Martins struggling in central Oklahoma
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Guest
I live in central Oklahoma and we've had some "martin challenging" weather for a weak now. Cold rainy weather has now been followed by snow this morning and a high of 40. Around 4:00 p.m. today I noticed what appeared to be martin tail feathers sticking out of a Super Gourd entrance. While lowering the house to investigate, martins started pouring out of the gourd. I'm estimating around twenty martins were in the single gourd. The last one to come out was a female that appeared to be rather week. They quietly flew out of sight. It is now sunny and 40 degrees. I'm hoping they will find enough to nourish them until tomorrow, with the forcast calling for sunshine with a high of 50 degrees and little wind.
Checked my houses after work, all seems to be fine, I found no dead ones, and they were all out. In may area we had a break in the weather Monday afternoon. Reached almost 60 degree before the cool front came through and they should of been able to find something. If it was for that it would of been 8 days for my birds.
Tomorrow looks much better, should reach 60 and sunshine hopefully. I tried to flip meal works and crickets with no success yesterday. I did put meal worms in the compartments and I noticed today 95% of the was gone. My bluebirds got all the meal worms and scrambled eggs I put in my feeder/nesting trays on top of my T-14. I think they are going to make it at my location. At last count I had 20.
Tomorrow looks much better, should reach 60 and sunshine hopefully. I tried to flip meal works and crickets with no success yesterday. I did put meal worms in the compartments and I noticed today 95% of the was gone. My bluebirds got all the meal worms and scrambled eggs I put in my feeder/nesting trays on top of my T-14. I think they are going to make it at my location. At last count I had 20.
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Emil Pampell-Tx
- Posts: 6743
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 1:26 pm
- Location: Tx, Richmond (SW of Houston)
- Martin Colony History: First started in Gretna, La in 1969 with a small homemade house, have had martins ever since at 2 different homes in Texas
RC, at least you are trying to save them with supplemental feeding, I know it worked for me. I didn't want my martins to die, I tried feeding them, and the 3rd day they ate crickets like they were starving...and it must have helped because I had no dead martins here..
PMCA Member, 250 gourds, 6 poles, 2traps
Email, I think Monday afternoon saved mine. I sure they got alittle to eat, there out flying as I speak. Maybe get enough to get them through the night suspose to get down to about 25 degree hear. Hopefully it won't get that cold.
Still tring to figure out how to hang the WG's and DG's with out hitting. The chain Idea allowed to much swinging especially the Dg's being I had 7 links in them. I have figured out the WG's I rigid mounted them with L brackets. The DG's is going to take some brainstorming. They are real close to the WG's.
I used wire and works great, but beings the WG's are huge they will hit in a strong wind. I wished the hanger brackets would of been offset where the rods attach would of been much easier to figure out. Book says to use S hooks, but no way to close them on the whisle gourds, I figure the wind would blow them up and unattach them on one end. Anyway, I'm working on them.. I should of just got houses. Something I know.
Still tring to figure out how to hang the WG's and DG's with out hitting. The chain Idea allowed to much swinging especially the Dg's being I had 7 links in them. I have figured out the WG's I rigid mounted them with L brackets. The DG's is going to take some brainstorming. They are real close to the WG's.
I used wire and works great, but beings the WG's are huge they will hit in a strong wind. I wished the hanger brackets would of been offset where the rods attach would of been much easier to figure out. Book says to use S hooks, but no way to close them on the whisle gourds, I figure the wind would blow them up and unattach them on one end. Anyway, I'm working on them.. I should of just got houses. Something I know.
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Guest
What type of gourds are they? They should be able to be hung from the houses somehow. Dennis
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Guest
The weather has been a challenge.I live in nw oklahoma(woodward)and the weather actually turned bad last friday at noon.I have never tried supplemental feeding,so i ordered 2,000 crickets to try it and it worked.I have fed almost all the crickets,i might have a 100 left but it no doubt saved the birds i had.Sunday i had 17 birds i was feeding and tuesday i was up to 28 birds.I do believe the increase in birds was from my neighbors colony down the road about a mile and a half.I would go home from work at noon and feed them and then when i got off at 4:00 i would feed them again.I started out flipping with a spoon and eventually i just tossed them up by hand.Sometimes i would throw five up at a time and they would catch all five, it was really neat to watch.I would like to thank Jim Ray from Canyon,Tx. i talked to him on the phone about how to feed them and his knowledge was gratefully appreciated.Jim has been coming to Woodward the last three years and banding baby martins in this area.I hope everyone has a good martin season.
Rod Hollis
Rod Hollis
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Guest
Rod, it is good to hear you got your martins to feed. I hope every body has as much success with their martins. And I hope the weather warms up soon. Good luck Henry
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Guest
Keep flippin those crickets . It took mine almost 100 crickets before one PM finally took the dive and caught one. Then the pushing and shoving began. I finally started flippin 2 or 3 and very few were missed. The Mocking Birds are now over weight. I broke so many Braums spoons I thought I was going to have to buy the neighborhood malts for the spoons. I found a package of 4 nylon cooking spoons at Wal-Mart for 94 cents. I think I have an unbreakable spoon now. I use the one with the longest handle. You won't get any better feeling until you see these hungry birds taking these small bites of nourishment from us.RC,
Can you use a mountain climbers carabinier to hung your gourds? These are not expense and can be bought for various weight loads. I have two Whistle Gourds and have them on the bottom level of my super gourd rack. They are the only gourds on this level because of their size. I use #10 or #12 electrical wire to attach them to the stainless steel arm.-
Guest
Its been 50ish with clouds and sun so I wasn't going to worry about feeding, on a whim I stoped by the bait shop and bought 200 crickets, although I figured they were getting enough on their own I came home hit the cricket bucket with the spoon like I usually do to get their attention and they started flying so I tossed up the crickets to their delight they fed up then settled in to their gourds. I don't know who invented supplemental feeding but my hat is off to them.
Last edited by Guest on Fri Mar 24, 2006 10:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Guest
ED,my martins must be smarter 
it only took about 10 times of flipping them high in the air for them to catch on. I hope u have a great year 
Rod
it only took about 10 times of flipping them high in the air for them to catch on. I hope u have a great year Rod
Thanks, but I'm trying to hang them off the easy lift pole set up. I got the whistle gourd attached with L bracket to hold them from movement. Now I brainstorming on how to keep the double gourds from hitting the Whistle gourd when the wind gets ups.
I went shopping for some longer L bracket tonight think they will work. The problem is IMO my gourd selection. WG are huge and With double gourd not much room between them. This will be my third attempt, hopefully it will work. Subbie are coming in a week or two and I figure I'm going to need the extra Room!
I went shopping for some longer L bracket tonight think they will work. The problem is IMO my gourd selection. WG are huge and With double gourd not much room between them. This will be my third attempt, hopefully it will work. Subbie are coming in a week or two and I figure I'm going to need the extra Room!