I have Trio Grandpa 12 and currently there are 4 compartments with nests that have mud ramps at the doors.
There are other compartments (4) that have no mud ramps, but, there is some nesting material in the compartments.
I have 2 eggs in one of the mud ramped nests. The others with nesting materials all have Martins in them.
Do Martins build different kinds of nests???
Can anyone tell me why I'm seeing this difference?
Please respond,
Jack
Question about types of Martin Nests???
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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
You probably have round holes on your trio. They are making mud ramps to try to make the holes smaller and less visible from owls/hawks.
A.P.
A.P.
Not all Martins from my experience build mud ramps or walls. It's usually the older martins that perform this operation if they do at all. It also depends on the location, access to mud and how deep the compartments are.
I'm a "nestcamaholic" Is 18 hours a day a bad thing? (I have 2 this year, luckily I have 2 eyes!)
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CUL Lou~Mich
Jack. Yes the do build widely different nests. Some are substantial, some are skimpy, some use mud, some not. Differences in the female mostly. CUL Lou
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jmrogers-TX
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Sat Mar 18, 2006 11:03 am
- Location: Tomball
Thanks everyone for the prompt reply!
I thought that maybe other birds had put nesting materials in some of the compartment and that Martins were just using them to sleep in at night.
Yes I do have keyhole openings in my Trio Grandpa and the mud at the door makes the holed round and smaller. These birds are really something!!!!
Jack
I thought that maybe other birds had put nesting materials in some of the compartment and that Martins were just using them to sleep in at night.
Yes I do have keyhole openings in my Trio Grandpa and the mud at the door makes the holed round and smaller. These birds are really something!!!!
Jack
Jack M. Rogers
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Guest
Jack, this is my limited experience and I've wondered the same thing. Now with responses to your question and last year and this year at my site I now understand things better. Last year all I supplied was some pine straw in the compartments. I had one ASY pair that built a beautiful nest in my S&K 20 compartment house and a SY pair build a terrible nest that didn't hatch any eggs. All the compartments were there original 6x9 size.
This year I doubled the size of the compartments to 6x18 with an entry compartment and a nesting compartment. I put nest boxes in the nesting compartment in the back with a styroform "dam" and added some pine straw. I now have two nests in the nesting boxes with eggs. This year however, the nesting compartment is 9 inches away from the crescent shaped entry hole. So, with the nesting boxes all that has been added is a little bit of grass, twigs, etc. and a lot of leaves. Interesting that there is no sign of mud of any sort this year.
Bud
North Plano, Texas
This year I doubled the size of the compartments to 6x18 with an entry compartment and a nesting compartment. I put nest boxes in the nesting compartment in the back with a styroform "dam" and added some pine straw. I now have two nests in the nesting boxes with eggs. This year however, the nesting compartment is 9 inches away from the crescent shaped entry hole. So, with the nesting boxes all that has been added is a little bit of grass, twigs, etc. and a lot of leaves. Interesting that there is no sign of mud of any sort this year.
Bud
North Plano, Texas
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Guest
Jack; Mud is one of the last things PM's add to their nest. If you still are seeing nest building then mud will come later after the nest bowl is better defined. I switched to double sized compartments many years ago and have seen no mud dams in compartments, until this year. The PM's have placed mud on the top of the nest that is in front of the interior opening to the nest compartment. I'm thinking that this pair is new to double sized compartments and still feel the need to add mud. Before I switched to the double sized compartments I always had mud in front of the openings. I even had to cut some of it away so I could open the doors and do my nest checks.