Well good old Buddy ate a bunch of crickets in the snow and heavy NW winds today.
Thought I saw him yesterday in the rain but couldn't confirm as I had to leave for the day.
A whistle and a knock on his post today brought him out to celebrate another arrival. He almost touched my hand as he flew all around me.
This is now the 12th year this early bird has arrived to the same gourd well ahead of the rest.
Amazing! My spirits are high! My good old friend is home!!!!
Doug
Amazing Buddy is back for round 12!
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Doug Martin - PA
- Posts: 1988
- Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 10:47 am
- Location: Pennsylvania/Fombell
- Martin Colony History: First pair in 2009 after 28 years of trying. 3 pairs 2010, 17 pairs 2011 and 35-45 pairs since. Many additional colonies are now springing up around mine in an area once completely void of Martins. I offer 50 compartments at my site consisting of primarily Excluder II gourds on Gemini racks. Also a wooden T-14. I utilize electric fence type predator guards on the base of the poles. Supplemental feeding is crucial in maintaining my colony. I platform feed throughout the season as needed. My site tends to be a stop over point for additional birds as they migrate further north.
Supplemental feeding plays a major role in Western Pennsylvania. Finally got my 1st pair in 2009 after 28 years of effort. The colony has grown quickly to 45 pairs that I care for. Many new colonies have now sprung up around me in the past few years as well. Where there was none.... there is many.
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C.C.Martins
- Posts: 3368
- Joined: Fri Apr 14, 2017 11:15 am
- Location: Corpus Christi Tx
- Martin Colony History: 2016- Visitors.
2017- 5 pair. 15 fledged
2018- 18 pair. 85 fledged
2019- 17 pair. 81 fledged
2020- 25 pair. 111 fledged
2021- 28 pair. 118 fledged
2022- 33 pair. 151 fledged
2023- 33 pair. 165 fledged
2024- 40 pair. 185 fledged
2025- 40 pair. 181 fledged
HOSP:
Home colony: mix natural, super, Troyer and excluder gourds, enlarged compartment house. All SREH.
Satellite colony: Oso Bay Preserve: 49 PMCA excluder gourds; 16 room Lonestar Goliad with Modified Excluder entrances.
2019: Visitors
2020: 3 pair, 11 fledged
2021: 10 pair, 30 fledged
2022: 11 pair, 35 fledged
2023: 18 pair, 101 fledged
2024: 39 pair, 181 fledged
2025: 51 pair, 216 fledged
PMCA member
Doug that is wonderful! What a neat guy, way to take care of him. Believe supplemental feeding is vital to martins just about everywhere now. Well done! That bird is more than "trained" I think.
A good house sparrow is a dead house sparrow.
HOSP: 17. Starlings: 23
HOSP: 17. Starlings: 23
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ToyinPA
- Posts: 2227
- Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2006 6:07 pm
- Location: PA/Avis
- Martin Colony History: The 1972 St. Agnes flood wiped out all the Martins in my area. One day, in 1997-98, 5 or 6 Martins landed on the power wires crossing my back yard. I had no house for them. They kept coming back day after day. We got a martin house a few weeks later & they have been coming back every year since. I average 12-15 pair per year.
Congrats Doug. I hope you have a great season.
Toy in PA
Toy in PA
PMCA Member
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Martintown33
- Posts: 1366
- Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2021 6:21 pm
- Location: Laplace,La
- Martin Colony History: Colony started in 1998. 2 s&k modified houses and gourd rack
Buddy made it again.. that’s incredible! Must be very cool to have a personal relationship and special bond to a very special Martin!
Rob
Rob
PMCA member
Laplace, La
Laplace, La
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Phil01
- Posts: 346
- Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2020 6:42 pm
- Location: Fernandina Beach FL
- Martin Colony History: 52 Cavities offered.
24 unit gourd rack with Troyer Horizontal and Vertical Gourds. K-18 gourd rack all Troyer Horizontal Gourds. Sunset Inn aluminum house with 4 Troyer Horizontal Gourds.
2020- 1 pair, 4 eggs, fledged 3
2021- 3 pair, 15 eggs, fledged 8
2022- 5 pair, 26 eggs, fledged 21
2023- 10 pair, 53 eggs, fledged 27
2024- 26 pair, 125 eggs, fledged 83
2025- 32 pair, 182 eggs, fledged 134
2026- Added a Troyer K-18 all Troyer Horizontal.
PMCA Member
I remember reading your post last year with the story about buddy! What an incredible story! You should send the story in to the PMCA, I bet it would make it into their Purple Martin Update.
Congratulations on Buddy’s return once again! Amazing!
Phil
Congratulations on Buddy’s return once again! Amazing!
Phil
PMCA member
Fernandina Beach, FL
Fernandina Beach, FL
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Doug Martin - PA
- Posts: 1988
- Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 10:47 am
- Location: Pennsylvania/Fombell
- Martin Colony History: First pair in 2009 after 28 years of trying. 3 pairs 2010, 17 pairs 2011 and 35-45 pairs since. Many additional colonies are now springing up around mine in an area once completely void of Martins. I offer 50 compartments at my site consisting of primarily Excluder II gourds on Gemini racks. Also a wooden T-14. I utilize electric fence type predator guards on the base of the poles. Supplemental feeding is crucial in maintaining my colony. I platform feed throughout the season as needed. My site tends to be a stop over point for additional birds as they migrate further north.
This morning Buddy is quiet but appears healthy. He ate a good dozen crickets early this morning.
Weather was in the upper 20s but sunny. Today we should have sunshine and almost 50 here. Low of 35 so the next few days will be mild then warmer.
I attached a photo of him this morning sitting on his spot on the rack he has taken up for so many years. Hoping it works.
He is likely 2-3 weeks ahead of the next arrival to my site. During this time we are like best friends. Then he will resume his life as a typical alpha Martin.
Thanks for all your kind replies.
Doug
PS Wondering if anyone else out there has a Martin that comes out when he's called? If I whistle and call for him from my porch he comes out of the gourd. lol
Weather was in the upper 20s but sunny. Today we should have sunshine and almost 50 here. Low of 35 so the next few days will be mild then warmer.
I attached a photo of him this morning sitting on his spot on the rack he has taken up for so many years. Hoping it works.
He is likely 2-3 weeks ahead of the next arrival to my site. During this time we are like best friends. Then he will resume his life as a typical alpha Martin.
Thanks for all your kind replies.
Doug
PS Wondering if anyone else out there has a Martin that comes out when he's called? If I whistle and call for him from my porch he comes out of the gourd. lol
- Attachments
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- Buddy 2024.jpg
- (427.6 KiB) Not downloaded yet
Supplemental feeding plays a major role in Western Pennsylvania. Finally got my 1st pair in 2009 after 28 years of effort. The colony has grown quickly to 45 pairs that I care for. Many new colonies have now sprung up around me in the past few years as well. Where there was none.... there is many.
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sugarcreek
- Posts: 252
- Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2016 10:43 am
- Location: Sugarcreek, Ohio
- Martin Colony History: 2016 First Yr.
Every year ours come back, they always know my whistle when I go out to feed him so I know exactly what you're talking about, ours are all trained to supplemental feed as well, the only difference is I can't tell the difference between who is who like you can with yours. That is so cool for you
16 - 14 Cavities 4 Act. Ne 9 fledged, 2.25 Fl. per Act. Ne
17 - 36 Cavities 18 Act. Ne 65 Fledged, 3.61 Fl. per Act. Ne
18 - 54 Cavities 43 Act. Ne 169 Fledged, 3.93 Fl. per Act. Ne
19 - 108 Cavities 67 Act. Ne 209 Fledged, 3.12 Fl. per Act. Ne
20 - 108 Cavities 72 Act. Ne 243 Fledged, 3.38 Fl. per Act. Ne
21 - 112 Cavities 91 Act. Ne 313 Fledged, 3.44 Fl. per Act. Ne
22 - 114 Cavities 101 Act Ne 355 Fledged, 3.51 Fl. per Act. Ne
17 - 36 Cavities 18 Act. Ne 65 Fledged, 3.61 Fl. per Act. Ne
18 - 54 Cavities 43 Act. Ne 169 Fledged, 3.93 Fl. per Act. Ne
19 - 108 Cavities 67 Act. Ne 209 Fledged, 3.12 Fl. per Act. Ne
20 - 108 Cavities 72 Act. Ne 243 Fledged, 3.38 Fl. per Act. Ne
21 - 112 Cavities 91 Act. Ne 313 Fledged, 3.44 Fl. per Act. Ne
22 - 114 Cavities 101 Act Ne 355 Fledged, 3.51 Fl. per Act. Ne
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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
Glad to hear your Buddy is back Doug, enjoy!-
Doug Martin - PA
- Posts: 1988
- Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 10:47 am
- Location: Pennsylvania/Fombell
- Martin Colony History: First pair in 2009 after 28 years of trying. 3 pairs 2010, 17 pairs 2011 and 35-45 pairs since. Many additional colonies are now springing up around mine in an area once completely void of Martins. I offer 50 compartments at my site consisting of primarily Excluder II gourds on Gemini racks. Also a wooden T-14. I utilize electric fence type predator guards on the base of the poles. Supplemental feeding is crucial in maintaining my colony. I platform feed throughout the season as needed. My site tends to be a stop over point for additional birds as they migrate further north.
Sugarcreek,
It's easy to tell them apart when there is only one there for a few weeks and he always returns to the same gourd and rack. lol
Then there are the few others that arrive next to their particular spots. one on the front of the T-14 that keeps 2 females, and one aggressive one to the front of the Gemini Rack. After that it gets pretty hard to tell.
Great weather for Buddy. We hung out this morning for a bit and had crickets and coffee. (yes I had the coffee) Then I got treated to some singing for the first time.
Early arrivals sleep in late, and go in for the evening early the first few days. Must be an exhausting trip.
Doug
It's easy to tell them apart when there is only one there for a few weeks and he always returns to the same gourd and rack. lol
Then there are the few others that arrive next to their particular spots. one on the front of the T-14 that keeps 2 females, and one aggressive one to the front of the Gemini Rack. After that it gets pretty hard to tell.
Great weather for Buddy. We hung out this morning for a bit and had crickets and coffee. (yes I had the coffee) Then I got treated to some singing for the first time.
Early arrivals sleep in late, and go in for the evening early the first few days. Must be an exhausting trip.
Doug
Supplemental feeding plays a major role in Western Pennsylvania. Finally got my 1st pair in 2009 after 28 years of effort. The colony has grown quickly to 45 pairs that I care for. Many new colonies have now sprung up around me in the past few years as well. Where there was none.... there is many.
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Martintown33
- Posts: 1366
- Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2021 6:21 pm
- Location: Laplace,La
- Martin Colony History: Colony started in 1998. 2 s&k modified houses and gourd rack
It really is an incredible relationship between a “ wild” animal and a human. Those are always the most special…
Great story that continues…
Rob
Great story that continues…
Rob
PMCA member
Laplace, La
Laplace, La
Your story about Buddy last year was awesome. I remembered it today and came here searching specifically for “Buddy” and lo and behold this post comes up. I wish you the best of luck with your martins this year! I am originally from South Western Pa, but am now in Virginia… diligently playing the dawn song trying to get my first nesters, hopefully, I don’t have to wait 28 years.
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Doug Martin - PA
- Posts: 1988
- Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2004 10:47 am
- Location: Pennsylvania/Fombell
- Martin Colony History: First pair in 2009 after 28 years of trying. 3 pairs 2010, 17 pairs 2011 and 35-45 pairs since. Many additional colonies are now springing up around mine in an area once completely void of Martins. I offer 50 compartments at my site consisting of primarily Excluder II gourds on Gemini racks. Also a wooden T-14. I utilize electric fence type predator guards on the base of the poles. Supplemental feeding is crucial in maintaining my colony. I platform feed throughout the season as needed. My site tends to be a stop over point for additional birds as they migrate further north.
It's been a rough week for Martins in Western PA. A solid week of cold temperatures. We have had lows in the teens a few times with highs in the 30s.
Good old Buddy is doing fine but he's been here solo in this cold for way too long. He's like a pet to me and my wife at this point.
He has gotten used to using the handwarmers at night too.
Doug
Good old Buddy is doing fine but he's been here solo in this cold for way too long. He's like a pet to me and my wife at this point.
He has gotten used to using the handwarmers at night too.
Doug
Supplemental feeding plays a major role in Western Pennsylvania. Finally got my 1st pair in 2009 after 28 years of effort. The colony has grown quickly to 45 pairs that I care for. Many new colonies have now sprung up around me in the past few years as well. Where there was none.... there is many.