Question for experienced landlords

[Tim Mangan-Kansas]

I am a newbie and desperately trying to attract martin's. I have recently sent individual post's to a couple of you; thanks Harold and Emil for your replies. Thought I would send this post to all to get your thoughts from your experience.
I erected an 8 compartment Coates Water's Edge house w/SREH entrances at the end of my boatdock here in Arkansas. I have decoy's and just put up the Songbird Magnet a couple of days ago, which is great. As soon as I put it up, I started getting visitor's from ASY birds.
I only have two compartments open, thinking I did not want to attract a lot of trash birds before the SY birds arrive in my area. But in case I got an interested ASY bird, he would have a couple of compartments to choose from. Yesterday, an ASY male started flying around my house. He finally landed checking out most of the compartments. Later in the morning, when I looked out our window, I saw this ASY male coming OUT of the top compartment of the house. Each time he came out, he would fly straight up the lake. About noon yesterday, I noticed two ASY martins flying overhead. All of a sudden the male, landed on the porch of the top compartment and went straight into the compartment. I am assuming this is my earlier visitor. The second martin did not land and I could not tell if it was a male or female. The male stayed inside for about 10 minutes, making a ruckus and singing the whole time. This ASY male returned to my house several times yesterday repeating this same process, the latest at 6:40PM, but he did not stay. This morning, he again came to the house with a second bird. As usual, he went right in, but the second bird did not land. He stayed about 5 minutes singing the whole time.
My question, should I open up the other compartments? I ask this question because I have read, that a newbie should not lower the house when martin's first start hanging around. There is no time frame when this ASY male arrives. I would hate to be out there with the house down and he comes back. I don't want to scare him off. Does this activity indicate he might be looking at my house as a home?
I imagine you experienced landlords get tired of questions like this from us newcomer's. It is just really hard to hold in our enthusiasm and anxiety when we see our first martin's arrive. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Guest]

i would open them up. if you have crecent holes then starlings arent a problem. sparrows can be dealt with using the fast acting lead method.

they are coming in so make the house as attractive as possible.

c.d bailey

[Bob Rogers]

Tim,
I suggest you open up all holes now that some PM's are at your sight. Suggest the lead control method even with starling resistant entrances. Good luck!

[Adam Romain]

Hello Tim and congrats on the visitors!!!

Wish I was able to be up there as my mom lives on Lake Catherine!

As for your house, open 'er up, those martins are trying to start a colony!!!

I would have it open and if you are worried about the time, I would wait until about 2:00 in the afternoon because martins are usually out feeding during this time. However, they can return anytime but this time of day is usually quite. It shouldn't take you long to bring the house down and open it up. Regardless, you need to open it sometime this season and now would be a great time!!!

Wishing you the best this season!!!

[Tim Mangan-Kansas]

Thanks to all for your input. I just completed opening up all the compartments. As luck would have it, as soon as I got the house lowered, my ASY male came back and just a squaking. He circled overhead a couple of times and then left. Since I had the house down, I went ahead and put some two sided tape on the floors just inside the entrance holes. Read somewhere this helped the birds get out of the SREH entrances.
Adam, I am on Lake Hamilton just above Catherine.
You stated you felt my ASY male was trying to start a colony. I thought the males went in search of females to bring them back to a house to see if they liked it. Are you saying the males will go out and try to bring other males back for them to also use the house?
Tim

[Kent Justus]

Tim,

I am in Arkansas in the Conway area. If you ever need any help just let me know. I think you did the right thing unplugging the holes. I think that is some of the worst management advice I have ever heard to plug holes. That forces the martins into direct competition with starlings and house sparrows and could end up getting your martins killed. Sounds like those martins are yours, and taking the house up and down will have no impact on them at all so don't worry about it. - Kent / Mt. Vernon

[abernathys]

Hey Tim--Sounds like you are on the right track! I think that either your male is trying (begging) to get a lady friend to join him at his "new" place or he is bringing in more males. Keep us updated! Good Luck!


Sandy

[Adam Romain]

Hello Tim and glad you got your house "unplugged"!

My statement regarding your male starting a colony was really just a figure of speech! However, this is how colonies get started. A male will see your setup and if he likes it, will lay claim to it. Once he's done that, he will try to attract females such as you've described. Going in a compartment and signing loudly to any female he's trying to lure.

Now, in the end, the female will chose the compartment, but the male usually choses the site. Regardless, you have martins beginning to investigate your site and if the conditions are right, this could be the start you've been desperate for. I wish you all the best this season and if you have other questions, you will find plenty of expertise offer on this forum!

[Tim Mangan-Kansas]

Well, my ASY male is back this morning after he caught me lowering the house and opening up all the compartments yesterday. As a matter of fact, he has returned no less than 7 times today with what appears to be an ASY female. Each time, he flies right in the compartment and only once has the female even landed on one of the perch's to check things out.
My question; it appears this male wants to set up house. How long will he keep trying to get a female to join him. If he gets discouraged by not being able to get a female to try the house or SREH, will he move on or will the male keep trying to get a female until he is successful.
Tim

[Guest]

Tim, He will keep trying. It's early in the season and he knows he has plenty of time. That is exactly how my colony was started-with a persistant ASY Male. He will keep bringing in females until he gets one to stay. The female picks the site she wants to breed at. The male wants to start "his" colony. This will go on and on until he gets a female to stay OR he decides to move on. I had males stay for weeks (came in every night) while they were trying to get that female to stay. It took me six years to get the first female to decide it was ok. That is all it took, that first female. Good Luck! Dennis

[Tim Mangan-Kansas]

Okay, now what? A couple of hours my ASY male returned to the house with two other martins, both appeared to be females. He kept going in and out of the two top compartments. He finally got one of the females to land on the porch. He went in and she followed him right in. The other female flew away. The male and female stayed in the compartment for 30 minutes, singing the whole time. She departed and he followed her.
To those who have previously responded, or anyone else. does this sound like he finally found a mate and she has accepted my house and I have my first pair of martins? Will they start spending nights here now? Will they go out and try to bring more birds to my house. From what I have read, the nesting process won't start for several weeks. Do I just leave the house alone, no nest checks, until the nesting process starts? Really hate to ask so many basic questions but this is really EXCITING for me.
Tim

[Adam Romain]

Hello again Tim and your excitement is showing, and that's a good thing!!! How the excitement level skyrockets when you start seeing your first martins go in YOUR house!!!

For now, just sit back and enjoy the show! There's nothing going on in the house so nest checks will show nothing! Give them time to settle and leave the house up. Anyway, when they first return, even mine will be skittish and usually will not roost in the house right away. Over the next month, the birds will settle in and then they will start nest building and the only way to know if you actually have a pair!

Again, this is great news and things will work out in a little more time. How exciting it all is especially that first pair. I started my colony with only one pair that hatched and fledged 5 young. What an awesome, exciting, and nervous first year. You'll do fine and so should your martins!!! Good luck and keep us updated.

[John Atteberry]

Hello Tim,
You are going through what I went through last year with my first year here in Florida! I had an ASY male show up on March 7th and waited till April 7th to finally get an ASY female!!!!!!!!!! I kept people here on the forum updated almost everyday trying to help me get over the fear of losing this male after giving up!! But now as of this year, I have 13 pairs of ASY martins and it is still growing all the time!!! Hang in there friend, you will get them too! John! P.S. If you want me to help you and if needed to ask and need help, I be glad to cheer you on!! HA!

[Tim Mangan-Kansas]

John and Adam, thanks for your words of encouragement. I guess I just need to kind of take a step back, and as you said, relax and just enjoy the show. Over the past winter, when I was getting ready for this season, I read in several of the books I purchased, that it was not uncommon for a newcomer not to get martins for several years. That is why I get so excited when I see martin's at my house. Don't know if they are just "playing" with me or if I have the potential for the beginning of a colony.
Again, thanks and as things change, I will let you know with an update and probably more questions. By the way, my male returned with the female and another ASY male late yesterday. This is the first time I have seen a second male land on my house at the same time with my first male. Also encouraged, due to all I have read about SREH entrances, that none of these birds have had any trouble going in or coming out of my SREH.
Good luck to you this season.
Tim

[Guest]

Tim, just like to say I've been waiting for six years and the last two I really started to look hard on what really works. Last year I started playing the dawnsong and chatter cd's all day and finally at the end of the breeding season last year I had seven martins flying around my waters edge house. I'm in Jersey and in a few weeks or so my cd's will be on again and I'm really hoping and praying they will show up. Maybe just, maybe this will be my year too.

[Guest]

I am a newbie and this is my first post. I am fighting with sparrows!! What is the "lead method"

[Tim Mangan-Kansas]

Dan, wow, this is great! A newbie asking another newbie a question. I am 99.9% sure that the "lead method" refers to getting out the pellet gun, or any other weapon of choice, and using it to resolve the problem.
Gottashadow, from reading the various posts on the forum, I ordered the "songbird magnet" from S&K a couple of weeks ago. Got it installed last week and I kid you not, within 10 minutes after putting it up, I had an ASY male at my house. I think this is the same male that is now bringing females back several times each day. Without a doubt, I am a believer in the dawnsong recording.
I now need to get to the feed store and get some sulphur pellets. Living on a lake, we have a lot of snakes, water moc's. We pour the surphur pellets around our boat docks and house foundations. The snake's absolutely hate the sulphur; it burns their underside. I have seen first hand what they do when they get on the sulphur. They really start scooting in a hurry. Need to figure a way to put some at the base of my martin house pole. I also am going to put up some fruit tree netting around my pole. I have read this also helps deter preditaors.
I am really jealous of the landlords down in Texas and Florida, along the migration route, who have so many birds. Hopefully they will send some our way.
Good luck to both of you and keep in touch. I would love to know how you are doing.
Tim

[Guest]

I'm a little embarassed...I thought there was some new (sparrow) method that I didn't know about. I live in a subdivision, so I thought the dawn song would be a little corny, but your testimony has got me to re-thinking the point. How did you install the system? I assume you play it in the early AM? How do you turn it on and off? Last year was my first year with a 12 compartment S&K and I had as least 3 visitors. 2 were chased off by sparrows and 1 actually landed and looked in the house. This year I hung 2 super gourds under the house and bought a sparrow trap.

[Tim Mangan-Kansas]

Dan, I can only explain how the "Songbird Magnet" from S&K operates. It is a box approximately 4"x 5". When you open up the back cover, it has a switch for either the martin dawnsong or songbirds. Just slide that switch to martin dawnsong and that is all it will play. It comes with two screws for you to mount it to your house pole, a nearby tree or in my case one of the support beams to my boatdock. Where I have my unit mounted, it is about 15' from the martin house. It comes with 50' of wire with a plug on the other end. Just plug it into any 110 outlet. The box has a photocell on it which turns the unit on automatically in the morning when daylight hits it. It plays for two hours. What I do, after the two hours is up and it quits playing, is just unplug it and plug it back in. This turns the dawnsong back on for two more hours. You can also plug it into a timer that has multiple on and off pins to keep it playing. It is just as easy for me to walk out, unplug it and plug it back in. I think the unit sells for around $55. As I stated earlier, I did not have martins visit my house till I put the unit up. Ten minutes later, I had an ASY male at my house checking it out. Hope this helps and I am sure there are experienced landlords out there you can help us both.
Good luck and keep in touch.
Tim