Just to reiterate, we have forty gourds this year, eight each of five different styles randomly assorted on five poles.
Last week at this time I ballparked 50 martins on site. As of this evening I'm going to guesstimate 60+. I'm pretty sure we have an SY male, and a little female that vaulted up into a crescent Natureline had bright white undertail coverts like an SY bird, but both require further confirmation.
Today's nest check results:
8 crescent Big Bos: 6 nest starts
8 round-hole Carrols: 5 nest starts
8 crescent Naturelines: 3 nest starts
8 crescent Naturelines w/cling rod: 6 nest starts
8 WDC mod. exc. Supergourds: 6 nest starts
26 nest starts, up from 9 last week. Of course the term "nest start" is pretty broad, some of these were just a handful of leaves, and a martin pair will often start nests in adjacent cavities, so 26 nest starts does not imply 26 actual pairs. Then too, a couple of gourds I know are occupied still have no nest material at all.
No nests anywhere near completion. Actually, I was expecting things to be further along than they are this week. It has been unseasonably cold part of last week, followed by rainy weather (thank God), both of which may have held things up.
The plain crescent Natureline with no cling rod appears to be the toughest for the martins to master, them first hanging inverted and then pivoting up in a half-circle powered by the feet alone to insert head and chest in the crescent. On unsuccessful attempts it appears that the leading joints on the folded wings get hung up on the top edge of the crescent on each side. These plain crescents also have the fewest nest starts to date although it is too early to tell if thats going to hold true throughout the season.
Mike Scully
Status of our high school colony
-
apundt-TX
- Posts: 986
- Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2004 7:34 pm
- Location: Pflugerville, Texas
- Martin Colony History: :
2022-1 pair
1 pair 2021
2020- Didn't get setup fast enough in Pflugerville
2019- Apartment
2018 Divorce lost Colony in Dripping Springs
19 pair 2017
17 pair 2015
12 pair 2014
8 pair 2013
5 pair 2012
2 pair 2011
When you fill up please send them a little further north. tell them to take 281 north and the a right on 290. We have free room/board.
A.P.
A.P.
AP will do 
Since we analyze everything at our site even though our sample sizes are tiny (heck, its ALL data
), here's the breakdown of our nest starts by direction, all of our gourds being hung in the four cardinal directions.
North: 7 nest starts
East: 6 nest starts
South: 6 nest starts
West: 7 nest starts
Can't get more even than that.
Mike Scully
Since we analyze everything at our site even though our sample sizes are tiny (heck, its ALL data
), here's the breakdown of our nest starts by direction, all of our gourds being hung in the four cardinal directions.North: 7 nest starts
East: 6 nest starts
South: 6 nest starts
West: 7 nest starts
Can't get more even than that.
Mike Scully
I was a little disturbed reading about the trouble the PM's were having with the plain crescent natureline gourds. I am waiting for three of them that I ordered to come in any day now.
Did you buy the cling-rod for the natureline gourds? Or did you make them yourself? How about some pictures?
Did you buy the cling-rod for the natureline gourds? Or did you make them yourself? How about some pictures?
"Look at the birds in the sky. They do not sow or reap, yet your heavenly Father feeds them."
Zoe... Based on our experience, I would strongly recommend against installing a cling rod on a crescent Natureline, especially if you have a colony already in place. One of our successful landlords has informed me that at their site they use plain crescent Naturelines with great success.
Despite the gymnastics, martins can get in.
On the other hand, at our site starlings figure out our cling rod entrances with fair regularity. A better modification might be to install an S&K porch flush with the bottom of the crescent, this could easily be done by drilling a pair of holes in the entrance plate, I would use 1" 1/4 bolts and nuts to hold it in place (overkill, but the 1/4" bolts do fit the S&K porch holes rather neatly, and can be gotten at any hardware store).
Anyhow, here is a picture of one of our cling rod entrances (scroll down)... http://www.nisd.net/jay/martins/VandalsS&S.htm
Mike
Despite the gymnastics, martins can get in.
On the other hand, at our site starlings figure out our cling rod entrances with fair regularity. A better modification might be to install an S&K porch flush with the bottom of the crescent, this could easily be done by drilling a pair of holes in the entrance plate, I would use 1" 1/4 bolts and nuts to hold it in place (overkill, but the 1/4" bolts do fit the S&K porch holes rather neatly, and can be gotten at any hardware store).
Anyhow, here is a picture of one of our cling rod entrances (scroll down)... http://www.nisd.net/jay/martins/VandalsS&S.htm
Mike