Eastern shores of MD and Northward casualties
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marilena~MD
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Wed Feb 18, 2004 7:07 pm
- Location: Maryland/Denton
After waiting anxiously for our martins to return and much preparation, they finally did on Saturday the 14th, a total of 6. We were so delighted. Then came Sunday's deluge of rain and the poor things were looking pretty pathetic, just sitting on their perches with their droopy wings. Not much we could do but hope. We managed to get some crickets from the pet store but were unable to feed them successfully. Then came Monday and the hurricane force winds for the whole day and night. When I looked for them they were nowhere in sight. I'm afraid to look in their gourds today for fear of what we will find. I am hearing some scattered reports locally of dead birds. I am so afraid that this particular area will have experienced massive mortality.
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TreeGreenwood
- Posts: 362
- Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2004 9:27 pm
- Location: Virginia/Catlett
You have to look. A weak or dead Martin could be blocking an entrance so healthy Martins can't get out. Continuing to check and do what we can is something we have to do.marilena~MD wrote:... I'm afraid to look in their gourds today for fear of what we will find.
I have some ASYs back, at least six staying in my housing. I've seen over a dozen on my housing but some were probably visitors from a neighboring colony. I tried supplemental feeding. Martins watched a couple hundred crickets arch past them, either staying in place or fleeing with alarm calls as I flung crickets. I put crickets and mealworms in the compartments where I know Martins are staying. The food is still there for me to remove and replace a day later.
The local Martins seem to be healthy in spite of the terrible weather. I'm hoping that they're finding enough insects over the dairy farm manure containment pits where I've seen swallows foraging on chilly mornings. I can't imagine insects flying in the winds we've experienced but the Martins seem healthy and haven't taken supplemental feeding.
We can only hope and do what we can.
Tree
Tree is right. You have to make sure a dead martin IS NOT blocking the exits to the compartments. How had your weather been prior to this storm? Martins will be fine if it is only 3-4 days of bad hunting weather. Do like tree said and put the crickets in the compartments. They will learn to eat them when they get hungry enough. Put the crickets in the fridge a few minutes before you put them in the compartments. They will chill down to almost being immobile and will move just enough to show the martin they are a live bug. If it's only been this storm you have now, you should be fine - but you need to go look. Good Luck.
Dennis D
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marilena~MD
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Wed Feb 18, 2004 7:07 pm
- Location: Maryland/Denton
We checked all the gourds today and there wasn't anything in there. So I was pretty happy that at least they didn't die in there. The question is, what did happen to them? I haven't seen them in 2 days, since the first night that we had the bad winds. I have an idea that the gourds were rocking so violently in the 50+ mph wind that they few out and went somewhere because they probably couldn't tolerate it.
My question is will they return???? I sure do hope so. I only got to see them for 2 days. Any opinions???
My question is will they return???? I sure do hope so. I only got to see them for 2 days. Any opinions???
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Carlton
- Posts: 1959
- Joined: Tue May 17, 2005 6:42 pm
- Location: Florida/Deerfield Beach
- Martin Colony History: I moved to South Florida, from Delaware, in August of 2015.
I care for a 6 condo Sunset House as well as two Deluxe Gourd Racks, with 24 Chirpynest/Excluder gourds, along a canal in Pompano Beach, Florida.
At Quiet Waters Park, nearby in Deerfield Beach, I care for a Deluxe Gourd Rack with 12 TVG's. I also care for a Deluxe Gourd rack with 12 Excluder gourds with Modified Excluder entrances. I am substituting 6 Chirpynest boxes for 6 of the Conley II entranced gourds in 2026.
At another local park, Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek, I care for a Trendsetter 12, 5 gourds rack with 60 Excluder gourds with Modified Excluder Entrances and 1 Deluxe Gourd Rack with 12 Troyer Vertical Gourds with Starling Stoppers over the Conley II's to keep out smaller starlings.
Hi Marilena,
Sorry to hear your martins and you are going through this stress. I notice the martins over here in Rehoboth, an hour from you, are sitting in the sun (when it decides to actually come out!) on the south side of the Trios. My neighbor up the street has 6 martins and I have 1 male and maybe 1 female. I can not really tell how they are doing. They seem to be able to fly strongly when they choose to but mainly they are, I assume, conserving energy by resting in the sun. I put out some smashed up hardboiled egg, with shells, in an elevated platform feeder but nothing has fed. The flowering pears and cherries are all in bloom so I hope that there are some pollinating insects, of various sorts, out and about. I too hope they are finding adequate food. My female has not been seen since she first appeared with the male on Monday but I think she is okay. He continues to return to my Trio but I do not think he is sleeping in the house. I assume he is choosing to sleep with other martins for warmth. He is really not out there long enough to feed him and when I do go out he is nervous and flies off until I go in. As far as I know he has never gone into the compartment so putting crickets in there would not work.
Good luck to you and your martins.
Carl
Sorry to hear your martins and you are going through this stress. I notice the martins over here in Rehoboth, an hour from you, are sitting in the sun (when it decides to actually come out!) on the south side of the Trios. My neighbor up the street has 6 martins and I have 1 male and maybe 1 female. I can not really tell how they are doing. They seem to be able to fly strongly when they choose to but mainly they are, I assume, conserving energy by resting in the sun. I put out some smashed up hardboiled egg, with shells, in an elevated platform feeder but nothing has fed. The flowering pears and cherries are all in bloom so I hope that there are some pollinating insects, of various sorts, out and about. I too hope they are finding adequate food. My female has not been seen since she first appeared with the male on Monday but I think she is okay. He continues to return to my Trio but I do not think he is sleeping in the house. I assume he is choosing to sleep with other martins for warmth. He is really not out there long enough to feed him and when I do go out he is nervous and flies off until I go in. As far as I know he has never gone into the compartment so putting crickets in there would not work.
Good luck to you and your martins.
Carl