Nest Check Timing

[Guest]

This is my second year hosting purple martins, and I have a question on a situation that I can see coming in the near future. I have been very fortunate this year to have attracted an extremely active colony. I am expecting between 40 and 50 eggs to be laid in 9 - 10 nests.

The problem is the timing. One pair laid their eggs very early compared to the other pairs. The nestlings in this first nest hatched last Saturday, while I have about four other nests where I expect eggs to hatch next weekend, and still other nests that have either just begun to lay eggs or will be laying eggs very shortly. There are also two or three housing compartments that I have observed martins living in, but they have not built nests yet. So, they may or may not lay eggs later on in the season.

Anyway, my question is this. I know that I am supposed to discontinue nest checks when the oldest birds are more than twenty days old. So, that gives me less than three weeks. How do I go about keeping records on and performing nest replacements for my future nestlings, if I am not able to lower the house?

I have read about techniques used to plug the hole of the older birds until they have calmed down enough so that they will not jump from their nest. However, I had a problem last year where one bird attempted to fledge too early, and he ended up not surviving. So, I am very wary about trying anything that might endanger the birds. At the same time, I really like to keep complete records, and I usually try to replace the nests twice for the birds before they fledge. So, I'm not sure what is the best thing to do.

Thanks for your help!

[Nanette]

Hi,
In my limited experience, I lower the house and only open up the compartments of those birds which are not ready to fledge. I do regular nest checks and I know how old the birds are. Last year was my first year with (for me!) a significant number of birds (12 pairs and 51 fledglings) and I did not have a problem with any premature fledging. I believe that those articles about using the cup come into play when your are performing a nest check on a close to fledging cavity.