Here we go again. More cold and rain for days.

[Doug Martin - PA]

Well we had 2 days of good natural feeding here in Western PA.

Now the forecast has turned sour once again. Today rainy and 52 for a high. tomorrow more rain and 50. Saturday rain showers and 54 and Sunday?..... Yep you guessed it. Rain and 58.

Geez better run to tractor supply for another huge bag of mealworms. This is now about 12 bad days and about 3 good ones in the past 2 weeks or so. Already reports of many dead Martins in the area especially to the north of me. This spell comes right on the heels of the last one. So much for a mild spring. We were doing well early on too.

I am back to making 2 meals a day again for a hundred birds for the next several days.... again. Seems we can never have a spring or summer that does not kill birds in this area without feeding them.

Doug

[Hanover Bill]

Hi Doug;

No luck with the supplemental feeding down here yet. I have tried for the last couple of days, but to no avail. I will try again in the morning. Maybe they just aren't hungry enough. I have lost one ASY male, probably due to the weather, I found him under the T-14 with no apparent injuries, so I assume he succumbed to a weather related issue.

Any hints on how to get them to take that first cricket?

Hanover Bill.

[ToyinPA]

Same weather here Doug. Rain, rain & more rain, cold, windy. Talk about a lousy spring. At this rate egg laying will be late this year. They start to nest build & then it rains & they stop. So far I have 12 males & only have 5 females. No SY Males yet.

I put the B&B up & have been flipping from it, leaving crickets or meal worms for them. They refuse to use it. Won't even land on it. UGFHHH! So I guess I'm back to flipping 3 times a day.

Bill:
You need to find a spot where they can launch from. Like a power line, etc. I sit on a stool. Lay a towel & a bowl full of crickets on my lap. Once they learn the drill they will follow your lead. I have to laugh at some. I barely start to raise my spoon, with a cricket on it & they take off heading right at me. I have felt the wind on my face as they whizz past me. So to get them to take crickets/meal worms/eggs you need to see that they are hungry. Wings drooping, puffed up, cold. A day or two with no natural feeding option. Time wise I usually do Mid morning, say 9-9:30 AM, again middle of the afternoon 2:00-3:00 PM and around 6:30-7:00 PM. Then go set up your flipping station. See if you can locate one that looks desperately hungry. Try to flip a few feet away & above that one. Keep trying. All it takes is one Martin to go for it & others will follow. Usually the Males will go first. So try to pick out an ASY Male. Females tend to hang back unless they are feeding chicks. Also make a sound. Most do a whistle tune. This teaches them to relate the sound with food. Keep trying. It may take several tries or more before it happens. If they are hungry they will eventually go for the cricket. Once you get them going they will eagerly line up when they can't find food.

Toy in PA

[Larry A Kronemeyer]

Oh my goodness Pennsylvania landlords !!!!! You folks never get a break. We had it tough with 8 straight days of rain, but your weather is unbelievable. So hard on the martins and makes for weary landlords. Sending my prayers to you all. I was able to get my birds through with feeding, they use the b&b, still I had two that I know of that did not make it. Not sure if the early eggs survived. These birds are tough but this weather just won't let up. Mother nature ..bah!
Hang tough people..we're in it for the long run. Keep us updated..We all care.
Judy

[Hanover Bill]

Thanks for the well wishes and the good advice. I am headed out to flip some more crickets as soon as I get off the computer, I am due for some success.

Hanover Bill.

[AndyShutterbug]

I bet that it starts to be a big time commitment (and somewhat costly). But I'd encourage you to enjoy your time with the birds. Some of us would love to have birds living with us. You could probably sell tickets! Let some birdless wannabes come and help you.

[ToyinPA]

I bet that it starts to be a big time commitment (and somewhat costly). But I'd encourage you to enjoy your time with the birds. Some of us would love to have birds living with us. You could probably sell tickets! Let some birdless wannabes come and help you.

Andy:
Yes it's a big commitment & time consuming & as with any hobby you spend money on it. We spend a lot of time watching & caring for the Martins. Watching their aerial show is beyond words. Their songs fill the air & make your ears & heart happy .

Having a Martin colony is a lot more than sticking up a house & letting them fend for themselves. Martins need human intervention to survive, especially in the northern states & other areas where the environment has been altered to the point there is no longer enough insects for them to survive. I've held a few events, including members from a Audubon group. Most would not make a good landlord.They felt it was too time consuming & costly, yet they'll spend thousands on a camera lens to snap photos of birds. To me that's not helping our birds. A Martin landlord must be more than just a "wannabe". They must be committed for the long haul. The reward is priceless.

Toy in PA

[AndyShutterbug]

Toy, I'll admit that I started out in 2013 with a heath box (poor design) which was a gift. For 20 years I've liked to watch the martins at the colony at Longwood Gardens. My wife just thought I would like to try to attract them. Well, now I'm committed (or she thinks that I should be). I've learned a lot and now even got a pellet gun to pick off the HOSPs that won't go into the traps. I've converted the old heath pole into a perch spot and raised platform feeder into which I'll put crushed egg shells I've already made. It also serves as my songbird magnet perch. I've got two trash bins full of different bird seed, suet blocks, mealworms, and the egg shells. So I'm not worried about giving the birds some love. My bluebirds and tree swallows are happy. Hopefully I can do the same for some martins. Good luck with your birds this weekend.

[ToyinPA]

Toy, I'll admit that I started out in 2013 with a heath box (poor design) which was a gift. For 20 years I've liked to watch the martins at the colony at Longwood Gardens. My wife just thought I would like to try to attract them. Well, now I'm committed (or she thinks that I should be). I've learned a lot and now even got a pellet gun to pick off the HOSPs that won't go into the traps. I've converted the old heath pole into a perch spot and raised platform feeder into which I'll put crushed egg shells I've already made. It also serves as my songbird magnet perch. I've got two trash bins full of different bird seed, suet blocks, mealworms, and the egg shells. So I'm not worried about giving the birds some love. My bluebirds and tree swallows are happy. Hopefully I can do the same for some martins. Good luck with your birds this weekend.

Andy:
I hope you get a colony started. I started with S&K Barn. Worked pretty good for several years, then I upgraded to T-10's/square poles/winches. The martins really like those best. The HS quickly learn what those traps are. Heck we can't even open a window & they know it & fly off. Living in town makes it hard to use any kind of gun, including a BB.

Best wishes,
Toy in PA

[Doug Martin - PA]

Hanover Bill,

Do you have a bed and breakfast set up? Eggshell or oyster shell (and nesting material) in there help to start the process of accepting anything from you at first. Then use that as your feeding place to launch from. It should be located next to the housing. You have to launch them right past their face but out about 5 feet. When the head starts turning to watch it you are triggering their feeding instinct. This means you are very close. Persistence from then on. I hate to tell you but in this part of the country sooner or later you will be picking up bags of dead ones unless you can train them. At least you are further south than I am. Do not stop trying.

We seem to be getting a milder, dryer forecast now. Today is not so bad with no rain and in the mid to upper 50s. Better each day and upper 80s next week.

I fed a lot yesterday and today. Too many mouths to feed! Did you know Martins that accept food will go to a neighboring colony to feed? It happens here in Fombell for sure. There is another colony over the hill (1/4 mile away) at my sister and brother in-law's and depending who is feeding and what they travel back and forth to the sites for food.

Thinking next week with the temperatures in the 80s we will also see the influx sub of adult birds.

Doug

[D Little]

Hey Doug,

I here ya and can definitely relate, its not much better in this end a PA, last couple days have been miserable for the martins. I too have been loading up my platform with mealworms and they have been really taking to it so I no they are hungry. This week looks much much better for them so that is at least some good news.

Regards
Donnie