Hey all!
It’s been a while since I’ve posted, so hello .
There is one horizontal gourd nest that has 9 eggs. It’s the largest clutch I’ve ever seen! It’s not a re-nest from a cold snap, so what caused her to lay so many eggs? I know I’m probably going to be doing a lot of helping the parents and babies but it’s the best part about being a landlord; helping something thrive.
I do supplement feed the babies when I check them once a day. I cut mealworms in half and feed them to them until they start opening their eyes. At that point they don’t need supplement feedings anymore and they think you’re very scary but it’s a good because I don’t want them to be trusting of humans. I also put the smallest babies in the front so they’ll be more likely to get fed. I lose far less to starvation than before when I wasn’t doing this. Just thought it might help someone. If you have any questions I’ll do my best to answer them.
Thanks!
Kelly
Martin Colony History: 24 Super and Excluder Gourds on two gourd racks, all SREH. Full occupancy. My philosophy is to maximize fledge % with existing cavities rather than adding gourds to grow colony, thus providing opportunities for new colony expansion. Fledge over 100 nestlings yearly from 24 gourds. Band nestlings in cooperation with state university. 2019 Adendum: Reduced colony size to 12 gourds to focus on more intensive management regimen.
Two posibilities immediately come to mind. The most likely is egg dumping by other females. There may be a number of sterile eggs in the clutch. Although unlikely, this lone female could be responsible. Watch closely to see how many actually hatch.
Nature is interesting.Produce as many martins as possible.
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