swallows. I would keep the house closed until the tree swallows have nested and SY martins are arriving. If you are not there to watch the house, the tree swallows will claim it. If they claim it, they and their swarm will drive away any martin that investigates. Don't rush things. One step at a time.
Good luck.
Ed
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jhcox
- Posts: 801
- Joined: Thu May 26, 2016 9:23 am
- Location: tennesse
- Martin Colony History: Started colony in 2014. 0 pairs
2015 0 pairs
2016 0 pairs
2017 0 pairs but visitors
2018 1 pair fledged 5
2019 10 pair
2020 25 pair
2021 42 Pair
2022 60 Pair
2023 72 Pair
2024 74 pair
2025 78 pair
I have read the article you spoke of and I do have the starling Prof entrances. I'm just worried that i might miss a martin looking for a new place to nest at. I have 12 bo9 gourds on 3 different racks and 1S&K house that has been modified to the larger rooms I closed off the attic rooms so there is only 6 over sized rooms.. I have like 20 natural gourds painted and and sreh in them for the future. So I have really put in the work and planned ahead for the future. I have 2 decoys on perches and 1 peaking out of one of the gourds. I just have to get one pair of PM to kick it all off. If there's any one near the Knoxville TN area that has a PM colony that I could come look at and they could maybe come by and take a look at my PM setup I would love to here from them. It would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for all the help guys. I hope everyone has a great 2017 PM year..
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Ed Svetich-WI
- Posts: 815
- Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2004 10:05 pm
- Location: Brooks, Wi (McGinnis Lake)
- Martin Colony History: 24 Super and Excluder Gourds on two gourd racks, all SREH. Full occupancy. My philosophy is to maximize fledge % with existing cavities rather than adding gourds to grow colony, thus providing opportunities for new colony expansion. Fledge over 100 nestlings yearly from 24 gourds. Band nestlings in cooperation with state university. 2019 Adendum: Reduced colony size to 12 gourds to focus on more intensive management regimen.
Tree swallows are a formidable obstacle to establishing a new martin colony. I encourage you to follow the tree swallow program exactly.I tried to do my own thing even after reading the tree swallow program because I was eager to get martins. I CANNOT TELL YOU how many times I raised and lowered the martin gourds to discourage tree swallows day after day after day- for several years!
I finally followed the protocol to the extreme. I placed one blue bird house 25 feet to one side and one blue bird house 25 feet to the other. A blue bird nested in one and a tree swallow nested in the other. They both perched on the gourd rack and they both kept other birds away. Only after the tree swallows LAID AN EGG did I open the gourd cavities. Only then were the tree swallows comitted to their house. When I tried to open the cavities when they only had a nest built, they again showed interest in the gourds. After an egg had been deposited, when martins investigated and showed an interest, the tree swallows argued but did not persist. That was the year that I got my first martins.
Don't take any short cuts, follow the protocol and play the Dawn Song religiously. Save yourself some frustration.
Good luck.
Ed
I finally followed the protocol to the extreme. I placed one blue bird house 25 feet to one side and one blue bird house 25 feet to the other. A blue bird nested in one and a tree swallow nested in the other. They both perched on the gourd rack and they both kept other birds away. Only after the tree swallows LAID AN EGG did I open the gourd cavities. Only then were the tree swallows comitted to their house. When I tried to open the cavities when they only had a nest built, they again showed interest in the gourds. After an egg had been deposited, when martins investigated and showed an interest, the tree swallows argued but did not persist. That was the year that I got my first martins.
Don't take any short cuts, follow the protocol and play the Dawn Song religiously. Save yourself some frustration.
Good luck.
Ed
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jhcox
- Posts: 801
- Joined: Thu May 26, 2016 9:23 am
- Location: tennesse
- Martin Colony History: Started colony in 2014. 0 pairs
2015 0 pairs
2016 0 pairs
2017 0 pairs but visitors
2018 1 pair fledged 5
2019 10 pair
2020 25 pair
2021 42 Pair
2022 60 Pair
2023 72 Pair
2024 74 pair
2025 78 pair
I've got BB housing near the Pm rack about 20 to 30 feet away. One gas BB in it thay have made a full nest just waiting for the eggs now. And the TS are going in and out of the other house. They haven't started building a nest yet but it shouldn't be long. I had all of this accomplished last year and even had some PM checking out the house and gourds. 1 adult male and 6 subadult males. They would sit and sing and go in and out of the house and gourds but no females ever showed up. I starting to think there's just not alot in this area. I see some houses and gourds but no PM colonies. Ive stopped in and talked to some of the people who had them and they all say the same thing. They never were successful in attracting any PM. But I'll just keep plugging away and hopefully I'll get some PM soon. Thanks again JHCox