Long Term Wanna-bes

[TreeGreenwood]

From Joe's 'Plastic Gourds + Fleckstone' thread...

Joe, I feel your pain! After 3 seasons now I'm not holding out hope of getting a colony going any time soon. If only I could get a feel for the experiences of other long-term wannabees that eventually became successful. Although I've asked directly, I've not had any good responses. I asked whether the folks who finally got their first pair got 1 pair after 8 years of never seeing any at all or was it more like they had regular visitors in the spring for several years but none would take up residence etc.

Fred & Joe, seems like a good time to move this to a separate thread.

I fledged PMs in my 3rd year of trying but I've always had PMs around, hunting over my place from a long-established colony a quarter mile away. My first year, I was clueless and placed the PM house too close to my house and trees. The second year, added gourds and placed the housing properly -- by the book (writings here and elsewhere). I got lots of visitors and one resident SY male. This year, I moved the housing to the most open area I have even though it's over 150 feet behind the barn, not near human housing. Five pair plus a bachelor SY fledged a dozen HYs. Had one nest of infertile eggs, only one hatched of 4 eggs in another nest and my ASY/SY pair laid 4 eggs, pushed them out, then relaid 4 more eggs that all hatched and all the babies fledged. An interesting year for me.

In honesty, how likely does it seem that someone is going to go for 15 years and have never seen a Martin and then one magic day in year 16, 10 pairs of birds just flutter out of the sky and begin nestbuilding at their location? The truth has to fall somewhere between never getting any and the second example. Me, I don't even get visitors in the spring so I suppose my situation is currently leaning towards the NEVER GONNA HAPPEN side. If we can't find a way to stem the decreasing number of Martins around here, I'll never succeed. Perhaps even more frustrating would be the case of someone who KNOWS an active colony exists 1/4 mile away and yet not a single bird ever comes by their place. I hear that happens too. This endeavor is becomming a lot like a religion. We just have to go forward and keep the faith. I plan to continue keeping up the housing I have and playing the sounds for many years yet but I've definately moved beyond it being totally consuming. All my worrying won't MAKE it happen. ...

No visitors, never even seeing a Purple Martin, isn't good news. I suspect that my little colony will grow rapidly in coming years. The other colonies in my area are housed in traditional wood PM houses on fixed poles. Two of the Mennonite farmers strung gourds on wires this year. I'll never get the numbers that I hear about down in the deep south but there have been PMs hosted in my area for over 100 years.

Best of luck in getting some attention next spring. Your best chance is likely going to be playing Dawn Song _LOUD_ to attract the attention of migrating birds lookin' for a home. If your housing and environment are right, there's always a chance!

Take care,

Tree

[rickluc]

My first colony I had at the home I sold in 1999;
Had up a wooden Purple Martin house since around 1984
Found the PMCA and put up a aluminum 12 compartment, and started
playing the dawnsong in 1996, got my first pair (noticed only one pair).
My house was in a wide open spot.
Don't know if I had ever gotten visitors before that, because I never
payed that much attention until the spring of 1996 when I seen this
Martin setting on the house.
The next year I added 4 gourds to the bottom of house and enlarged
compartments in the house.
When I sold this home in 1999 I had 3 pair, took down the house and
took it with me.
My second colony
Put the house and gourds back up at my new home this spring. I am
very much tree locked at this new location, but it is located on a lake
shore. There is an established full colony about 1/4 mile from me. In
fact there is a tree limb hanging out over the top of the house. The
limb is about 8 feet above the top of the house. I got my first pair this
spring and fledged 3 Martins ( notice I said only one pair).
I read on this forum where first timers get 5 to 10 pair there first
year. How lucky they are.
Well this is my story about being a wannabe, turning into a
LANDLORD.
Good luck to all!

[Laverne]

I'm sorry a bunch of newbies haven't answered your questions. Probably the reason for their silence is they don't feel qualified to respond. I think a lot of people only visit the forum occasionally and have probably missed your questions.

Anyway, I sure don't qualify. I was one of those people who stuck a house on top of a piece of pipe and had martins checking it out before we could get off the ladder.

But, I know this season alone, that there were wannabes who became newbies and it often happens with just one pair. Then, sometimes, that one pair will attract a 2nd or 3rd pair and maybe even more. Some people have been trying for many seasons, some for 2-3 seasons, and some got their first pair the first season. Sharon in MN had been trying for 19 years and finally this season she was successful in attracting a pair and they successfully fledged their young. Having visiting PMs doesn't necessarily mean you will get a nesting pair next season. And then, I recall somebody from (I think) Amarillo area who had never seen PMs suddenly had several nesting pairs this season. We all wondered if the bad hurricanes last year might have influenced the PMs in broadening their range.

I guess what it all boils down to, Tree, is that nobody knows. Every colony begins its own way. Every Purple Martin is truly an individual and cannot be predicted. I think that is part of the attraction to this beautiful bird. You just never know what they will do... but, having them around to entertain you is a gift, a blessing, and I hope they will grace you and all "wannabes" with their presence... soon.

[CUL Lou~Mich]

Then there are some folks who have seen PMs in the past, and then not for three years. Like Fred says, we really need to stem the decline of PMs, but how to do that?? There is the 64 million dollar question. I sure wish there was some easy answer to it. Unfortunately, I don't believe there is. Just have to wait another year, and see what happens. CUL Lou

[Guest]

Lou, I guess you'll just have to do what someone suggested for me to do...move. If you're like me, you like it where you're at and have no intentions of moving. If I don't get martins here at this location, then I guess I just won't be getting them, huh!

[Doug Martin - PA]

Thought I could help out a little here in answering this question. I am certainly a long time wanna be of many years.

It is my belief and known fact that Martins are very socialable. They have a "map" so to speak of active sites in which they visit. Recent banding reports will show that they will travel many miles between active sites.

There are vacant Martin houses all over the place in my area of Pennsylvania. These houses are rarely if ever visited. If so, there is a big difference between a circling by a passing Martin and one going in and out of cavities. There is a huge difference in drawing Martins from 10 miles away from the nearest colony or 2 miles.

To start a colony in a low population area you pretty much need all the neighboring established sites to be overcrowded, overflowing or restricted. Then Martins will begin serious exploring for new sites. When given the choice, the female especially will choose an established site. They simply want several males making a fuss over them. They also want other Martins present during the time period of raising young. This is a safety factor.

I have had Martin visitors almost every year of my 25 of trying to start a colony. A single SY male has virtually no chance of attracting a mate. I have them every year. I have six poles in the ground with various housing. I have got my neighbor started because he has a better site location. I have housing up at a nearby lake. This has made the area attractive to Martins and put it on a few of their "maps" to stop and check it out while passing through. The same birds visit all locations.

This year 1 male began to visit as usual, but a good thing finally happened..... so did one more. These two males set the stage for the big event at my neighbors site. An established SY pair turned away from a site 8 miles away. (planned cavity closings just prior to nesting) The female was courted by the 2 males, the male she was with had to fight for her. All turned out and 2 young were raised and fledged. The bacheleors eventually left the pair on their own to raise the young. As a result there have been more than 15 visiting Martins at a time during and after fledgling. Also Martin parents are seen bringing their new fledgling to visit showing them the newly established site.

Does this guarantee a boom next year? No because in 2000 we also had an ASY pair raise 4 young. The following year also one pair. Then many martins in 2002. The weather killed off all returning birds. The following year brought no visitors, Then a few now Martins again in 2005.

Do you need prior visitors? I think yes, and the more activity the better your chances of more than one settling in.

Also in the north the T-14 is the house they want right now. Also large gourds. You can't beat a large wood house with gourds. I recommend at least 2 or three of them in your general area to turn some heads and keep them coming. Make use of superior site locations close to home. See if local landlords will pull together to restrict their site after pair formation and maintain their same numbers for next year. Once a pair is bonded they are more likely to establish a new site together. Dawnsong does work only if there are Martins to hear it.

Hope this helps.

Doug

[Joe D. Bryant]

Tree, there were lots of fledglings produced by the local landlords in my area this year. Hopefully, we'll have a mild spring/early summer in 2006. If we do, I feel almost certain that the local wannabes, including myself, will be seeing some success because of excess martins for the limited number of cavities. The early/late spring weather for the last four years has been outstandingly bad. Whatever happens from now on, I learned this year to not ever get so disgusted as to throw in the towel before they're all back in Brazil; there are just too many things that can happen to force a pair to move to new housing, and they might choose mine.

[Donnie Hurdt MN]

Hi everyone. I have to agree with Cathy when she said she likes it where she is and has no intention of moving. Unlike her and Lou though I do have martins in my area. For example, tthis afternoon I heard martins vocalizing overhead after it quit raining so I decided to try a little experement. I put on the Dawnsong c/d and within a half hour there were 2 ASY males and 1 HY landing on the perches and looking around. They lkeft and came back a few times then I put in the Daytime chatter c/d. They came back and circled around but did not land, then left .
In spite of the lousy spring we had this year my neighbors who have martins say it was a good year with lots of young raised. Hmmmm, brightens my hopes for next year.
This was my eleventh year of trying for martins I know that is not as long as some have waited and I might never get martins but it is kind of fustrating at times when one of my neighbors a half mile away puts up a house and gets martins right away!

[John Atteberry]

Well, Up north in Elsberry, Mo. I had 21 Pairs my first year and ended with 62 pairs the fourth year! Then I moved to Pensacola, FL. and got three pairs the first year here! Not alot for the first year like up north when I got 21 pairs the first year! I'm just anxious to see how many I get this year! If any! So, I think it's where your at when you get your first martins! Maybe it's not in their flight zone or where they nest! Or maybe you have to be by water! Up north I lived next to a creek and about 8 miles from the Mississipi River and now on a 6 acre lake here in Florida! So maybe the water has something to do with martins! Who knows! Thanks John!

[rickluc]

I don't know if water, large quantity is necessary. Earlier in this thread, my first colony was 8 miles from a body of water. There were plenty of ditches around the area and a few hog waste ponds.

Thats a question I would like to bring up, will Purple Martins use a pond for a hog operation? Thanks

[Laverne]

My colony uses the bayou behind our house to drink and bathe. There isn't much water in it most of the time - maybe 1 foot deep, but Purple Martins will go considerable distances to a constant water source if necessary.

Will PMs use a pond that is being used in a hog operation??? If the water is clean enough, I'm sure they will. If the water isn't clean - I don't know... you'll have to ask a Purple Martin about that...

[Al Denton]

Here's my thoughts on moving. I could move to a "honey hole" of martins and get them overnight, but I'd be cheating myself out of another "magic monent". After 7 years of trying moving is like giving up for me. I still think the day is coming when a young pair of martins will be hauling nesting material into their favorite gourd. It's going to be a sweet, and I'm not real sure what my reaction is going to be. It'll be special whatever it is. It's the kind of special folks miss out on when they get martins "right off the bat" although I'm happy for you if you did. If someone moves to a better location to attract martins that's great, so go for it. I just like it too much here to budge. Next year might be the one Al