Steve
Two Photos Of Purple Martins Swarming Around My Colony
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Steve Kroenke
- Posts: 4342
- Joined: Fri Nov 28, 2003 6:49 pm
- Location: Louisiana/Logansport
I took these photos this morning of purple martins swarming around part of my colony. Please note that many martins are still inside their nests. We are now being swamped with SY martins and the numbers are staggering it seems. My housing is rapidly filling up. Purple martins are thriving over here in northwest Louisiana and they are not declining in our colonies. We are truly infested with purple martins and it is a good infestation!
Steve
Steve
Steve,
You must get up REAL early in the morning with all of that activity!
The pictures are great. What a huge responsibility you have on your hands. I can't praise you enough for your dedication and love for these birds and your knowledge sharing on this forum.
God Bless,
Jeanne
You must get up REAL early in the morning with all of that activity!
The pictures are great. What a huge responsibility you have on your hands. I can't praise you enough for your dedication and love for these birds and your knowledge sharing on this forum.
God Bless,
Jeanne
"Look at the birds in the sky. They do not sow or reap, yet your heavenly Father feeds them."
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The Olsons
- Posts: 3200
- Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 12:57 pm
- Location: North Padre Island, TX
Steve,
Great pictures...and they say "Home Sweet Home" All your martins have this big smile on their faces... 
Astrid
Great pictures...and they say "Home Sweet Home"
All your martins have this big smile on their faces... Astrid
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James Strickland FL
- Posts: 2249
- Joined: Thu Nov 13, 2003 8:04 pm
- Location: Reidsville NC
- Martin Colony History: 2017 Had a lot visitors no Matins nesting, hoping 2018 will be different.
2018 Had 1 pair
2019 had 30 pair
Man Steve What a great site to see what all of just dream about. That is one great site to see.
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flyin-lowe
- Posts: 3788
- Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2006 8:49 am
- Location: Indiana/Henry Co.
Is this your first year??? 
I was just in a joking mood. Everything looks great as expected. I hope some of those find there way north to east central Indiana.
I was just in a joking mood. Everything looks great as expected. I hope some of those find there way north to east central Indiana.
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Glen Webb Jr
- Posts: 478
- Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2004 1:03 pm
- Location: Illinois/Stewardson
Cheap lawn fertilizer!
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John Atteberry
Hello Steve!
WOW!!! Those pics are awesome!!!!!!!! Great colony you have Steve! Those numbers are going way up I see! Thanks for sharing! John!
WOW!!! Those pics are awesome!!!!!!!! Great colony you have Steve! Those numbers are going way up I see! Thanks for sharing! John!
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Scott D.- La
- Posts: 823
- Joined: Thu Jun 08, 2006 8:35 am
- Location: Louisiana
Steve,
Awesome pics. I notice the livestock in the background. I have always wondered if a Martin colony would sharply reduce the number of biting insects on livestock? You are definitely in the position to be able to answer that.
Iam glad everything is going so well for You and Bob. I look forward to more updates.
Awesome pics. I notice the livestock in the background. I have always wondered if a Martin colony would sharply reduce the number of biting insects on livestock? You are definitely in the position to be able to answer that.
Iam glad everything is going so well for You and Bob. I look forward to more updates.-
Steve Kroenke
- Posts: 4342
- Joined: Fri Nov 28, 2003 6:49 pm
- Location: Louisiana/Logansport
Hey Folks,
Well we are still having many SY martins returning to our colonies. I have been trying to get a fairly reliable estimate of the number of pairs in my colony but it has been pretty much impossible. However, based on a review of some of my gourd racks and houses, I believe I now have 200 + pairs of martins and that would satisfy my goal for 2007. This is my third season at this site and the growth of my colony has been incredible. In 2005, I had 81 pairs for my first season, in 2006, 175 pairs and now in 2007 already at 200 +. We still have all of April and most of May to attract breeding pairs of martins and I probably have 75 empty gourds/house compartments available. Nearly all these are still being dominated by aggressive martins. The SY males must constantly try to move in and "wear down" the dominant ASYs which still control multiple cavities. It is a long struggle at times!
However, all these SY males in our colonies may be a bad omen in May and June. Bachelor SY and even ASY males that are seeking territory, particularly later in the season when they are under pressure to breed, will readily commit infanticide by removing small martin nestlings. I have seen them drop babies out of gourds and carry small nestling out and drop a good distance from the colony. Last season, I lost a number of small martin nestlings because of bachelor SY and ASY male infanticide behavior. I would sometimes find several dead nestlings every day under the housing. By removing the young, the bachelor male martin perhaps hopes this will break the current pair bond and give him an opportunity to attract the female and breed. He MUST eliminate the young for this to happen. This infanticide behavior is common in other animals such a male lions when they take over a new lion pride. The new males typically kill all the small cubs to force the females into heat so they can father their own young. These new males have no biological interest in the offspring of other male lions.
Scott, the many beef cattle we have surrounding our colonies attract many flies which are no doubt eaten by the martins. I rarely see biting flies like horseflies in this area, but we still have plenty of mosquitoes! The martins probably help to keep the horseflies somewhat in check, but these flies probably just stay with the cattle and ignore us bipeds!
I appreciate all the comments, even that one by Dick who was just kidding! Now Dick I will hopefully raise many youngsters which will disperse and perhaps even find your colony site next year! Now that would be good medicine for your sickness!
I hope to continue posting more photos and provide more udpates soon.
Hope everyone is having a great season.
Steve
Well we are still having many SY martins returning to our colonies. I have been trying to get a fairly reliable estimate of the number of pairs in my colony but it has been pretty much impossible. However, based on a review of some of my gourd racks and houses, I believe I now have 200 + pairs of martins and that would satisfy my goal for 2007. This is my third season at this site and the growth of my colony has been incredible. In 2005, I had 81 pairs for my first season, in 2006, 175 pairs and now in 2007 already at 200 +. We still have all of April and most of May to attract breeding pairs of martins and I probably have 75 empty gourds/house compartments available. Nearly all these are still being dominated by aggressive martins. The SY males must constantly try to move in and "wear down" the dominant ASYs which still control multiple cavities. It is a long struggle at times!
However, all these SY males in our colonies may be a bad omen in May and June. Bachelor SY and even ASY males that are seeking territory, particularly later in the season when they are under pressure to breed, will readily commit infanticide by removing small martin nestlings. I have seen them drop babies out of gourds and carry small nestling out and drop a good distance from the colony. Last season, I lost a number of small martin nestlings because of bachelor SY and ASY male infanticide behavior. I would sometimes find several dead nestlings every day under the housing. By removing the young, the bachelor male martin perhaps hopes this will break the current pair bond and give him an opportunity to attract the female and breed. He MUST eliminate the young for this to happen. This infanticide behavior is common in other animals such a male lions when they take over a new lion pride. The new males typically kill all the small cubs to force the females into heat so they can father their own young. These new males have no biological interest in the offspring of other male lions.
Scott, the many beef cattle we have surrounding our colonies attract many flies which are no doubt eaten by the martins. I rarely see biting flies like horseflies in this area, but we still have plenty of mosquitoes! The martins probably help to keep the horseflies somewhat in check, but these flies probably just stay with the cattle and ignore us bipeds!
I appreciate all the comments, even that one by Dick who was just kidding! Now Dick I will hopefully raise many youngsters which will disperse and perhaps even find your colony site next year! Now that would be good medicine for your sickness!
I hope to continue posting more photos and provide more udpates soon.
Hope everyone is having a great season.
Steve
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RandallRash
- Posts: 196
- Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2006 5:52 pm
- Location: TX/Rockwall
Steve,
Thanks again for allowing me to come by and see your site in person. It is truly awesome to behold. When I first saw your site pic last year, I never dreamed I'd actually see it in person. Thanks for taking the time to sit and chat and allow me to see how I want my colony to be some day!
Folks - Steve and Bob are probably the hardest working landlords in the country. Real Southern hospitality out there.
Thanks again for allowing me to come by and see your site in person. It is truly awesome to behold. When I first saw your site pic last year, I never dreamed I'd actually see it in person. Thanks for taking the time to sit and chat and allow me to see how I want my colony to be some day!
Folks - Steve and Bob are probably the hardest working landlords in the country. Real Southern hospitality out there.
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RandallRash
- Posts: 196
- Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2006 5:52 pm
- Location: TX/Rockwall
Steve - I sent you a Personal Message but also forgot to mention today that I have had your pic of you colony from last year as my computer wallpaper. Now I can update it with this year's picture.
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Gary-La
- Posts: 199
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 7:07 pm
- Location: Rural Bossier Parish Louisiana
- Martin Colony History: 96 nesting pair
PMCA member
Steve, Are your satellite colonies just as infested with SYs? Your super colony is like a vacuum for the SYs. I still have that ASY male who has finally attracted a SY female, not sure if they are really going to stay or not. Not an infestation of martins in this part of NW Lousiana, and I'm just 70 miles north of you!!
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Steve Kroenke
- Posts: 4342
- Joined: Fri Nov 28, 2003 6:49 pm
- Location: Louisiana/Logansport
Hey Folks,
I appreciate all the kind remarks about my martin colony. I have worked hard the last several years and my colony has responded with rapid growth. I hope to post more photos soon our colonies.
Hey Gary,
Our satellite colonies are doing well but we haven't been able to determine the number of SY martins at this time. We visit these colonies periodically. However, Bob checked on the Lowes colony in downtown Shreveport and there are 29 pairs of martins out of 32 available cavities. So that colony is thriving.
I still believe there are plenty of SY martins in this area and friends of ours that are about 6 miles northwest as the "crow flies" are being flooded with new SY arrivals, too. Their colony is in its second year and they should easily attract around 100 pairs this season.
You still have all of April and probably most of May to attract more breeding pairs of martins. I believe we may have more later nesting pairs this season because all the previous cold weather seemed to have slowed down the earlier nesting activities.
Steve
Hey Randall,
Bob and I really enjoyed you and your friend Perry visiting with us and watching the martins! I always enjoy having folks stop by so I can "talk martins" and man can I chatter! When fellow martin enthusiasts congregate, we can probably out talk most folks. I think we are as vocal as the martins we love so much.
I am real pleased that you enjoyed yourself. You also got to see a merlin make an unsuccessful attack on our martin colonies and also saw a beautiful male peregrine falcon fly over! Just before your visit we had another unsuccessful merlin attack and after you left yet another merlin flew over. Today we had three more merlins, all unsuccesful!
Please feel free to visit again and just holler at me with an email or telephone call.
I got your private message and thanks for that information.
I really appreciate your kind remarks and I am glad you and Perry had great visit.
Well, take care and you are always welcomed to visit our martin colonies.
Steve
I appreciate all the kind remarks about my martin colony. I have worked hard the last several years and my colony has responded with rapid growth. I hope to post more photos soon our colonies.
Hey Gary,
Our satellite colonies are doing well but we haven't been able to determine the number of SY martins at this time. We visit these colonies periodically. However, Bob checked on the Lowes colony in downtown Shreveport and there are 29 pairs of martins out of 32 available cavities. So that colony is thriving.
I still believe there are plenty of SY martins in this area and friends of ours that are about 6 miles northwest as the "crow flies" are being flooded with new SY arrivals, too. Their colony is in its second year and they should easily attract around 100 pairs this season.
You still have all of April and probably most of May to attract more breeding pairs of martins. I believe we may have more later nesting pairs this season because all the previous cold weather seemed to have slowed down the earlier nesting activities.
Steve
Hey Randall,
Bob and I really enjoyed you and your friend Perry visiting with us and watching the martins! I always enjoy having folks stop by so I can "talk martins" and man can I chatter! When fellow martin enthusiasts congregate, we can probably out talk most folks. I think we are as vocal as the martins we love so much.
I am real pleased that you enjoyed yourself. You also got to see a merlin make an unsuccessful attack on our martin colonies and also saw a beautiful male peregrine falcon fly over! Just before your visit we had another unsuccessful merlin attack and after you left yet another merlin flew over. Today we had three more merlins, all unsuccesful!
Please feel free to visit again and just holler at me with an email or telephone call.
I got your private message and thanks for that information.
I really appreciate your kind remarks and I am glad you and Perry had great visit.
Well, take care and you are always welcomed to visit our martin colonies.
Steve
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Guest
Steve,
Absolutly incredible! What a thrill that must be! I'll bet your dawnsong activity gets your entire town up in plenty time to get to wherever they have to go...work, etc.
Would you please do me a favor? I'd really like to have a photo to be able to print on my printer. The format didn't allow me to print directly from your posting. I was telling a friend (a non bird guy) yesterday about your setup and I know my explanation would never be able to do it justice. If you would sent the pics via email, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks so much.
.....Tom
Absolutly incredible! What a thrill that must be! I'll bet your dawnsong activity gets your entire town up in plenty time to get to wherever they have to go...work, etc.
Would you please do me a favor? I'd really like to have a photo to be able to print on my printer. The format didn't allow me to print directly from your posting. I was telling a friend (a non bird guy) yesterday about your setup and I know my explanation would never be able to do it justice. If you would sent the pics via email, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks so much.
.....Tom