STORM TODAY

lockharttaylor · Tue May 02, 2006 8:55 pm

WE LOST ONE OF OUR MARTINS, DUE TO THE STORM. THE BIRD WAS FOUND ABOUT 50 FEET FROM ONE OF OUR HOUSES, WHICH HAS FOUR NESTS WITH EGGS. DON'T KNOW IF WAS A MALE OR FEMALE, BUT WAS A YOUNGER ONE. THIS WAS A SURPRISE BECAUSE WE DID NOT LOOSE ANY DURING THE LAST STORM WHEN THE HAIL WAS EVEN BIGGER THAN TODAY.

GARY AND SUSAN TAYLOR

Scully · Tue May 02, 2006 9:00 pm

A violent storm came though San Antonio about 6pm, scattered quarter-size hail mixed with rain at one point. I saw two martins flying in that mess, will check for casualties tomorrow.

Mike Scully

Guest · Tue May 02, 2006 9:02 pm

We had some wind- 50mph- here early this morning. Had a fairly bad storm last week around the same time/day. Hail/lots of wind/lots of rain. I can't imagine what it's like being in a gourd or metal house with all that going on.

Chuck

Scully · Tue May 02, 2006 9:12 pm

Chuck, I was watching a female on five eggs in a north facing Supergourd on our nest cam during the storm; heavy rain, east wind gusts 30 mph plus, gourd and pole violently flipping from side to side at times.

The female was crouched low, wings partly spread, head bobbing in a quick circular motion during the most violent gourd flips. Once in a while she was unsettled for a moment but quickly readjusted herself over the eggs.

Her back became covered with a fine mist of water droplets, apparently blowing in through the entrance.

We have two nest cams, the female in the Big Bo was brooding her four small young. Niether male was present in the gourds. I hope they survived, tomorrow will tell.

Mike Scully

abernathys · Thu May 04, 2006 8:42 am

Hey Gary and Susan--I thought about you during the last two storms. I lost a female last week in the storm because of the hail. Luckily she hadn't laid eggs yet and the male has now found him a new young girl. Didn't get the hail this week (yet) but the wind was something else. The gourds were really swinging, looks like all eggs are still intact. I drove by your place, looks like your martins are happy martins. Keep up the good work.

Sandy

Scully · Thu May 04, 2006 3:52 pm

A couple of pics taken during the storm passing though San Antonio.

First the gourd pole as viewed from inside the school through a slanting rain/hail downpour, winds gusting to about 40.

Second a poor shot of the female inside our nest cam Supergourd (at top of pole, facing away from the camera in the first photo).

She is sitting on five eggs, note the flattened posture, wings slightly spread. The speckling barely visible on her back and wings is a fine mist of water droplets, probably blowing in through the entrance.

Mike Scully

Dave · Thu May 04, 2006 6:38 pm

Mike you can reduce that bright spot by taping over a few of the 8 LED's on the nest cam.

Scully · Thu May 04, 2006 9:02 pm

Thanks for the tip Dave, the bright spot of course only becoming apparent in low light and darkness. Modern day mini-cam technology just flat amazes me.

Mike Scully

Guest · Thu May 04, 2006 10:42 pm

May all your martins be safe! However, I believe we are in true crisis mode in South Texas. The drought is worse with no rain in site until a slight chance next week. Our martins are not singing much, looking peeked and there seem to be fewer of them. There is still some nest building activity and a few are incubating eggs but things don't appear to be healthy. I hope the crickets will help.

Sue
City by the Sea, TX

~Patrick~ · Thu May 04, 2006 11:02 pm

Sue,

That is distressing news! I sure hope y'all get some rain soon. We've been pretty lucky up here in recent weeks. It's often hit or miss but we've been hit a few times lately. I just hope it continues as long as it can before that rainless summer weather pattern begins. Keep us posted. I know how it feels with no hope of rain in sight.

Patrick

Scully · Fri May 05, 2006 3:54 pm

Sue... here's hoping you get some rain too. The only good part of this is I would rather have few or no eggs early on, than have a multitude of undersized and weak fledges laterin the season.

Mike Scully

lockharttaylor · Fri May 05, 2006 9:26 pm

WENT THROUGH ANOTHER LAST NIGHT AND EARLY THIS MORNING, THE ONLY THING WE SEE WHEN WE CHECK THE HOUSES WAS ONE HAD MOVED ALITTLE LIKE MAYBE IT WAS NOT TIGHTEN ENOUGH. ONE OF OUR HOUSE POLE WAS BEND A LITTLE, NO CASUALITIES AT ALL. COURSE WE ARE DUE SOME BAD WEATHER AGAIN TONIGHT AND TOMORROW. WE HAVE GONE FROM HARDLY NO WATER IN THE POND IN THE PARK , TO OVER FLOWING EACH RAIN. WE WERE HOPING TO GET TWO SCHOOLS INVOLVED IN THE MARTIN HOUSING SINCE WE ARE CLOSE TO TWO DIFFERENT SCHOOLS, BUT THEY WILL NOT BE HAVING SUMMER SCHOOL THIS YEAR, DUE TO MONEY PROBLEMS.

GARY AND SUSAN