Abandoned nest?

[summer85cowgirl]

Hi all!

So we've had a successful mating pair of martins since 2016. I say it's the "same pair" because they show up within a day of one another and always immediately go into the chamber of the house they use every year. They build great nests and are very attentive to the house and are always around once the eggs are laid.

This year they've laid 5 eggs, which is about their normal amount. They finished laying them about 2 weeks ago and have been very much around the house. Well I noticed it's been quiet the last few days and yesterday I saw a Starling go into the nest and fly out with an egg!!! We have Starling resistant openings and have never had one ever been able to get into a chamber, but apparently this small one could. And the martins always chase them off and defend their house. I preceded to watch the house the rest of the day and fight off the Starting anytime it got near the house. The female Martin was nowhere in sight all day. An adult male Martin was sitting up on a nearby power line, but wouldn't ever fly down and go into the house or defend it, so I don't know if he's out Martin or not. I watched all evening and no birds returned to the house, which is not normal for them. They've always back at dusk.

Anyways, this morning there was a adult male Martin sitting on the house and looking in the different chambers. He even went into another unoccupied one with a green leaf, but never entered the one with the eggs. Still no sign of the female Martin.

So my question is, could the female Martin have died? I read they only live about 6 years and that's how long we've had them at our site. There's no sign of a struggle.

Are the eggs all bad? So she just left? We've always had at least 2 fledglings.

It's just so strange, so I thought I'd ask on here. Thanks for your help!
-Abby

[Martintown33]

Hi Abby.. I know this a tough situation to go threw. Very sorry this is happening. I hate to bring this up, but you need to lower the house, and check to see if the starling that got in, killed the female inside the compartment. I hope not, but you need to eliminate that as a possibility. The males behavior seems to indicate something may have happened to her. I hope not…
Very sorry about this.. I hope it works out..
Rob

[C.C.Martins]

Yes this is bad, so sorry for the nest. Starling do that, I found one of my fake eggs from a starling trap while mowing.

I'll second Rob, check all the cavities and see. Also kill the starling. The small ones may create small starlings.
I hope for the best, sorry you have to go through this.
Tom

[summer85cowgirl]

Rob and Tom,
Thank you for your reply! I've checked all the other chambers and the female Martin isn't there. There are no signs of a struggle in any chamber or on any balcony. The nest looks undisturbed with the exception of the eggs. I've also looked around in the yard and didn't see any feathers or dead birds either.

The Starling keeps showing up randomly near the house and I've been actively trying to kill it with the BB gun. I did find two other broken eggs when I checked the nest, so there's only 2 eggs left. Should I leave them for a while or go ahead and remove them?

Still no sign of the female today. I do believe that the male Martin that's hanging around is our Martin. He keeps going in the other chambers, but has yet to go into the one with the eggs. He does sit outside the entrance to the chamber though. It's so sad.

[Martintown33]

It is very sad Abby. Sorry this is happening.. unfortunately the behavior of the male indicates something has happened to the female.. The fact that he’s checking compartments and looking for her, and that you haven’t seen her, especially with eggs in her nest, isn’t a good sign.. I’m very sorry.. being a Martin landlord can be hard some times.. hopefully she pops up.. I’ve seen lots of things in 22 years of landlording. You just never know sometimes.. I would leave the good eggs in, and remove the damaged ones.. again, I’m very sorry this is happening… but hoping for the best.. and definitely try to kill that starling.. it’s hard to do with a BB gun.. a good pellet gun is a necessity for all landlords. Recommend you get one… this starling is smaller than average and will produce smaller than average offspring that will more than likely be back at your site next year.. I Highly recommend killing or trapping it..
Good luck,
Rob

[C.C.Martins]

Dang, sorry! I fear for the worst there for the female, if she was injured during an attack and was able to get away she might not come back.
Sounds like the male has moved location and is set to try again.
Its bad news, sorry for that.

The starling is bonded to the site, even with a bb gun you can get it if you wait for it to return, but as Rob indicated a pellet gun can thump it from a ways. You really need a pellet gun.
Just wait for the starling to come back and even if you just hit it hard with a bb it will be injured enough.
Tom

[C.C.Martins]

Abby,
Any updates? Did she come back?

[birdman in buckhead]

I'm very sorry for your situation. I agree with others that the male hanging around is more than likely the missing female's mate. I would leave the remaining two eggs alone in the nest. It won't hurt anything, even if they remain there for many days. The starling might eventually eat them, but there's still hope the mother martin will return. Nature can be very cruel at times. Good luck

[summer85cowgirl]

Update: Still no female Martin. The male is still sticking around and sitting on the house. He's been gathering green leaves and putting them in another chamber. He still won't go in the one with the eggs, but does sit by the opening. I also was successful in shooting the Starling, it fell off the house then very slowly flew away, do hopefully that's the end of that. Haven't seen it back since.

[Martintown33]

Good shot Abby! Glad you got rid of that problem.. it’s good that the male is staying around.. sounds like he may be trying to attract another female… I’m very sorry that it seems something has happened to the original female.. martins are resilient.. we feel sadness… martins just keep going! He will try again if he finds a new mate.. I’m wishing you best of luck he finds one…
Rob

[summer85cowgirl]

Thanks everyone for all the advice and the positive vibes! We will keep on keeping on.