Whoopee followup

[Tallsilver]

Well we finally saw the female get into the SREH Big Bo gourd this evening!! She flew up to the porch, crouched, and pranced right in. Haven't seen the male go in yet. The female went in at around 8pm and hasn't come out.

Questions. Do they roost in the housing before egg laying begins? And, will the male stay in the housing or go somewhere else to roost? How soon should I start nest checks? Might I get some more takers later?

I've read, read, and read some more but some of you have a wealth of experience to draw from! Thanks for the help and encouragement.

[CraigMo.]

Yes most of the time both pms will sleep there every night, You will see them build there nest and when they start bringing in green leaves then its getting close to egg laying so you might check now and then when you see them with leaves. Yes you still have sy pms coming and could attract more pms Good luck

[Tallsilver]

Well the weather as been very cool here the last two days and the martins have not been as active. But, there is at least one that is roosting in the BB gourd!

During the day, as many as 5 come around but 2 seem to have really taken a fancy to our setup. They come by, perch, sing, and cut up with each other and then leave for awhile. Usually around 7-7:30 pm they will perch for 5-15 minutes then leave. Then around 8pm the last two nights one of them comes back and roost but we haven't seen any of the others coming in for the night????? The roosting one comes out about 6:30am and shortly after that the 2nd one shows up?? Don't know where that one roost.

Anyway, fun to watch. Just hope some of the others decide to stay. So far, we've only seen one negoiate the SREH.

[Guest]

What is the signifcance of bringing green leaves to the nest?

[Mary Dawnsong]

Most martins line their nest bowl with green leaves. This behavior usually starts just before they lay eggs. Here is an article that speculates on why martins do this:

http://www.purplemartin.org/update/Greenleaf.html

Here are photos of martin nests lined with green leaves:

http://www.wildspace.net/life.cfm?ID=PU ... est&Lang=e

http://www.brightok.net/~dfrazier/nest.html

http://www.geckodance.com/PurpleMartins/pics042801.html

[CUL Lou~Mich]

Aaron. The one that leaves, probably only goes to a nearby tree, and roosts there overnight. Sometimes the males will sleep in the same gourd, or room, and sometimes not. All depends on the individual, and the amount of room available. CUL Lou