Good sign?

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Dan G
Posts: 446
Joined: Thu Jun 12, 2014 7:52 pm
Location: PA/Bellefonte
Martin Colony History: Several colonies with in 6 mile radius.
Have had visitor every year 2014-24.
Two large trees removed in fall 2024 and moved T-14 to a more open location.
2025- 1 SY pair. Fledged 2.
2026- no pairs. One daily SYM here daily. Named him Riggs!

As with a lot of you, martin colonies nearby have birds ranging from already fledged to recently hatched. in the past few days, several martins have visited us. A single ASY male has been seen on several occasions and 3 or 4 four birds at a time as well. Sightings have been mostly mornings and mid day, but the past three evenings, after 730pm, there have been multiple visits as well.
Today, there were approximately 12 martins at once this morning. Wish i could have been home to see it, but my wife got some pics.

In past years, this got me really hopeful for the following year, but now, having seen this before, my optimism is more guarded. However, I think this is the most birds to visit on a regular basis, and i did speak with a nearby landlord who has about 40 pairs and is full, has no plans to expand next year. He is one mile away. Maybe the 5th year will be the charm
Bellefonte PA
2014, 1st year-a few lookers, no nests
2015-23. Visitors each year. But no pairs.
2024- most active year. 2-4 SY male’s hang out most days.
2025, 1 SY pair. 2 eggs, 2 fledged!! Other martins visited daily.
Still eliminating starlings and sparrows.
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ToyinPA
Posts: 2227
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2006 6:07 pm
Location: PA/Avis
Martin Colony History: The 1972 St. Agnes flood wiped out all the Martins in my area. One day, in 1997-98, 5 or 6 Martins landed on the power wires crossing my back yard. I had no house for them. They kept coming back day after day. We got a martin house a few weeks later & they have been coming back every year since. I average 12-15 pair per year.

Dan:

Yes it sounds good. Especially since the other landlord is not going to expand. Those that return will be looking for a home :).

Toy in PA
PMCA Member
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taxidermy lady
Posts: 2988
Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2014 10:21 am
Location: IL/Ellis Grove
Martin Colony History: Started trying to attract purple martins in 2012! It's finally happened in 2017! 5 years!!! ASY male and SY female came May 1st, fledged 5 babies!

Dan 5 was my lucky number! Sometimes all those visits pay off! I think when a Martin keeps repeating visits only helps them feel safer each time it visits! Good luck, I know 5 years is a long time to wait but others have waited longer! :)
Sharon from southern Illinois
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Buckeyefarmer
Posts: 135
Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2017 9:33 am
Location: Ohio
Martin Colony History: 2015- 0 visitors
2016- 0 visitors
2017- built T-14+songbird magnet, 6 pairs,15 fledged
2018- built 2nd T-14. Anxiously waiting!!

I've had an explosion on visitors the last few days. There have been seven pairs here and six of them have made nests with fledgling to start anytime now. This evening I counted as many as thirty flying around my colony. I guess they must be visiting from my neighbors colony a couple miles away.
Mark
Central, OHIO.
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GaryU
Posts: 18
Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2015 2:49 pm
Location: PA/Transfer
Martin Colony History: 1st year....just visitors.
2nd ......praying!.......prayers answered 5/28/16 with 10 couples and lots of 1st year males. Making improvements and planning for 2017 and beyond.
3rd year.....all compartments on both poles (28 + 18) and planning on 18 more for 2018.
2018 added gourd rack (18 gourds)
4th/5th/6th year ......established colony.
2022 added 2 new poles with polywood T-14’s. Filled up 1st year in use.
2025 adding 3 new poles with polywood T-14’s +12 gourds.
Total: 8 poles, 84 T-14 compartments, 64 gourds. (148 nest cavities)

Hi Dan,

I would wager that you are going to be in the landlord business next year. Use this time to improve your site and prep for next year, it's on. Good luck, I have a good feeling!

Gary



Gary U
N.W. PA, Mercer County, Delaware Twp.
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Dan G
Posts: 446
Joined: Thu Jun 12, 2014 7:52 pm
Location: PA/Bellefonte
Martin Colony History: Several colonies with in 6 mile radius.
Have had visitor every year 2014-24.
Two large trees removed in fall 2024 and moved T-14 to a more open location.
2025- 1 SY pair. Fledged 2.
2026- no pairs. One daily SYM here daily. Named him Riggs!

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I hope you guys are right. I had multiple visits this morning. Up to four martins here at a time. These two stayed the longest and seemed more interested in the gourds. They flew from one to the other, checking them out. They were with two more that we didn't get good pics of, so my guess is they are a ASY male and and SY female who raised the other two HY's. The nearby colony has an 18 gourd rack, so they may have nested in one of them. (most housing with in 5 miles of me are T-14s.)

I am going to take out a walnut tree and two pines that will open things up some.
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Bellefonte PA
2014, 1st year-a few lookers, no nests
2015-23. Visitors each year. But no pairs.
2024- most active year. 2-4 SY male’s hang out most days.
2025, 1 SY pair. 2 eggs, 2 fledged!! Other martins visited daily.
Still eliminating starlings and sparrows.
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ToyinPA
Posts: 2227
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2006 6:07 pm
Location: PA/Avis
Martin Colony History: The 1972 St. Agnes flood wiped out all the Martins in my area. One day, in 1997-98, 5 or 6 Martins landed on the power wires crossing my back yard. I had no house for them. They kept coming back day after day. We got a martin house a few weeks later & they have been coming back every year since. I average 12-15 pair per year.

Dan:
Looks good :). I hope they return to your site next year.

Toy in PA
PMCA Member
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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.

Hi Dan , it looks like you have the magic bullet up in gourds. I hope you are playing dawn song 24hrs. I have neighbors on both sides with martins and was able to get young birds to visit every day last year for over a month. That brought on a smashing success this year . I have had over eighty fledge this year and have a few more to go. Not bad for first successful year. I give the credit to the visitors last fall.
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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.

[quote="Martinfarmer"]Hi Dan , it looks like you have the magic bullet up in gourds.

Sorry, I forgot to mention the visitors stayed in Aught and September.
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Rodger Drye
Posts: 671
Joined: Sun Mar 23, 2014 10:07 am
Location: NC/Mt. Pleasant
Martin Colony History: Have been hosting and providing a sanactuary for Purple Martins for 30 years.

Dan,
If you have Bird's visiting it shows that they are interested in your site. Just keep doing everything right in attracting and keeping them. Taking out the trees can only be a plus for your site. As you know Martin's love an open site location. I may take out a couple more trees myself. Great Pics.!


Martinfarmer,
Sounds like you did have a Great and successful year. It shows that you're doing a lot of things right and becoming a real good Landlord. Good Luck to you.!

Rodger
PMCA Member
Have been Hosting and Protecting Martin's for 30 years.
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Dan G
Posts: 446
Joined: Thu Jun 12, 2014 7:52 pm
Location: PA/Bellefonte
Martin Colony History: Several colonies with in 6 mile radius.
Have had visitor every year 2014-24.
Two large trees removed in fall 2024 and moved T-14 to a more open location.
2025- 1 SY pair. Fledged 2.
2026- no pairs. One daily SYM here daily. Named him Riggs!

I am playing the daytime chatter cd most of the day, weather permitting. 5 were here already this morning but I had not turned cd on yet. They didn't land this morning and I wonder if it was because I have a garden house running past the martin house in order to water the garden. Very dry and hot here for several days. I'll bring in the hose in an hour or so. Two were very low while the other three circled but were so high in the sky, they were hard to ID

Martinfarmer, I can only hope for the success you've experienced.
Bellefonte PA
2014, 1st year-a few lookers, no nests
2015-23. Visitors each year. But no pairs.
2024- most active year. 2-4 SY male’s hang out most days.
2025, 1 SY pair. 2 eggs, 2 fledged!! Other martins visited daily.
Still eliminating starlings and sparrows.
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