Where did all my birds go

[Mark/OH]

Well my first female showed up March 19th. I have tried to feed for the last two years without success. Well she got hungry enough ad started eating lipped crickets. She was alone for 10 days till she finally found a male. Two days later and another pair show up. They start eating right away. He took a few days before he would eat. As time goes on more and more martins arrive all are eating very quickly. I tell my wife they must talk to each other and let each other know where there is a free handout. Last Thursday I set up a platform feeder I'm up to 14 to 16 birds I have never had this many this early and such cold weather I'm feeding every day and mixing in scrambled eggs. I flip the eggs from the feeder so they know where to look. Being inexperienced at feeding I ran out of crickets on Saturday so its all scrambled eggs. They start to eat from the feeder Saturday so its eggs all weekend. I tell my wife we need to start raising chickens. Well by Tuesday I get a resupply on crickets and when I get home from work I go straight to feeding. By now I am feeding over 24 birds. I fill the feeder and flip. Some of the new ones line up on the fence with wings way down and I can throw to individual birds and they jump up a grab the cricket and land right back down. Between throwing crickets and refilling the tray they eat over 600 of my fresh crickets. Well Wednesday was our first nice day of spring with temperatures up into the 60s. I came home and all the birds were out eating. I lowered all the gourds to check them and all was well. About 7:30 I go out with my binoculars to watch them come in. I can hear them. A perfect evening, blue sky lit up by the setting sun and through the binoculars there they are flying sooooooo high. Looking from side to side and darting to get a bug. How beautiful. All is well in the world again! Well when they came in to roost only 12 birds came in. So now I know they talk to each other. I think I was helping out some birds from neighboring colonies or heading further north and just stopped to refuel. It sure is great to finally be able to help the birds on there way! Well it's time to go out for the second nice evening and watch them come home! Hope everyone has a great season!

[ToyinPA]

As you said...you were feeding martins from a neighboring colony or they moved on north. They would usually leave in the morning tho & not at night if they were migrating. So I'd guess there's another colony not too far away that isn't supplemental feeding & they came to you looking for help.

Good job, well done taking care of them.

Toy in PA

[Insectivore Villa]

I am going to say thanks from all of us in southern Ontario because we had four show up here in Blenheim, a couple more south of us and a few more to the west near Windsor today alone..they look great so people like you help us out a great deal.
The winds were strong from the south west so we anticipated a bunch of new arrivals up here. Using google, you are 280 miles from us, probably an easy one day flight if they get good wind from behind.
We are pretty sure we are a stop over point for some too. It seems our numbers go up,but then into early May, some seem to move on.
Again,thanks from southwestern Ontario, Canada.

[-=DKC=-]

I absolutely love hearing stories like this. Great job! They really do seem to appreciate it.

[Doug Martin - PA]

Mark,

Much of the same here weather wise.

Today my site filled with new birds but I think many of the ones I was feeding left.

Yes you may have been feeding others. I do each year too. Great Job!!!

Think I have about 20 or 25 here now this eve. Lots of females. Some really beautiful birds.

Yep some of these aren't mine either. Just staying a night.

Doug

[cransy]

I had three more males here this morning in upstate New York. I also have birds leaving every year heading North. Keep up the good work Pennsylvania residents.

[ToyinPA]

I had three more males here this morning in upstate New York. I also have birds leaving every year heading North. Keep up the good work Pennsylvania residents.

I have 3 ASY Males & 1 ASY Female as of this morning. Temp is 83 (1:30PM), cloudy & southerly winds are blowing. Send them on north .

Toy in PA

[Insectivore Villa]

My closest mentor got three yesterday. Two beauty Males and one glorious female. So, again, a big thanks from Cedar Springs Ontario as well!
This weekend the weather turns poor, so I may go for a drive to some of our sites around my house and see what is going on, give some advice on egg flinging (should be a new Olympic sport I think), and just check up on some of the peeps.

[KBoothby]

Another big thank you from southwestern Ontario. Had two pair show up here (Langton/Houghton Township) this morning in very good shape. Chattering and checking out the gourds. Spring is so much better when the Martins return. Just have to get through the freezing rain forecast overnight - crickets are at the ready!

[taxidermy lady]

I’m thinking I have a martin holiday inn! I’ve had sleepovers for a week and last night one pair! Last Saturday night I had 7-9 staying here because of the cold! Alls good with one pair because I don’t think their the pair from last year. Why??? Because they are using a different rack and different type gourd! Not even looking at the one used last year! IDK??

[Mark/OH]

Thanks everyone. Just got home from work so I didn't get to see them come in tonight. Henry sure is a great feeling to think l may have helped some birds get your way to Canada already. They must love it there. Good work for you to!

[Insectivore Villa]

Mark, probably because of people like yourself, tonight's number was thirteen. Only one male looked spent and tired, but all were up and feeding at seven tonight, and as we left the driveway, numerous birds were on the feeder for the first time. That should make our life a little easier than flinging eggs for an hour two or three times a day.
So thirteen here, still missing about 77 birds so your job is still not quite done yet. Keep up the good work, and if you are ever up here, look us up, we owe you some wobbly pops for all the work you have done to keep our beloved PM population alive in southern Ontario.