Same mates from one year to next?

[switchgrass2001]

For those veteran landlords and/or bird banders, is it unheard of/rare/common for the same male and female to mate from one year to the next given their high site fidelity? Curious if any have observed this. Thanks.

Todd

[flyin-lowe]

Research I have seen shows it can happen but they don't seek out the same mate year after year like some species do. I notice it happens more based on arrival time than anything. Mine seem to pair up as they come in. My earliest arrivals are usually sharing a cavity before the main migration hits.

[randyM]

I have a large colony (150+ pairs) and band 150 young each year. Over the past few years I've had about 10 nesting pairs where both individuals of the pair were banded. The following year the banded individuals that returned never paired again with the same banded mate. I have 15 different house/gourd systems (300+ total cavities) and the banded males are more likely to return to the same cavity as the previous year, whereas the females tend to choose different housing units each year. If a returning male does not select the same nest cavity from the previous year, he'll usually take up residence in another cavity in the same housing unit. In this case, perhaps his cavity from the previous year was already occupied when he arrived the following year? I think the likelihood of martins pairing up with the same mate from the previous year increases in smaller colonies.

Randy

[Mstan]

Randy I would love to see your site. I can’t imagine the visual of that many Martins in the morning and evening sky. Thank you for giving the Martins a large refuge to nest and multiply.

[C.C.Martins]

Randy, do you find the older a bird gets they select the uppermost cavities? Guess it will be in general, their selection is based on fly way too id imagine?

[randyM]

CC Martins, my site is very open in all directions and all 15 house/gourd units are the same height (10-13') above ground level. The first early arriving birds at my site usually initially occupy the top 1 or 2 floors of my wooden houses, but as a few more dozen martins arrive they inhabit all 4 levels. Perhaps the males first occupy the cavity they nested in the previous year, regardless of which level it's on. Some early-arriving banded males in the past changed the cavity they initially selected likely based on what cavity the female they select chooses. Plastic gourds at my site are typically selected a bit later in the spring, once the weather warms a bit.
Randy

[C.C.Martins]

Thats true, makes sense. Ill echo the others, love to see it!
Thanks,
Tom