Don't Understand

[Flylow]

Yes the weather here in Indiana has been bad for martins. I live around several Amish farms and they all have T-14s with gourds and thier martins are back. I have the same setup 2 T-14s with gourds and 2 gourd racks and have not seen one martin at my site this year. This was a new site last year and had plenty of lookers.Guess I will have to wait on the SY birds.

[Christopher Norris]

I to live in Indiana, and most of my neighbors are amish. And they too have T-14's. And the martins wont touch mine. If you want to know how I got started PM me and I will tell you all about it.

SIncerely
Chris

[Guest]

Yes, that's right, Flylow. The birds you're seeing now at the Amish farms are older birds. There is a recent thread that describes how the PMs arrive--in order, by age. So that means that the birds have what it called site fidelity, and have been coming to these houses for years. You, however, do not have any birds yet that are bonded to your house and gourds. So you, and I here in Delaware, must wait until all the available housing is full in our area, and hope that there will be enough birds left over so that some or even just 1 pair comes and decides to live with us. You can help that happen by following the advice in the archives about attracting PMs to your site. Reading all the archive articles and following the advice they give you about starling and sparrow control, owl guards, etc. will ensure that your site is not only one that will be attractive to the younger birds, but will also ensure that it is a safe site to live and breed. Then, next year, you'll be one of the lucky people who can come on the forum and shout My Pair Has Returned Safely!!

Good Luck!

[The Olsons]

Karen,

You go girl... yuousaid it right....you are the best... best wishes to you and your martins this season

Astrid

[Nanette]

Chris,
Many of us would love to hear how you started your colony! Put it on the forum!

[Guest]

Thanks Astrid I'm trying!

[Sparky]

Yes, that's right, Flylow. The birds you're seeing now at the Amish farms are older birds. There is a recent thread that describes how the PMs arrive--in order, by age. So that means that the birds have what it called site fidelity, and have been coming to these houses for years. You, however, do not have any birds yet that are bonded to your house and gourds. So you, and I here in Delaware, must wait until all the available housing is full in our area, and hope that there will be enough birds left over so that some or even just 1 pair comes and decides to live with us. You can help that happen by following the advice in the archives about attracting PMs to your site. Reading all the archive articles and following the advice they give you about starling and sparrow control, owl guards, etc. will ensure that your site is not only one that will be attractive to the younger birds, but will also ensure that it is a safe site to live and breed. Then, next year, you'll be one of the lucky people who can come on the forum and shout My Pair Has Returned Safely!!

Good Luck!

Another one for Karen. Well said Karen! Have you thought of writing for the Purple Martin Update?

[Christopher Norris]

Nanette

Here is the best I can describe it. I probably have over 1000 amish martins living closer than a mile from me. For 3 years I just played the waiting game. But never seen a martin at my house. Then I decided to build a T-14 like the amish have, and still no martins. Then I learned here on the forum that there was a thing called sub adult which I didn't even realize exsisted, see I thought all martin males were black period!!! But boy was I wrong. Then there was this thing called the dawnsong, and that was the secret, when I started playing that the martins came from everywhere, by the hundreds. But still they wounldnt even touch my troyer. Then the biggest secret and I probably cant say it enough NATURAL GOURDS, NATURAL GOURDS, NATURAL GOURDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. i F YOU CANT GET A MARTIN TO LIVE IN A NATURAL GOURD IN INDIANA, THEN YOU PROBABLY AIN'T EVER GOING TO GET MARTINS. 2 years later I have martins and they still wont touch my $300 dollar, pure western red cider troyer, but the amish have over 1000 martins living in them. My colony started with 1 subbie male that I pulled in using the dawnsong, stayed in the NATURAL GOURDS, last year I had over 30 martins that all stayed in the NATURAL GOURDS, until a may cold spell wiped out all but 8 of them. This year my martins haven't returned yet, but the weather has been crappy, and the martins just started rolling this week. So I suspect mine will be here in the morning or SAT or SUn. I played my dawnsong from 6pm til 9am around the clock, most of the would come before sunrise and about 10pm, I have personally witness over 200 sub adult birds crashing in my gourds at 11 pm. Most migrating martin cause none of them would stay and would be gone before light in the morning

SIncerely
Chris

[Christopher Norris]

Also

I for got to add, I think martins here in indiana perfer gourds being strung on a cable, between 2 poles then the typical gourd rack. I have 24 gourds on a cable side by side. and they love it. NATURAL GOURDS 8inch to 11inch deep

Sincerely
Chris

[Guest]

Thanks, Sparky! Little did I know that Norris had a secret weapon!!! That's good advice for all of us who are trying. I bet that'll really bring 'em in!

I was so upset about my Trendsetter dawnsong player that I almost forgot to tell everyone that I had an article published this week in our local paper. I talked about all the different housing needs of the birds we see at our feeders. First I talked about the cute birds--the chickadee, the goldfinch--and then BAM! I dropped the S&S control bomb!! Ha ha! I talked about the bluebird and the martin and how S&S devastate them and I even talked about trapping and exterminating them. I figure the majority of the people reading are as ignorant as I was when I first got into birding, and most don't even know that S&S are bad. They put photos with my story of some of the birds I mentioned. It came out really great, and I'm pretty proud!! Maybe it will help, I certainly hope so. (I was a journalist in the Navy many years ago, and our paper was awarded the highest award given in the military for our kind of newspaper, so this is not the first time I've been published, but it's still very exciting all the same.)

:o)

[John Barrow]

Chris, and friends who await martins,

I recently gave a talk on a banding study I am doing in South Texas. That means the results are different from your area, but from comparisons I have made, not by much. We are entering our 5th year.

Less than 1 % of total banded birds return to their natal colony--Of all banded birds that I have identified--over 125--roughly 2/3rds came from a neighboring colony and 1/3 came from my own. If you have successful neighbors nearby, mimic what they do, offer what they offer and support their success. In the long run, I believe, it will make your colony every bit as healthy as the old established ones in your area. Karen has given excellent advice--that is the same protocol I followed to establish my colony. That is what I preach to mentees, many of whose colonies now rival mine.

I wish you the best this spring and in years ahead.

[Nanette]

Hi Chris,
Your's is s very fascinating story! One would think that a T-14 would be the way to go I have the opposite situation with my colony this year. I started off with Trio houses and started my colony using the Dawnsong. I managed to get a pair that year and the next year the number jumped to 12 pair. Last year my Trios blew down in a storm and I waited until this year to replace them. Ive got a T-14 (which I had last year) and a gourd rack with 40 gourds. 16 Troyer, 8 SuperGourds and 16 naturals. I have no nesting pairs at the moment because of the terrible weather but I have approx 35 ASY's. There are no T-14s around me and the majority of birds are taking up cavities in the T-14 and Troyer gourds! I haven't seen much interest in the Natural gourds. Perhaps it is because they are on the lower rack I don't know. Go Figure!

[Glen Webb Jr]

Yes, that's right, Flylow. The birds you're seeing now at the Amish farms are older birds. There is a recent thread that describes how the PMs arrive--in order, by age. So that means that the birds have what it called site fidelity, and have been coming to these houses for years.

Yip, and larger colonies will typically have more and earlier returns. My first martin showed up early-mid March this year, yet almost 30 miles to the south of my colony at the Ballard Nature Center, they didn't get a martin at all till around April first. Even then the "bulk" of the colony didnt show up till Monday. Their colony is much smaller 12 pairs, while I had an estimated 96 residents last year.

[Mary Dawnsong]

Hi Flylow,

All good advice.
There's lots of time left.

Here in southeastern Michigan....
- my earliest martins return around April 1
- egg-laying doesn't start for 6-7 weeks, usually around the third week in May, timing is very weather-dependent
- subadults start arriving in numbers in late May
- brand new colonies typically get their first committed martins around June 1 and as late as June 15
- it is not unusual for subbie pairs to start egg-laying in late June and a few pairs have started laying after July 4th

Of course, martins observe few hard fast rules.
Anything can happen!

Please stay hopeful,
Mary

[Christopher Norris]

One of my amish neighbors probaly had 100 or so new comers tonite, looked like a swarm off hornets. alot of fighting going on. My martins should be back tomorrow or sunday, nice weather coming and for the last 3 or 4 days the martin population seems to be doubling every day.

Sincerely
Chris