One Of My Favorite Purple Martin Roosting Photos Of My Colony
It’s hard to believe but next month, late in June, we should be seeing hundreds of purple martin fledglings and some adults coming to our two colonies, mine and my neighbor Bob, to form a mini-roost. This happens every year and some years we have several thousand martins roosting all over the gourd racks and houses.
Here is a photo showing MANY martins roosting on several of my gourd racks and a 16 room Trendsetter. Other gourd racks not in the photo were also covered with martins.
Martin Colony History: In 2024, 82 pair with 350 fledged youngsters. 110 total cavities available, 82 Troyer Horizontal gourds and a homemade PVC / metal 28 compartment unit, 1 fallout shelter. Hawk and owl guards included. Martin educator and speaker. President and founder of the Iowa Purple Martin Organization. Please visit Iowa Purple Martin Organization on Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1627283871068161 Emails send to [email protected]. Subject line include Iowa Purple Martin.
Steve - Wall to wall martins! What a sight. Where are you in Logansport? If you're within the city limits and/or near a church, your neighbors or the church organist must marvel at the martin music emanating from your yard!
After fledging is well in progress or complete the martins congregate around the colony, perching on whatever they can find as the twilight darkness increases. A lot of landlords never see this because they're busy with things inside. If you can remember to look you'll be amazed at the number that are there. -- John
Martin Colony History: In 2024, 82 pair with 350 fledged youngsters. 110 total cavities available, 82 Troyer Horizontal gourds and a homemade PVC / metal 28 compartment unit, 1 fallout shelter. Hawk and owl guards included. Martin educator and speaker. President and founder of the Iowa Purple Martin Organization. Please visit Iowa Purple Martin Organization on Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1627283871068161 Emails send to [email protected]. Subject line include Iowa Purple Martin.
Steve,
This is a great pic. At one time I had a picture that I was going to post with 62 martins perfectly lined up across a perch wire with a double rainbow in the background. Darn technology made it tough to post.
Mite control, heat venting, predator protection and additional feeding during bad weather add up to success. IPMO LOGO1.jpg
I am glad folks like the photo of martins roosting on my gourd racks/house. I wish I was a better photographer and actually knew something about photography!
Though Logansport is our official mailing address, we are closer to the tiny community of Longstreet and about 3 miles away and about 25 miles south/southwest of Shreveport.
Dave, I can sympathize with your about photography and technology! I still have issues with Photobucket and sometimes just can't get the photo to look the way I want it to look when posting.
Just a short update on our martin colonies...we are now INFESTED with single SY male martins looking for territory and mates. I believe I have only 5 or 6 gourds out of 302 that are unoccupied but still being dominated by aggressive males. Maybe 7 or 8 rooms in my 4 Trendsetters but they too are being dominated. These SY males are becoming more and more aggressive and the chances they will commit infanticide is growing more of a reality. They are already trying to enter nests with small featherless nestlings and some of these males will probably start throwing out the babies in an attempt to take the cavity and try to mate with the female. We have this problem every year. Major fights between resident martins and the single SY males! The chances they can find a nest and mate are almost over in our area and the next two weeks in May will be probably the final time frame.
