3 Babies Flew Out!

TheCranfordLife · Mon Jul 09, 2018 5:35 pm

This is my 1st year having martins and we have 16 babies that have gotten very big!

This afternoon while lowering my gourds and I checked them and was lifting them back up 3 flew out as I was lifting the

gourds back up! They took off and the adults of about 15 went flying with them in different directions

Will they be back or will they be moving somewhere else?

flyin-lowe · Mon Jul 09, 2018 6:53 pm

If they flew and kept flying they should be fine. If they are too young to fly and jump to the ground they would need to be put back in. I would keep watching I bet they will come back in. I usually stop nest checks at the point they start fledging, I walk around the housing each day looking for wing trapped birds but don't lower it unless it's emergency. I'm sure others have techniques for late season checks.

TheCranfordLife · Mon Jul 09, 2018 9:05 pm

flyin-lowe wrote: ↑
Mon Jul 09, 2018 6:53 pm
If they flew and kept flying they should be fine. If they are too young to fly and jump to the ground they would need to be put back in. I would keep watching I bet they will come back in. I usually stop nest checks at the point they start fledging, I walk around the housing each day looking for wing trapped birds but don't lower it unless it's emergency. I'm sure others have techniques for late season checks.

Thank you for the Advice and Yes they flew very high and was flying around!

Courtney-NC · Thu Jul 12, 2018 11:55 am

Hi there,
You can continue doing nest checks on older babies (22 days of age or older); you just need to exercise caution when doing so. Many of us that continue nest checks with these older babies use the plug and string method. First thing you need to do is let the martins know you're coming so they aren't surprised, and the young will usually huddle into the back of the cavity away from the entrance. Talk to them, lower the housing gently and slowly, and then insert a plug with a string attached to it inside the entrance hole to keep the babies from jumping out. Then do a quick check on them using the inspection port or door, and then close it back up with the plug still in the entrance hole. After the housing is raised back up, wait a few minutes, and then pull the plugs out. The young will then stay in the nest and will fledge when they are ready to do so. You can use sections of pool noodles with a string tied to it - just make sure your string is long enough for you to reach it when the housing is raised all the way back up.
The PMCA had a live Facebook feed yesterday showing nest checks with older young and banding. If you're on Facebook, go check out their page, and you can see exactly how they do it.

TheCranfordLife · Thu Jul 12, 2018 1:16 pm

Courtney-NC wrote: ↑
Thu Jul 12, 2018 11:55 am
Hi there,
You can continue doing nest checks on older babies (22 days of age or older); you just need to exercise caution when doing so. Many of us that continue nest checks with these older babies use the plug and string method. First thing you need to do is let the martins know you're coming so they aren't surprised, and the young will usually huddle into the back of the cavity away from the entrance. Talk to them, lower the housing gently and slowly, and then insert a plug with a string attached to it inside the entrance hole to keep the babies from jumping out. Then do a quick check on them using the inspection port or door, and then close it back up with the plug still in the entrance hole. After the housing is raised back up, wait a few minutes, and then pull the plugs out. The young will then stay in the nest and will fledge when they are ready to do so. You can use sections of pool noodles with a string tied to it - just make sure your string is long enough for you to reach it when the housing is raised all the way back up.
The PMCA had a live Facebook feed yesterday showing nest checks with older young and banding. If you're on Facebook, go check out their page, and you can see exactly how they do it.

Thanks for the advice I will be sure to do that! Thank you!

~Ray~Gingerich · Thu Jul 12, 2018 9:10 pm

One thing I did was to remove all my DL crank operated brake winches and replaced with regular winches. Brake winches jerk way to much for my liking, the other winches and rope operated systems are much smoother and will not upset the older chicks as much when raising and lowering the rack.