Getting Anxious in Texas

Dale Hrncirik · Wed Jan 11, 2006 11:59 am

I expect our purple pals will grace south Texas in a day or two. The first reported Texas PM sighting last year was Jan 13th. The weather conditions are near optimal for early migrants. Heads up in south Texas and good luck to all!

Dale

klcretired · Wed Jan 11, 2006 12:34 pm

Hi Dale & Everybody,
Yeah, me tooooo Dale, this time of the year i really start getting anxious especially when i see the pm's arriving in Fla & La I know were not far away from getting our first arrivals, i'll tell you I just had a knee replacement and it's giving me a really hard time right now so i'm ready for some Martins to take my mind off of the pain!!!!!. I wish everyone a really good Martin year this year.

Guest · Wed Jan 11, 2006 7:17 pm

Sad to say, but I hope they stay South a little while longer. I'm really concerned about our weather and the drought up here. I don't know if there will be enough insects to support them if they arrive. The two very small watering holes, as I call them, at the parks here in Denton -- about 1/2 mi from me as a crow flies---are really low and very dry. I'm concerned about the there being enough water to support the insects and the Martins. I'm praying for rain, but with temps in the 70's ... it's hard not to get excited about the martins arrival. I still need to paint some gourds!

Dale Hrncirik · Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:33 pm

Hey Kenny,

Hope your knee gets to feeling better real soon! Once the martins show up, I'm sure you will be feeling no pain...that's the power of our Purple Pals!

Kelly,

I agree that they should not be here in north TX for at least 5-6 weeks because of the drought and a minimal food supply. My post was referring to them showing up in south Texas any day now. Hopefully by mid Feb we will have had some decent rains here in north Tx. Good luck,

Dale

Guest · Thu Jan 12, 2006 10:44 am

Hi guys!!!!

yes, Don and I are doing the "purple watch", and spent all of last Sunday getting the racks back up, the gourds numbers painted over again, just the right amount of shavings put back into the gourds before adding them onto the racks...now we wait, but concern is there as well. As yau'll know, the drought is not getting any better, and one never knows what the temps in February will be. It seems when the rodeo comes to town, so does the cold and ice. I am trying to remember if last years February was a bad one...oh well, my remember is not as good as it used to be

I pray that the rain will once again come to Texas and not only for the farmers who desperately need it, but the fire damage has gotten to be a very very scary thing. Now to top it off, concern for the martins. I will be getting more crickets ordered, as well as meal worms, so in hops that i can get them to eat, should it become necessary. I cannot think of the last time I saw any kind of measurable insect fly by in the skies. Good luck you guys!!!!!! and as always, God bless

Guest · Thu Jan 12, 2006 6:04 pm

Hey, Dale!

I was just thinking about you the other day - wondering if you were getting your gourds ready to go yet. I've gotta make a run to Mesquite to pick up some crescent-holed gourds to replace others this week. I had 3 breeding pairs my first year and 9 babies fledged, but I did lose one nest full of eggs to something (probably starlings). I'm stepping up the S&S control to beyond the airgun this year.

See ya on the boards!

Shel

Dale Hrncirik · Thu Jan 12, 2006 7:55 pm

Hi Holly & Shel,

Good to see you gals on the forum again! Where yall been hidin' lately? Surely not hibernating with temps in the 70s and 80s here the past few weeks! I'm slowly getting prepared but will not raise the gourd rack until early Feb. I just hope my returning BBs don't get the upper hand on my early martins as they did last year.

Also, we are in dire need of rain throughout Texas or our purple pals will have trouble finding enough food. We normally hear that rainy conditions cause them problems (finding food)but that tends to be short-lived whereas our drought is extreme which could be even worse.

Wishing yall the best!

Pray for rain!
Dale

John Barrow · Thu Jan 12, 2006 10:02 pm

My guess is that "Scout Boy" will arrive at Tony Frederickson's nest Thursday the 19th. I will start putting up some housing this weekend and try to intercept one of his birds--something I've never been too successful at. They may occassionally overfly his colony site, but only once in a Blue moon. They have had little reason to stop on the way up.

I am attending a meeting in San Antonio this weekend which ends on Thursday. I will stop by Tony's that afternoon on the way to Port O'Connor. Two years in a row I attended the same meeting and stopped at Tony's. Each of those years his first martin arrived within 10 minutes of my leaving his house.

They'll be here soon and most will flourish. Best of luck to all of my friends in south Texas and at the other end of the state. jb

Guest · Thu Jan 12, 2006 10:15 pm

I'm thankful we are getting rain right now in NW Ark.!!! It's the second time this week and all our resovours were extremely low. Last I heard we haven't had a 1" rain since Aug. (not sure how much it rained Tuesday night). Don't think we will get 1" tonight either but sure is nice to hear thunder!

Oh, I hate the Texas Longhorns. <smile>

Guest · Thu Jan 12, 2006 10:52 pm

It's great to hear from all of our Texas friends. Gary and I have been busy digging and cementing in a new deluxe rack for 12 horizontal gourds. We plan to continue the work on our housing this weekend as well. However, I have already heard the annoying EHS cheeping and starling squawking. The airguns are primed and ready!

Sue
City by the Sea, TX

Guest · Thu Jan 12, 2006 11:19 pm

This is waaaaay off topic, but do you know any Chambers from your neck of the woods? My GGGGF is buried there in Benton/Rodgers area. They were supposedly a bunch of doctors.

Thanks
Chuck C

Guest · Fri Jan 13, 2006 9:34 am

OMG, did you smell the smoke that came through last night? It was so thick here that it filled our house. I was shocked to find out the fire was actually up around Ardmore, OK. It reminded me of the forest fire smoke that came up from Mexico for like a month several years back. Drought? Holy crud, we're on fire!

I'm praying that it rains on Sunday. It's a start anyway.

Shel

Guest · Fri Jan 13, 2006 9:54 am

Gee, John, you're going to start getting requests to "stop by". Hope Tony will let us know if his first martin shows up after you leave.

Lanell

TONY FREDERICKSON - TEXAS · Fri Jan 13, 2006 11:32 pm

Hi John--------You know friends, what JB is saying is honest to gosh true!! Next Thursday will likely be SCOUT DAY,,,,,,right after John heads South for Port O.. It's something about the Judge's training that John attends that causes all this to happen.

Friend In Seguin, Texas

Guest · Sun Jan 15, 2006 2:43 pm

Hi Tony!!! Hope all is well with you, and I hope this year is not the year to break the run on Johns visit bringing good luck. I know you are prepared as Don and I are. I actually played the dawnsong today

so like I said, I am a little anxious. I sure wish you the best of a martin year, and we will be waiting to hear the good news.

Guest · Wed Jan 18, 2006 6:03 pm

Woo-hoo Tomorrow is Thursday - Let us know if John's visit kicks off the martin season in Texas

Lanell