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MY FYN 79
Posts: 163
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2018 8:58 pm
Location: Chilton Wisconsin
Martin Colony History: 2019 - Sighting
2020 - Pair investigating
2021 - Got 2 eggs. HOSPs poked holes in them. Commence HOSP reduction
2022 - Off to a good start, tree swallows took over and Martins left
2023 - Off to a good start, Martin population dwindled and they eventually left
2024 - New standalone pole and gourd rack. 1 nest, 4 eggs, none hatched
2025 - 9 nests, 37 eggs, 23 hatched, 19 fledged!

Had a sighting!

Probably not a big deal for some because it was just a sighting, but ya gotta start somewhere, right? A couple times I thought I saw a Martin recently, but no confirmation. Last night I had what I believe to be a SY male (please correct me if I'm wrong) sitting on the powerline near our gourd rack. It flew off the line a couple times but made a loop and came back, so even if we didnt see it going into any gourds its promising. :grin:
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handyman315
Posts: 300
Joined: Thu May 12, 2016 11:03 am
Location: SW Ohio
Martin Colony History: Colony established May 20, 2017 after three unsuccessful years. Persistent and aggressive Tree Swallows plagued the site, but beyond learning - and practicing - to control them, was the return in 2017 of a 2016-SY-M previously unable to find a mate. As a handsome ASY-M, he brought along two females and a swagger that soon put the Tree Swallow issue to rest. As the anchor pair, he and his mate hatched all six of their eggs into fat and healthy babies into what settled in to be a three-pair, flourishing new colony with up to 11 birds total, including 3 SY-M trouble makers.

Yes! Looks exactly as you say, SY-M, and indeed, new colonies start somewhere, often just like this.

My now-three-year nesting season colony started with an SY-M who hung around my last non-nesting season but never attracted a (live-in) mate. I am convinced the very same bird came back the next year (as an ASY-M) . . . with TWO females in tow. The rest has been idyllic, with "JB" (for Jet Black) still my anchor bird.

Good luck!
2023-42 Nests, 197 Eggs/Babies
2022-48 Nests Fledged 203
2021-43 Nests Fledged 185
2020-31 Nests Fledged 133, three early deaths due to cold & rain
2019-19 Nests Fledged 84
2018-11 Nests Fledged 48, ASY-M Arrived April 6, Despite Snow & Cold, Joined Soon by Mate & Two Adult Pairs
2017-3 Nests Fledged 13, FIRST-YEAR LANDLORD! Resident SY-M from 2016 Returned (as ASY-M) on May 20. At Least 11 Adult Residents
2016 Late-Arriving SYs, Resident Lone SY-M
2015-14 Many Visits
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Kegger
Posts: 381
Joined: Sun Sep 15, 2019 8:58 am
Location: Awesome Florida
Martin Colony History: 2020: 2 pair of SY with 4 eggs ,fledge 7
2021: 5 pair 25 eggs fledge 18, 4 egg 2nd brood attempt
2022: 13 pair 61 eggs fledge 56 added 11 cavs. now 22 total
2023 15 pair 75 eggs fledge 51 only 3 of 11 eggs hatched cavity 10
2024 11 pair 50 eggs fledge
26. 1 renest cav1, cav10 8 eggs 8 fledged 2 couples ASY and Sy

had a SY-male take over 1 of the top round hole spots of a PM red barn house on a telescoping triangular pole that a neighbor gave me.
he sang just like the males on some of the videos I have watched on this forum. Several different songs and a cool clicking sound.
This went on for a week , then a SY-female showed up and the two were each peering out their own doors on one side of the PM
red barn house(there was no partition on the top floor). Next another SY-male showed up, no fighting but other small birds nesting
on the lower floors seemed to chase all 3 away. This was in March . so I took the barn down about a month ago while its 90 here
in SW Florida, and hun gave the barn a new paint job while I did some barn remodeling and partitioned it back to new shape.
I then started to build 2 6 sided PM homes with 3 floors each which could be 6 or 3 condos per floor. reading this forum has helped
me alot with ideas for these 2 new condo PM houses. I intend to mount both on a single 3" pole with some gourds under them.
Looking forward to hoisting them up in early January 2020. I have enjoyed reading this forum and have learned much. Mike 8)
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