HAVE BAD NEWS TO REPORT!!!!! QUESTIONS ON THIS REPORT?????

John Atteberry · Sat Apr 22, 2006 2:58 pm

Hello Everyone,
I sure hope everyone is having a great season!!!! I woke up early, about 7:00 A.M. to watch my martins and check things out! When I was checking to see if every martin pair was here and found out one of my favorite ASY females was missing! The ASY male came back several times looking for her in the gourd with the eggs and the other gourd they controlled too! He even looked into the trio house comparments that were above his gourds to look for her! It was very sad for him and me to see this happening! She had 4 eggs around Tuesday of this last week and knew she was not done laying yet! But during the week at nights when I put them to bed, I did not notice this particular gourd of this pair to see if she or he was missing! So all day to now I haven't seen her at all! I took down the houses and gourds to check on her eggs to find out that they were cold to the touch! No sign of her dead or anything to her being gone!
Now my questions are will the ASY male find another female to mate with? Or will he just give up and move on somewhere else to nest at? Should I take the eggs out and discard them? What would you all do in this situation?
I still have 14 pairs until this happened so maybe 13 now but keeping my fingers cross that he will stay and get another female! Had another SY male show up yesterday and picked a gourd out! I'm trying to be positive here and hope something positive happens out of this sad situation! They were one of my favorite pairs!!!! I never had this happened before, even when I had a colony up north for four years! It is going to be sad for awhile looking at the gourd and knowing she is gone!!! Thanks for listening and answering my questions!!! John!

Glen Webb Jr · Sat Apr 22, 2006 3:03 pm

I've lost several birds over the years, most of them being females. The usual cause of death was being hit on the road or starvation, even during the egg laying and nestling stages of the breeding season. I'd suspect that he'll find another mate. It's not too late in Florida for SY females to nest is it? If it's not too late for the ASY male to renest, he'll most certainly find another mate. Doesn't sound like anything happened around the colony for him to be looking for her like that, so I'd say she died while out feeding or something. Just a guess of course.

klcretired · Sat Apr 22, 2006 3:58 pm

That's sad John ,
I'm Sorry for your loss , at my colony in the past when a female that had egg's in a nest come up missing wheather taken by a Hawk or hit by an auto i always pulled out the egg's and let the Male find a possibly new mate or even Let another couple take over the cavity ,at any rate whoever moves in will want to lay her own egg's and start off fresh, again so sorry for your loss...it hurts.

John Atteberry · Sat Apr 22, 2006 4:21 pm

Hello K.C.,
When should I take the eggs out? Today, Tomorrow, or days??? Just making sure I don't run him off! Do you think he will find another mate? Thanks John!

Emil Pampell-Tx · Sat Apr 22, 2006 4:30 pm

John, take the eggs out as soon as possible. This is a common occurance, its part of the life cycle, not all the babies make it..Sad, though that such things happen. The male may hang around for a while, he may attract another female, but she will not want the eggs, so throw them out...However, be sure the female is actually missing! She may be out feeding.

klcretired · Sat Apr 22, 2006 5:03 pm

John,
Like Emil said , take the egg's out but please make sure the female is gone forever , i was going to say that if she had only layed 1 or 2 egg's it's not uncommon for her to go off flyin & foraging but i re-read your post and you say that there are 4 egg's in the nest so w/ 4 egg's she shd be staying close, at any rate make sure...better safe than sorry.

~Patrick~ · Sat Apr 22, 2006 9:23 pm

John,

I lost a female this year, too. She had 1 egg in the nest and just never returned. A rampaging house sparrow got the egg but the male stayed and found another mate and they're nesting in the same compartment. I guess either a hawk got her while she was out feeding or maybe she got hit by a car. I get so involved in the lives of these birds it's hard to remember that a lot of things are out of my control. I just try to do the best with what I can control and leave the rest to them. Good luck.

Patrick

John Atteberry · Sat Apr 22, 2006 10:27 pm

Hello Friends,
Thanks for your advice!!! I will take them out in the morning! I left them in there today and waited all day with the ASY male and did not see her at all! He went to check other gourds and compartments looking for her! It is sad though! I will check in the morning to see if she made it back and if she didn't I will throw the eggs out and hopefully the ASY male will attract another female! Let's keep our fingers cross! Thanks again!! John!

jmrogers-TX · Sat Apr 22, 2006 10:36 pm

This is a question for Emil!
Why can't John put the eggs in other nests that currently have eggs and let the other brooding females hatch them.

This may sound simplistic but john if has other eggs around couldn't it work????

Please someone advise!
Jack

Guest · Sun Apr 23, 2006 7:23 pm

John,, I feel for you.. I would not put the eggs in other nest of eggs.. I would like to hear from anyone who has tried putting abandoned eggs with other paires eggs.. How do you know when other nests started incubating their eggs.. there is a very good chance the male will soon have an other mate so get rid of those 4 eggs.. as they are just in the way....

Victor