What's the seasonal drop-dead date?

[Lislou]

Newbie here. House and gourds up since mid-March. When will I know my chances of attracting martins are over for the season?

[rickluc]

Lislou
I would say into mid to late May

[RC Moser]

Not really the further north you are the later the season. I wouldn't give up until at least middle of June. Another thing is you may have some SY scoping out your site for next year even though they don't nest this year. So IMO you never give up hope, just don't let the starling or sparrows in or you chances are about as good as winning the lottery IMO .

[Guest]

I second the above opinion. Make S & S the issue, of most importance. Keep score and make it the way, of life. Martins will eventually find you.
There are many reports here, of wanna bees, having, to wait, for some time, to attract their first nesting couple.

[~Patrick~]

Lisa,

I would be best to keep your house up all season, even if you don't get any this year. Post-nesting birds might wander, looking for sites for next year, so keep it going and like the others have said, control the sparrows and starlings.

[CUL Lou~Mich]

Lisa. Also once the babies fledge, the parents take them out to other sites to look around for the next year. Therefore, I never give up hope until snow flies. (Been trying for nearly 40 years.) CUL Lou

[Carlton]

I would also say mid June. Even in July you may have a lot of young visitors checking out your setup.

Good luck!

[hoopsnut]

A few years back I had a pair of SY birds arrive on Fathers' Day. They did nest and raised 3 younguns'.

Hang in there...I was 13 years waiting.

[TreeGreenwood]

I agree that the 'drop dead' for this season is mid-June to attract a breeding pair. I also agree with those who say to leave your housing up, with sparrows and starlings eliminated, until after all the PMs leave your area for pre-migratory roosts. This year's late summer visitors are likely to be next year's nesters.

Tree

[John & Linda - KY]

Keep the house up all season. The first year we put our gourds up, no takers. But every evening, so late that we couldn't identify it, a bird flew in and roosted in one of our gourds. The next year, about mid-May, we came home to find three pairs claiming gourds. And one of the males was solid purple! I will always believe the bird that was roosting the first year was a SY male that didn't have a mate or gourd to roost in at the home colony and that he came back with friends the second year. Good luck -- John

[Glen Webb Jr]

I live in south central Illinois and every year subbies continue to show up at my site well into June. I had a subbie pair show up June 28th one year. Sometimes I will get bachelor Sy's in early July as well, and those are probably nothing more than roaming birds that drift from one colony to another.

[Guest]

LISA..........I looked at your state, on the Scout Map, as I have watched the Martins literally inch up, on my location, in North Central Pennsylvania. Your area seems, to have at least an area wide population already reported, by other landlords. If you look at Pennsylvania you will see no reported Martins as, of this date, in my area. I have a report from a previous landlord indicating the 14th., of April was his average return. That is literally all I have reported, to me, as of this day. Our area is sparse because there are few if any active colonies anywhere close, to my location.

To make it more interesting if you click, on the state, all the names, of the reporting landlords will appear. We assume this report is reasonably reliable. It sure makes it interesting as we await our first appearance. I believe the main reason there are few if any marks, in my area is because there are few locations where serious efforts are being made, to host the birds. All........100%, of the locations, I have seen and checked are not what I would call managed sites. Most just have the box full of sparrows and starlings. All housing and even gourd sites I have seen will be sparrow and starlings sites.

Like you I have followed the coaching and principles coached, to me, by members, of the Martin web sites and the archives, of PMCA guidelines.

My success so far has been, to locate one good landlord about fifty miles, to my Southwest and another that has been trying, for more than a few years even further away. We may need, to be patient, for more than one year, to get that first all important nesting couple. My best, of luck, to you. I will watch, for your screams, of delight, should they appear, for you.

[Lislou]

Thanks for the replies. I'll keep my housing up and remain hopeful through June. One thing is for sure, I just popped by the kitchen for another glimpse and while I don't have martins, there are a lots of flying bugs near the housing. That should help matters too, I would think.

I have a neighbor about 60 yards away with a small aluminum house, all round holes and he has Martins!! Should that improve my chances as well? Any chance his birds would come over my way? I'm sure I'm partial but my housing and natural gourds seem a lot nicer than his small aluminum house. Plus I have SREH's. Seems to me if I saw nicer housing across the way, free for the taking, I'd move on over. LOL. Are martins really that loyal to their sites?

I can't help but watch his birds through my binoculars and *SIGH.* I've tried to do everything right - with the decoys, dawnsong, etc. (only play it in the mornings). You'd think they'd at least come over and look. I have a bad case of martin envy!!!!

[Guest]

Sixty yards! If you don't get them next year should almost be an automatic, in my opinion. I'd almost bet my last buck that you will get some, of the following migration. If your neighbor did well last summer and did not add housing you should be, in business sooner than later. Set your peepers into close observation, in about two or three more weeks.

If I were the sound engineer I would play Dawnsong very softly. They might hear it as over there instead, of all around them.