How Frustrating Is This?

[Guest]

I was out driving the little country roads near my house this morning, surveying my block for the Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas. (This is a 5 year project to document the birds that breed throughout the Great State of Ohio.) Not a mile from my house, I discovered a very active Purple Martin colony next to a small pond. There were martins on the houses, martins peeking out of the houses, and more martins than I could count swooping all over the rolling hills of a hay field. I also saw tree swallows and a male bluebird in the vicinity. A lovely Sunday morning scene.

Why do I find this frustrating? Because according to all my research, this landlord is doing everything WRONG! The houses are round-holed aluminum and plastic, with 6"x6" compartments, on fixed poles without predator guards. It is obvious that no maintenance has been attempted in the last few years, as there is nesting material sticking out of many of the rooms. They aren't even anywhere near a house, although there is an old barn near-by. And, to top it off, there was a male HOSP "cheep-cheep-cheeping" away on the fence surrounding the field.

Here I am with 2 plus years of membership in PM organizations, active on 2 PM Internet sites, owner of 3 books on the subject, and provider of modified natural gourds w/ SREH and containing pre-made pine straw nests, on a pulley system, with a predator guard, DawnSong tapes being played every morning, tree swallow competition controlled, and I was even convinced to start lethal control of HOSP. Yet, what do I have to show for it?

1 ASY male and 2 SY male visitors, who I haven't seen in a while, no females, and that's it.

So, color me disappointed. Do I just regroup, put up a Heath house, turn off the computer and ignore the whole thing?

[Mary Dawnsong]

Hi Dr. Kathi,

You could view it as encouraging. If an unmanaged colony is doing that well then your area must be a very good environment for martins.

I always recommend that Michigan hopefuls offer an aluminum house because they are such strong attractants here. That's how I started my colony, though I transitioned to all gourds by the third year.

If you have only gourds, then I would definitely find a cheap aluminum house and erect it as an attraction ploy. You could possibly find a small used Trio, double the compartments, and switch from round to crescent entries once a pair is committed. After a few seasons, the Trio could become a dedicated HOSP trap house.

Good luck, Mary

[Sharon - Central TX]

Dr. Kathi,
I hear you. Whatever endeavor we have started, we have always researched it thoroughly, bought all the books, did all the recommended precautions, etc., etc. and we would end up with next to nothing results. All this while another person did the minimal amount of work, didn't care if it wasn't right, didn't tend to it, etc., etc., and were extremely successful! Are we cursed for doing the right thing
I know how you feel. After three years of trying, we finally have two pair. Now if our crazy weather doesn't blow the house down, a snake, raccoon and fire ants don't get up the pole (all of which I've taken several precautions against), a hawk doesn't catch one of the parents, the sparrows kept from their dastardly deeds, etc. we *might* actually fledge some birds this year. Maybe :-).
I know its frustrating but we don't know what bad things may have gone on at these colonies, how many eggs destroyed, babies killed and so on. I have to think all of our hard work will eventually pay off. But I DO emphatize with you, honest I do .
Sharon in Central TX

[Steve Kroenke]

Hey Kathi,

I know it is frustrating when you have worked so hard to erect good housing and the martins are nesting elsewhere!

Site fidelity is a POWERFUL instinctive drive for martins! They will continue to return back to a colony as long as they are successful in breeding and apparently that is what is happening at the site you referenced. It makes no difference what type of housing is offered. The key is that the martins continue to successfully breed and propagate their species.

In northwest Louisiana where I now live, I would guess that 99% of the martin housing is round hole with 6 inch by 6 inch compartments. Most is aluminum, Trio, Coates or Heath. And many of the colonies in urban/suburban areas have martins with house sparrows and starlings. All nesting together in a highly integrated community. The martins continue to successfully breed at these sites and they continue to return back. I have seen housing with starlings, sparrows and martins all nesting side by side and all feeding young. There is a large colony in downtown Shreveport with probably around 50 pairs of martins and a good number of sparrows and starlings. The landlord is elderly and never cleans out the housing and yet his martins return every year and successfully breed. In fact, he nearly always gets the earliest returning martins! His colony is probably around 50 years old and is composed of Trios, Heaths and some homemade aluminum and wooden houses.

So martins still successfully nest in the ?unapproved? housing designs! But the martins apparently approve of them and continue to return back. Oh, how frustrating to landlords which do their best to offer excellent housing.

However, should that colony you mentioned be attacked by predators or become infested with starlings/sparrows, then your site may be the next home to any displaced martins. So it is a good sign that a martin colony is nearby.

Good luck.

Steve

[Guest]

Hi Kathi,

I know your frustration but please don't give up! It has taken nine years for me to establish a colony. I agree with Mary that offering a variety of housing, including aluminum could be very helpful. The two pairs that lived at my place last year chose the aluminum Trio (modified) with round holes over all the gourds and the Lone Star. In my area aluminum housing seems to be just about all there is except for those who are really serious about attracting martins. I kept the round holes on the Trio until they had eggs then made the change to excluders.

This year I now have the 2 returning ASY males plus I picked up 2 more ASY males from somewhere and 3 females. They are using all housing, gourds, Lone Star and the Trio, in all SREH even though I had offered round holes! I still haven't seen a single SY male even though I have 2 SY females.

Since we are laterally the same you still have time to attrach some SY's. Is it possible for you to add an aluminum house or change some of your gourds to round holes to help increase your chances of a female staying?

The martins need people like you! Without proper maintanence the colony near you will eventually fail. When those martins need a new home yours may be the place where they relocate. I picked up the 2 extra ASY males but I don't know where they came from. It is possible they came from a place where the housing was poor or was damaged or attacked.

You never know from year to year what may happen at other colonies. If you quit now you will never know if this could have been your year! Once you finally have more birds you will look back and be very thankful that you didn't give up! I cannot even begin to express how much joy I receive daily from watching the activity in my yard this year! And the sub adults haven't even started arriving yet!

You still have almost two months left! Hold you head up, be proud of your accomplishments so far and keep looking to the sky! You can do this!

I am rooting for you all the way!

Joyce

[Joe Guidry]

Dr. K. I know what you are going through, I had tired for 30 years where I live to get them, moved the house so many times over the years, I think I had dug enough holes to get to China, bought books, read articles and even got the tape to try to a track them, even put a sign on the top of the house, "free", rent, cable, internet, drinks with no one come but to look, went down the road from where I live, S.W. La., an old french man, he had 50 or more, the houses were on top of fence post , I told him of my desperate tries to get them over at my place, when I told him about the books and articles I read about them, his reply was great. he said, "I can't read good and they must not be able to either", done with that, good news my wife and I moved 60 miles to the west and bought a new home, put the Martin house up in Feb. they came in the first day and now its full, I am so happy, sit in the court yard and listen to them, I still have a lot to learn from them, good luck, try the FREE sign on the top, Joe G.

[Guest]

Thanks, everybody, for the words of support, advice, & encouragement. I really do know all those things, like Site Fidelity, the fact that having so many martins around me bodes well for my future and that when the slum housing fails, I am likely to pick up those martins. I don't plan on quitting or caving in and reverting to an unmanaged slum site; I really do intend to keep striving for the best set-up I can offer. It is just so discouraging to see the birds flocking around the ghetto while I stare at empty housing.

I think Mary and others are right - I am going to have to break down and put up an aluminum house, at least for the short term. I really don't like the look of them, esthetically speaking. I was hoping to have something unique and beautiful, as well as functional, in my natural gourd set-up, but obviously, it is too different for the local martins.

It seemed so easy the first year - put up gourds, attract 2 pairs, have 6 fledglings - BINGO! Then, last year was a flop, and now I am right back at the beginning. I know I still have time - in 2004 (my first season) I didn't have nest building until May 25 or so, but I am still getting anxious.

I am going to be away for a long weekend over Mother's Day, but when I come back I will put up a Trio 12 room house, modified to 6 double rooms, with round holes. I will have to be vigilant, as I know those round holes will be starling magnets, but whatever it takes to get them here, I guess.

Joyce, thanks for letting me know that I still have time at our latitude. And Joe, you are right - Martins don't read so good, so why should I expect them to know what is in the books and on the Internet? But, if they can't read, what good is the "Free Rent" sign going to do me?

[Joe Guidry]

DR. K. I also did not want the metal house so I made my style and painted it real nice tried that for years, then got the metal one, still did not work, took moving to get them, that what I am telling the people that see us, " Why did you all move", reply, "to get Purple Martins", think they believe me, but the Martins did, just order me another house on E-Bay, got one on the way for less that I can get one over here and don't have to go to the store, about the FREE rent sign, I was hoping that between several of them they could put the big bold words together and move in, Love dem birds me, Joe G. Ragley, La.

[Guest]

Kathi,

I forgot to mention that I also put a Spar-o-Door on the aluminum house when I put it up. It is a great trap! The sparrows can't resist.

If you are going to go to the expense of putting up another house you might as well kill two birds with one stone!

I also thought it was interesting that the martins in the slum house you mentioned is also an aluminum house. While you were driving around did you notice if the majority of housing in your area is aluminum? That may be a good indication what the birds out your way are accustomed to using. You may be able to lure some birds to your place then remove the aluminum house once your colony is established.

Joyce

[John Miller]

Dr. Kathy

Trio housing, when modified, can be good housing. I like to insulate mine with one-fourth inch styrofoam glued to the interior side of the outside walls with construction glue - I can post a photo of an interior compartment if you like.

This season I have had good luck getting new sites started -- and needing to use all SREH - by including a few of the porched WDC tunnel entrances for natural gourds. Martins have almost no trouble learning to enter these and they really like them. And with the little porches, it's almost like a house.

At two new sites in Forest Park, St.Louis, these were the first chosen by investigating ASY males -- both sites with a mix of housing types including aluminum houses with crescent openings.

John Miller

[Bob Flam]

Hi Kathi,

When I started, I used a trio because that is all you see around here mainly. Some wooden houses, but I have yet to see any gourds in about 10-11 years of this. Theres only one other person I know of using gourds and it's because I gave them to him.

I had put 4 gourds from Chuck Abare under my lone trio starting out in hopes they would do the trick. My 1st year, with 2 pair and a couple bachelor sy males...they never even really looked at them. The second year with 7 pair, I added a 2nd trio and 4 more gourds under it. I got one sy pair to nest in one gourd and they fledged babies out of it. The rest ignored them again pretty much.

That next year though...gourds were it!! They wanted them terribly, and still do. But ignored them for 2 years pretty much before that.

So yeah I would go ahead and put up a house. You won't have to leave it long if you don't want, but it may do the trick. I personally like the way they look with 4 gourds undernieth the way I have them. They are modified, some of the birds like em. You have to have a telescoping pole with the way I put my gourds arms and gourds under the housing tho. And I am getting tired of that.

And think about this, That other place has alot of birds, so it must be a fairly old site. It's unmanaged, and you have only 2 sy's there at your place. Only 2!! think about it...that site isn't putting out many surviving fledgings is it...or you'd have more.

Hang in there, you'll get it going strong. When I started years ago it took 3 years to get 2 lone pair. I saw 1 bird the 1st year...the entire year. After moving this last year I had 31 pair at the old place in town. And could of had a ton more if I had added more housing. Fledged 100+ babies last 2 years, just under 100 year before and under that before.

There wasn't many martins around here at all when I started tho. The guy I gave gourds to a couple years ago...his colony is growing like crazy every year. And since I've moved to my new place one month ago outside town...I had 4 pair yesterday...I counted 16 martins out there tonight!

Don't ever think managing the colony doesn't help in the survival rate of adults and fledglings. It does...this area is a prime example

Get yourself a house...and remember...doing it right does make a difference. Before long you'll have more than you know what to do with

bob

[Donnie Hurdt MN]

Kathi, I am in pretty much the same boat you are. I have been trying for martins since we moved here in 1995 and have a mixture of metal houses and natural and plastic gourds and a wooden house too. All I get is visitors and there are active colonies close by me. So this year I went and stuck one of Daves S/K houses in the middle of a hayfield below the hill where we live. Why? because it is in sight of my neighbors coloney and maby some will be inticed to nest there. What have I got to loose? Maby I will get lucky. I have tried about everything here at the house, putting up housing elce where will at least help keep my hopes up.