This is our 3rd year of having our house up. Last year we had one pair and fledged 5 babies. Our pair has returned plus one sub adult male has been coming by regularly but not roosting. Our pair has been interesting to watch this year. They have been roosting for a couple of weeks now. We see them go into different units though and not always together to roost. It's as if they are at an impasse with one another as to which unit they want to use. They are both standing their ground as if to say "this is the one we are taking...no...we are taking THIS one." To make it more complicated, they are actually actively and fervently building nests in all three of the units on that same side of the house. Does this ever happen with anyone else's colonies? It's been fun assigning dialogue to them each night as we watch them bicker and wait on each other to make a decision. Last night they actually DID roost together in the middle unit which is the same unit they used last year. Once they finally decide on one unit should we remove the other nests or leave them be?
Thanks...Debbie & Warren
ONE PAIR BUILDING MULTIPLE NESTS
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mechlingfamily
- Posts: 38
- Joined: Thu May 14, 2015 9:54 am
- Location: Royse City, TX
- Martin Colony History: 2015 ~1 pr 5 hatch-0 fledged
2016 ~ 1pr ~ 5 hatch&fledged
2017 ~ 1 pr ~ 4 hatch&fledged
2018 ~ 2 pr ~ 5 eggs each ~ 9 hatch&fledged
2019 ~ 2 pr~ 5 & 6 eggs ~ 10 fledged + 1 to Rogers Wildlife Rehabber/outcome unknown
2020 ~ 4 breeding pair ~ 24 eggs 6/6/6/5 +1 extra nest with 1 that never hatched ~ 23 hatched ~ 22 fledged
2021 ~ 23 breeding pair ~ 151 eggs laid ~ 106 hatched ~ 105 fledged
Housing:
2015 - 2018 Vintage inherited Coates Original 12 room aluminum housing modified with SREH and remodeled to 6 Suite Watersedge configuration. Added aluminum vented nesting trays.
2019 ~ added 2 Troyer Vertical Gourds with Tunnel Conley II entrance
2020 ~ converted entrances on gourds to SREH with new plates after Starlings still breached the Conley II entrances
2021 ~ old set up plus added Troyer Super gourds on 24 gourd super system w/ SREH plates added
2022 ~ unchanged from 2021
Trapping HOSP & shooting Starlings
PMCA members - 3rd generation PM Landlords
Debbie & Warren ~ PMCA Members
2015 ~1 pair 5 hatched none fledged
2016 ~ 1pair ~ 5 hatched & fledged
2017 ~ 1 pair ~ 4 hatched & fledged
2018 ~ 2 breeding pair ~ 5 eggs each ~ 9 hatched & fledged
2019 ~ 2 breeding pair~ 5 & 6 eggs ~ 10 fledged + 1 to Rogers Wildlife Rehabber/outcome unknown
2020 ~ 4 breeding pair ~ 24 eggs 6/6/6/5 +1 extra nest with 1 egg that never hatched ~ 23 hatched ~ 22 fledged
2015 ~1 pair 5 hatched none fledged
2016 ~ 1pair ~ 5 hatched & fledged
2017 ~ 1 pair ~ 4 hatched & fledged
2018 ~ 2 breeding pair ~ 5 eggs each ~ 9 hatched & fledged
2019 ~ 2 breeding pair~ 5 & 6 eggs ~ 10 fledged + 1 to Rogers Wildlife Rehabber/outcome unknown
2020 ~ 4 breeding pair ~ 24 eggs 6/6/6/5 +1 extra nest with 1 egg that never hatched ~ 23 hatched ~ 22 fledged
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AndyShutterbug
- Posts: 31
- Joined: Mon May 18, 2015 10:58 am
- Location: Midland, MI
- Martin Colony History: 2013 Heath hexagon 12 cavity...no birds
2014 T14 added. Couple of visitors only.
2015 Four birds? At least one pair? 5 eggs in three different cavities! Abandoned.
2016 Heath house not put up. Only visitors.
2017 Only visitors
2018 No activity
2019 Visitors 20May only
2020 Visitor 22May, 3 birds suddenly 20Jun!?
2021 Nothing
2022 Sudden flurry 04Jun. Pair hanging out. High hopes!
2023 Few visitors. Disappointing...then moved from this house.
I am not a seasoned veteran, but I do have a bad experience I need to share. I'd hate for you to lose your feathered friends.
The one year that we had a few martins, they were hanging out in the east side of a T-14 (a 4 cavity section). When I did my first nest check, there wasn't much nesting material brought in...although I had supplied some pine needles. I was very surprised to see eggs in all three lower compartments! I couldn't believe that I could have three pair of birds let alone two. I really thought that this was one pair of birds getting confused as to which compartment they were going to use. I quickly got on this forum to ask for advice. I was very afraid that they wouldn't incubate the eggs properly, either by spreading out the effort or just incubating one compartment and abandoning the rest. I learned that they lay an egg a day until finished and then begin incubation. The comment that I latched onto was to check the next day and see where any new egg appeared, then move all the eggs to that compartment. Maybe it was wrong. Maybe they weren't going to be all that successful on their own. But after I moved the eggs, the martins moved on. I'm not yet retired or work-from-home, so I don't get as much time to observe what is going on all throughout the day. So I don't remember exactly when they left. But it was pretty quick.
My policy from now on is "hands off" until hatched. They are on their own with nest building and laying. Maybe there is some learning they have to do. Maybe it is tougher if there aren't other birds around to keep them in their place. The only thing I would consider is closing off cavities before they show up and get interested. If I forced more gaps between compartments, they might have found the same compartment each time.
Good luck!
The one year that we had a few martins, they were hanging out in the east side of a T-14 (a 4 cavity section). When I did my first nest check, there wasn't much nesting material brought in...although I had supplied some pine needles. I was very surprised to see eggs in all three lower compartments! I couldn't believe that I could have three pair of birds let alone two. I really thought that this was one pair of birds getting confused as to which compartment they were going to use. I quickly got on this forum to ask for advice. I was very afraid that they wouldn't incubate the eggs properly, either by spreading out the effort or just incubating one compartment and abandoning the rest. I learned that they lay an egg a day until finished and then begin incubation. The comment that I latched onto was to check the next day and see where any new egg appeared, then move all the eggs to that compartment. Maybe it was wrong. Maybe they weren't going to be all that successful on their own. But after I moved the eggs, the martins moved on. I'm not yet retired or work-from-home, so I don't get as much time to observe what is going on all throughout the day. So I don't remember exactly when they left. But it was pretty quick.
My policy from now on is "hands off" until hatched. They are on their own with nest building and laying. Maybe there is some learning they have to do. Maybe it is tougher if there aren't other birds around to keep them in their place. The only thing I would consider is closing off cavities before they show up and get interested. If I forced more gaps between compartments, they might have found the same compartment each time.
Good luck!
AndyShutterbug
Central Michigan
Central Michigan
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Emil Pampell-Tx
- Posts: 6743
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 1:26 pm
- Location: Tx, Richmond (SW of Houston)
- Martin Colony History: First started in Gretna, La in 1969 with a small homemade house, have had martins ever since at 2 different homes in Texas
It happens more often than you would think that they lay eggs, usually in 2 compartments. Most of the time, these are the young SY birds. Not much that you can do about it, its nearly impossible to tell which cavity she will choose. I would think that it would help if you spread the cavities further apart to keep her from getting mixed up
PMCA Member, 250 gourds, 6 poles, 2traps
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Martinfarmer
- Posts: 153
- Joined: Sun May 07, 2017 6:33 pm
- Location: Guthrie KY 42234
- Martin Colony History: 2015 put up a S-k house, visitors but no takers
2016 homemade Martin condo (40 nesting boxes) several visitors no takers
2017 changed crescent openings to Troyer Conley 2 openings and installed 4 super gourds with Conley2 adapters and 12 vertical Troyers.
Several nests and eggs. Hopefully will exceed one hundred eggs this year.
6-21-17 nest inspection 68 chicks and 26 eggs
6-30-17 inspection 90 chicks and a new nest with 4 eggs.
8-30-17 successfully fledged over 85 martins.
I have observed them bringing in nesting materials and get to a gourd , then leave and turn around to come back to a different gourd.