Hello Everyone! Just like other northern states the Martins are flying into winter like weather Here in Southern New England i am glad i half my homes up for them
my sites seem to be a great rest area and over night sanctuary for north bound birds. I have seen many fly in at dusk and then exit in the am never to return.
I am happy to host a many as possible when weather turns violent and extreme. I feel like they are grounded and will not leave until good weather returns.
Ray Marr
Barrington
Rhode Island
Single adult Male Martin seen in Rhode Island 03/20
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C.C.Martins
- Posts: 2876
- 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.
HOSP: 52 Starlings: 29
Home colony: mix natural, super, Troyer and excluder gourds, enlarged compartment house. All SREH.
Satellite colony: Oso Bay Preserve: 36 PMCA excluder gourds, 6 room trio mini castle with troyer tunnels and enlarged compartments.
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,
PMCA member
Thank you for being a good host!
A good house sparrow is a dead house sparrow.
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malachy cleary
- Posts: 77
- Joined: Wed Feb 25, 2004 8:01 pm
- Location: cold spring n.y.
- Martin Colony History: First breeding pair in 2011. Site moved up hill 350 feet at beginning of nesting season
2019 to accommodate road construction.
Colony seems to have weathered the upheaval
Hi Ray,
Early this year or is 3/20 a typical arrival date for a scout?
I’ve seen a scout as early as April 1st here in the lower Hudson Valley near West Point. Perhaps I should open up the housing . Scout last year showed up with the tree swallows.
Horrible weather now, cold and extremely wet.
Thank you,
Malachy Cleary
Early this year or is 3/20 a typical arrival date for a scout?
I’ve seen a scout as early as April 1st here in the lower Hudson Valley near West Point. Perhaps I should open up the housing . Scout last year showed up with the tree swallows.
Horrible weather now, cold and extremely wet.
Thank you,
Malachy Cleary
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Martin man RI
- Posts: 440
- Joined: Sun Dec 14, 2003 7:04 pm
- Location: MA/RI area
Hi Malachiy, Not the first time i have seen returns back this early.... i have seen one few years back on March 19. In Rehoboth MA. So i try to get stuff out as fast as possible
in mid march but the weather so harsh its almost impossible to get everything out if you could open few cavity's and hold off on the rest would help if there are any early birds.
winter returned and now we have down pours im sure the loan bird has perished in these winter like conditions. Im not sure why he flew in so early. i have been a landlord for
30 years and i know what i seen was a adult martin and no swallow i think i scared him out of the only house that was up while i continued to hang gourds he was flying all
around. Its was horrible to see knowing the weather for a week and what will happen. I think he was resting in my modified trio aluminum house and i spooked him out walking under it.
Its sad but there are many more in route. Some how he got his signals wrong and few north. Aonther female was seen on long Island last week. So he was not alone. You are well
north of me and probably are getting snow. I dont see good weather for days. lets hope no more early ones this spring.
Ray Marr
in mid march but the weather so harsh its almost impossible to get everything out if you could open few cavity's and hold off on the rest would help if there are any early birds.
winter returned and now we have down pours im sure the loan bird has perished in these winter like conditions. Im not sure why he flew in so early. i have been a landlord for
30 years and i know what i seen was a adult martin and no swallow i think i scared him out of the only house that was up while i continued to hang gourds he was flying all
around. Its was horrible to see knowing the weather for a week and what will happen. I think he was resting in my modified trio aluminum house and i spooked him out walking under it.
Its sad but there are many more in route. Some how he got his signals wrong and few north. Aonther female was seen on long Island last week. So he was not alone. You are well
north of me and probably are getting snow. I dont see good weather for days. lets hope no more early ones this spring.
Ray Marr
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Martin man RI
- Posts: 440
- Joined: Sun Dec 14, 2003 7:04 pm
- Location: MA/RI area
Martin was seen and a picture of him on March 22 over echo lake searching for bugs. So that answers any questions he was a return from my colony. The lake is very close by too.
I only hope he found something to keep him alive yesterday.
I only hope he found something to keep him alive yesterday.
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malachy cleary
- Posts: 77
- Joined: Wed Feb 25, 2004 8:01 pm
- Location: cold spring n.y.
- Martin Colony History: First breeding pair in 2011. Site moved up hill 350 feet at beginning of nesting season
2019 to accommodate road construction.
Colony seems to have weathered the upheaval
Hi Ray,
Thanks for the detailed reply. Yes I always feel bad for the birds to get her early and you don’t know whether they survived or not but I think I’m just due west of you and what not so much north I’m up around Bear Mountain Park, Glynwood farm in Cold spring New York is where the site is but I noticed that the martin tend to hit the coastal areas a good amount of time before they are inland.
Malachy Cleary
Thanks for the detailed reply. Yes I always feel bad for the birds to get her early and you don’t know whether they survived or not but I think I’m just due west of you and what not so much north I’m up around Bear Mountain Park, Glynwood farm in Cold spring New York is where the site is but I noticed that the martin tend to hit the coastal areas a good amount of time before they are inland.
Malachy Cleary
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Martin man RI
- Posts: 440
- Joined: Sun Dec 14, 2003 7:04 pm
- Location: MA/RI area
Hi Malachy,
My first colony was in northern RI 300 foot elevation very cold. WE had a storm in May in 2005 and that storm decimated the entire population and left us with maybe
a six pairs in RI and MA. Probably one of the worst days of my life the dead toll was beyond words. i have learned from experience and moved many of my racks and
houses to lower elevations i dont ever want to see anything like that again. The elevation at most of my sites is maybe 0-10 feet above sea level. They are much warmer
and safer. I moved all the units about 20 miles south and out of the 300 foot elevation the site was on a lake but did not matter the temps were much colder up there in May
than at the more southern elevations. There are colony's that are thriving back in northern RI and just over the state border but that week in May will haunt me for the rest of my life
northern landlords face a much higher mortality of there flock due to much colder temps. We do what we can but its mother nature who is the one in real control. The lone bird seen
made a vital wrong move when he may the decision to return here. The first birds reported state wide are around March 28 and on. He was a week early and not the first time one
has shown here at this time. We look to brighter and warmer days ahead of us! And many more Purple Martins.
My first colony was in northern RI 300 foot elevation very cold. WE had a storm in May in 2005 and that storm decimated the entire population and left us with maybe
a six pairs in RI and MA. Probably one of the worst days of my life the dead toll was beyond words. i have learned from experience and moved many of my racks and
houses to lower elevations i dont ever want to see anything like that again. The elevation at most of my sites is maybe 0-10 feet above sea level. They are much warmer
and safer. I moved all the units about 20 miles south and out of the 300 foot elevation the site was on a lake but did not matter the temps were much colder up there in May
than at the more southern elevations. There are colony's that are thriving back in northern RI and just over the state border but that week in May will haunt me for the rest of my life
northern landlords face a much higher mortality of there flock due to much colder temps. We do what we can but its mother nature who is the one in real control. The lone bird seen
made a vital wrong move when he may the decision to return here. The first birds reported state wide are around March 28 and on. He was a week early and not the first time one
has shown here at this time. We look to brighter and warmer days ahead of us! And many more Purple Martins.
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mwren
- Posts: 168
- Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2015 2:43 pm
- Location: OH/Athens
- Martin Colony History: I have had my martin colony on the dam of one of my ponds for nine years. The colony has grown each year, but I am now concentrating on helping friends and acquaintances who have shown interests in martins. My colony consists of three T-14's with 8 Troyer gourds attatched to each T-14, a Troyer gourd rack with 12 gourds, and another gourd rack with 18 Troyer gourds for a total of 96 nest cavities. I am having serious predation issues with hawks and owls and am experimenting with various hawk guards and "screens". Established successful supplemental feeding the last few seasons and have had a blast flipping mostly meal worms and some crickets. Faculty from Ohio University are using my colony as a research site to study parasites that target cavity nesting birds. In exchange for access to my bird trail nest boxes and martin housing, they are banding all birds involved in their study.
Mal,
Have you tried Supplemental feeding if your birds have flown into cold wet weather and insects are forced to the ground?
Have you tried Supplemental feeding if your birds have flown into cold wet weather and insects are forced to the ground?
Mike "Bird" Wren