Martins, Scouts and Subs...OH MY!
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Al Denton
- Posts: 1468
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 7:31 pm
- Location: Carolina Shores NC
- Martin Colony History: New site and housing for 2018...Trendsetter 12. 1 pair of subs. Fledged 5...2019...11 pairs
I think it's starting to happen.... This time of year it all starts to pick up again. Everybody starts to get pumped. The forum get busy again with all the excitement of the upcoming season. The martins are on the way back. After 7 years of trying I seem to have lost that edge. It's hard to explain, but time has stripped away something about all this including some of my enthusiasm. Oh I'll have my stuff ready to go don't you worry. This could be the year! I guess sometimes when you hit enough bumps in the road things will eventually start to go flat. I hope I'm not falling between the cracks. Hurry along little martins..Ya'hear? Al
2018-new site...1 pair
2019-11 pairs
2020-15 pairs
2019-11 pairs
2020-15 pairs
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floridasunshinegoddess
Al, this is your year to hear the lovely Martin songs! You just wait and see. Will be sending a little package to you soon.
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Donnie Hurdt MN
- Posts: 1723
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2004 11:14 pm
- Location: North Prairie, MN
I dont know if I am any less entheusiastic about the comming season, I just think that I am trying smarter, not harder. This will be my twelveth year trying there are active colonies close by me sooner or later they will come.
PMCA member and Martin fanatic....
2011 A pair of subbies fledged three young but none returned in 2012
2015 One Pair of subbies came and stayed a few nits but got chased away by Bluebirds and Tree swallows.
2017 0ne pair of subbies nested and fledged 4 young
2018 Tree Swallows AGAIN chased away any martins that wanted to nest
2019 Same old story................
2011 A pair of subbies fledged three young but none returned in 2012
2015 One Pair of subbies came and stayed a few nits but got chased away by Bluebirds and Tree swallows.
2017 0ne pair of subbies nested and fledged 4 young
2018 Tree Swallows AGAIN chased away any martins that wanted to nest
2019 Same old story................
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Guest
Hang in there Al...
I had a colony in Iowa, and have moved to Rapid City South Dakota. Last summer was almost unbearable without purple in my back yard, yet I have my Modified Trio Grandpa, and will be adding a Lonestar gourd rack this season to my new back yard. Hope I don't get into trouble though, as I live in a community with covenants.
Rapid City is West of the purple martins breeding range...but I will still try, as these little purple miracles never seem to stop amazing me. Just when you think you have them figured out...BAM...something new happens.
I have seen posts from landlords in Mobridge, SD which is North and West of here (about 300 miles), and that seems fairly close as far as a martin flies. I mean...hey...they fly over 6000 miles per year don't they. I'm a former landlord, looking to the skies, and waiting to spot that first Purple Martin that decides to break all the rules and nest west of the known breeding range. When I spot him/her, my heart will jump with joy, my eyes will fill with joy, and my soul will again SING with that beloved purple king of the sky. Trust me Al, when the miracle happens, I will be sure to let you all know.
I sure hope that we all have a successful season, and the music returns to all of our souls in the arrival of that first scout. I wish all wanna be landlords a miracle this year. I call it a miracle when martins stay with us because they enrich our lives so eloquently...with song, grace of flight, and a hope for better things returning home to us each spring.
So keep your heart cheerful, your soul hopeful, your eyes upward, and the belief in a little miracle alive
Mark Jorgensen
P.S. I guess you could say that I'm the NUT in my family, regarding the post about who's the nut in your family...ha ha.
I had a colony in Iowa, and have moved to Rapid City South Dakota. Last summer was almost unbearable without purple in my back yard, yet I have my Modified Trio Grandpa, and will be adding a Lonestar gourd rack this season to my new back yard. Hope I don't get into trouble though, as I live in a community with covenants.
Rapid City is West of the purple martins breeding range...but I will still try, as these little purple miracles never seem to stop amazing me. Just when you think you have them figured out...BAM...something new happens.
I have seen posts from landlords in Mobridge, SD which is North and West of here (about 300 miles), and that seems fairly close as far as a martin flies. I mean...hey...they fly over 6000 miles per year don't they. I'm a former landlord, looking to the skies, and waiting to spot that first Purple Martin that decides to break all the rules and nest west of the known breeding range. When I spot him/her, my heart will jump with joy, my eyes will fill with joy, and my soul will again SING with that beloved purple king of the sky. Trust me Al, when the miracle happens, I will be sure to let you all know.
I sure hope that we all have a successful season, and the music returns to all of our souls in the arrival of that first scout. I wish all wanna be landlords a miracle this year. I call it a miracle when martins stay with us because they enrich our lives so eloquently...with song, grace of flight, and a hope for better things returning home to us each spring.
So keep your heart cheerful, your soul hopeful, your eyes upward, and the belief in a little miracle alive
Mark Jorgensen
P.S. I guess you could say that I'm the NUT in my family, regarding the post about who's the nut in your family...ha ha.