Where Have All The Martins Gone?

[Guest]

I've been trying to establish a colony for a decade, but more intensely the past several years (I switched from an aluminum house to plastic gourds, used attracting CD's, cut down close tall shrubs, etc. Two years ago, I had a few visitors in May/June, but they didn't stay. Last year and this year, I saw none.

There have been a couple of established colonies I drive by for years. Last year, I did see some martins at those. This year, there haven't even been martins there.

I know that martins are in general long-term decline, but has there been a drastic die-off in general or in Maryland specifically? I can understand having trouble establishing a new colony, but the apparent failure of the local established ones has me very concerned.

[John Miller]

Hey Cave Bear

Welcome to the Forum.

There were some reports here earlier this spring of martin colonies around the Delaware coast, I think, suffering a lot of mortality from a storm that brought very very heavy rain and wind. I tried to find this in archives but wasn't successful. Maybe someone here will remember, or can say if there was a weather mortality event in Maryland last spring.

Here's a map to national longer term population trends: http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/htm03/ ... r06110.htm You'll see that martins are up in some regions and down in others -- the reasons probably pretty complex.

I hope you'll keep trying next year. Do you have a good open space? That's priority one -- well second, first being in a region with at least a modest population.

One of my best vacations many years ago was a sailing trip around Chesapeake Bay -- most memorable because docking in the evenings in the harbors there were martins flying around everywhere.

John Miller,
St. Louis, Mo

[Guest]

John - Thanks for the map. That is interesting information. I see that my part of Maryland experienced an increase between 1966 - 2003. It's sad to see all the red and orange areas in the north, though the south has some extensive blue areas.

Coincidentally, my parents put up a purple martin house in Maryland in the 1960's. I've actually been interested in them since then. They had intermittent martins for the decade they lived there. When I got my own house in 1986, one of the first things I did was put up one of those aluminum martin houses. I would occasionally get visitors, and a couple of times, nests were built. I blamed the hot aluminum.

My location options are moderate. My most open area (where I placed the pole with houses) is 50' from any large tree, 30' from one small specimen tree that is lower than the plastic gourds, and there are some 3' shrubs near the pole and I cut them back each Spring.

My property is bordered by a large forested swamp, however. Do you think that is discouraging martins from nesting at my house? That might be reducing the food-source area of the martins. Still, there doesn't seem to be a lack of flying insects in the area (and I don't mean just mosquitos).

Those local disestablished colonies concern me. I think there is just a lack of martins here lately. :(

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

There are 2 things that may be keeping the martins awa:

1) 50 ft to the tree is very close, but could be acceptable in some cases

2) they do not like an opening that is bowl shaped with trees in all directions. They like to have one or two open flyways that are 150 to 200 ft long.

The lack of insects is not the problem in my estimation, as the martins feed mostly on very high flying insects, I have heard that many of the insects migrate in large swarms, up to 50mi long, but we cqnnot see those insects flying by. Martins can get very hungry in very cold weather under 50 deg, in very rainy whether when it rains for several days, or if it gets extremely hot & dry for several weeks, too hot for insects to fly.

The swamp nearby should be a big help in attracting martins.

You may be right, there may not be many martins, and you will have difficulty in attracting them if they never check out your housing. But good luck anyway, and hope you get some next year.

[rickluc]

TREES????? Maybe for a little encouragement, I don't feel trees are always a deterrent for the martins. But then again I'm a new Landlord and only drawed in one pair. I'm located on a lake where my property is very tree locked. My aluminum house and gourds are arranged so the openings are facing where I can see them. So the Martins have to fly in and make a turn to land on the entrance side. In fact the house kind of sets under a tree. The pole is about 20 feet from the base of the tree and there is a large limb hanging out over the house, up about 12 feet. My property and pole sets up against a 17 acre woods. So,for my two cents worth, I think if you put it up they will come. I will admit that maybe I am setting up for a disaster, as far as hawks and owls go. The neibors colony chased off a local hawk several times this year. But I did fledge 3 young this year. There is a full colony across the lake that probably helped me get started.
There is alot of more knowledgeable Landlords with a lot more Martins then me out there so I make this humble opinion to let you know that maybe you have a chance, I hope.
Maybe like what you and Emil Pampell-TX said about the lack of Martin population. Keep playing the Dawnsong and Daytime Chatter CD's.
Good luck

[Guest]

The PMCA's 2005 Maryland Scout Report lists one by Paul Smalley of Waldorf, MD.

[Laverne]

Hello Cave Bear.

There were several weather related events that caused the starvation of many Purple Martins in the North this past Spring. Many landlords reported the loss of all their early returning birds. Many landlords reported the survival of their early returning birds because they provided the Purple Martins with supplemental food.

A longtime landlord from Rhode Island reported a "Nor'easter" that wiped out many colonies in his area. This same storm could have affected the colonies in your area, too. I think storms of this type may be the reason for smaller populations of PMs in coastal areas.

Then, there is the tree thing. A handful of PM landlords report that they have trees close to their housing and they still have PM colonies. Purple Martins will "normally" shy away from housing that is too close to trees because those trees shield predators. Hawks and owls are deadly predators of the Purple Martin. In your case - where you have a large forested swamp bordering your property - the occurence of these predators could be even more frequent and this alone could prevent the PMs from attempting to breed in these areas.

There was a successful season this year with many fledglings produced. These birds will return next season and be looking for new sites to colonize. Perhaps a breeding pair will find your site and decide to stay. I would keep an eye on the Scout Report next spring and when you see the first reports from States to the south of Delaware, crank up the CDs.

Best wishes to you for success in attracting a PM colony. I trust you will take good care of them when they come to your housing.

[Guest]

Thanks for all the information on possible martin problems in my area this Spring. It helps both to know there were some and that they might be temporary.

My martin house location has a large tree 60' west (I revise it because I went out and measured to the drip line of the tree) and the house 30' south. It is 40' away from the street and open lawn across the street (and no suspended telephone or electric lines). The other 200+ degrees are very open for 100-300'.

I'll be retiring in February, so I'll be available for all the martin attraction and support I can muster next year.

Thanks again...

[Guest]

Tony Berg - Thank you mentioning a Waldorf martin supporter. I've printed out the list with his name so I can contact him next year before the martins arrive. Great idea!

[floridasunshinegoddess]

John,

I was surprised to see my area of Central Florida in the Red-Orange range. It makes me more determined than ever to attract and raise as many Martins as I can!!!!!!

Thanks for posting that chart.

[John Miller]

Barb

I love maps, but the more I look at that one ( http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/htm03/ ... r06110.htm ) the less I trust its conclusions for certain areas. It shows trends in population and I see some areas it indicates are down, such as northwest Lousiana -- where Steve Kroenke had phenomal first-year success.

From the same gov folks, here is an overall martin population "density" map.

http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/htm03/ ... a06110.htm


It looks more plausible to me. If there are ornithologists/ professionals who would care to look at these and comment, I'm sure we'd all be interested.

John Miller,
St. Louis, Mo

[Guest]

That map is very helpful! It appears that my general area supports a good PM population, so that is encouraging. I'll just have to give it another try next year! Success will come eventually.

Thanks so much for your post.

[floridasunshinegoddess]

John,

That map seems a little more accurate. Central Florida appears to have greater than 10-30.... (thousands?) but perhaps that number is down from what it has had in the past. Thanks for posting it.