LonesomeDuck,
Martinfarmer is referring to the Conley 2 SREH entrance offered by Troyer. That is the entrance in his attached picture.
Opinion on site plans/gourd rack options
-
4th Gen Martin Fan
- Posts: 1498
- Joined: Thu Jul 04, 2013 1:19 pm
- Location: TN/Collierville
- Martin Colony History: I have been exposed to purple martin sounds in utero when my mother went out to get my father away from his martin colony.
I played around the martin colony every summer and watched as my father maintained his colony. In the late 50's until the 70's he did not notice European Starlings in south Texas.
When old enough, I helped maintain his colony. My primary task was eliminating English House Sparrows with a 1956 Benjamin 317 .177 air rifle.
When I settled into my own home, I started my first colony with an original Trio Castle and Trio Grandpa. When I moved again, I did not put up any martin houses. Frustration with European Starlings in the Southeast US was overwhelming.
Found PMCA Forum and learned about modern enlarged compartments and SREHs.
Inherited my father's last martin house, a Trio Grandma, modified it to modern specifications and have had good results since then.
Mark.
Firm believer in HOSP/EUST Control, Enlarged Compartments, SREHs, Pole Predator Guards, Owl/Hawk Guards, Mite/Parasite Control, Housing Insulation, and Vents for Compartment Cooling.
PMCA Member.
Firm believer in HOSP/EUST Control, Enlarged Compartments, SREHs, Pole Predator Guards, Owl/Hawk Guards, Mite/Parasite Control, Housing Insulation, and Vents for Compartment Cooling.
PMCA Member.
-
handyman315
- Posts: 300
- Joined: Thu May 12, 2016 11:03 am
- Location: SW Ohio
- Martin Colony History: Colony established May 20, 2017 after three unsuccessful years. Persistent and aggressive Tree Swallows plagued the site, but beyond learning - and practicing - to control them, was the return in 2017 of a 2016-SY-M previously unable to find a mate. As a handsome ASY-M, he brought along two females and a swagger that soon put the Tree Swallow issue to rest. As the anchor pair, he and his mate hatched all six of their eggs into fat and healthy babies into what settled in to be a three-pair, flourishing new colony with up to 11 birds total, including 3 SY-M trouble makers.
What a beautiful site and PM house! You've taken the first step against wind - square pole . . . wish I had known that would become an issue for me in these never ending Ohio winds.
So much agree with John & Linda (quote below). You are gonna want to watch these wonderful birds - a lot, and frequently. Your relocation* efforts - if any - should focus on that front yard and getting the PM house CLOSER to your house, not farther away. One of mine is 30' from the house and when I recently watched an owl land on our barn, I wish the PM house was even closer to me! The Martins love humans, and they clearly bond with us.
*Relocation - IMO, leave the house where it is and put your second PM house up front, CLOSER to your house, not farther away.
It's easier to give advice and ideas AFTER we have our own colony, i.e., I'm a newbie in my first year after three "failed" seasons . . . in quotes because I've come to believe those other years, especially last year, were not complete failures by any definition. See my signature.
Don't see any mud smeared on your beautiful PM house. Pine Straw?
Most of all, don't get discouraged. You're having visitors, that's the first step. Keep your expectations in line . . . the "sky did not darken with approaching Martins" in my first year".
The PMCA, and especially this Forum, is a wealth of information and good ideas.
Good luck!
So much agree with John & Linda (quote below). You are gonna want to watch these wonderful birds - a lot, and frequently. Your relocation* efforts - if any - should focus on that front yard and getting the PM house CLOSER to your house, not farther away. One of mine is 30' from the house and when I recently watched an owl land on our barn, I wish the PM house was even closer to me! The Martins love humans, and they clearly bond with us.
*Relocation - IMO, leave the house where it is and put your second PM house up front, CLOSER to your house, not farther away.
It's easier to give advice and ideas AFTER we have our own colony, i.e., I'm a newbie in my first year after three "failed" seasons . . . in quotes because I've come to believe those other years, especially last year, were not complete failures by any definition. See my signature.
Before the colony is established there is a natural tendency to dwell on the physical plant/location, I did, many wannabe landlords do. You don't mention other factors. House Sparrows? Tree Swallows? You do mention Bluebirds . . . have they been a PM problem?John & Linda - KY wrote:Your new site looks very good. But one of the joys of being a martin landlord is being able to watch them raise their young. It looks like you have a roofed porch on the front of your house, you would get a lot more enjoyment if you could sit there and watch them. Linda & I spend hours doing just that. -- John
Don't see any mud smeared on your beautiful PM house. Pine Straw?
Most of all, don't get discouraged. You're having visitors, that's the first step. Keep your expectations in line . . . the "sky did not darken with approaching Martins" in my first year".
The PMCA, and especially this Forum, is a wealth of information and good ideas.Good luck!
2023-42 Nests, 197 Eggs/Babies
2022-48 Nests Fledged 203
2021-43 Nests Fledged 185
2020-31 Nests Fledged 133, three early deaths due to cold & rain
2019-19 Nests Fledged 84
2018-11 Nests Fledged 48, ASY-M Arrived April 6, Despite Snow & Cold, Joined Soon by Mate & Two Adult Pairs
2017-3 Nests Fledged 13, FIRST-YEAR LANDLORD! Resident SY-M from 2016 Returned (as ASY-M) on May 20. At Least 11 Adult Residents
2016 Late-Arriving SYs, Resident Lone SY-M
2015-14 Many Visits
2022-48 Nests Fledged 203
2021-43 Nests Fledged 185
2020-31 Nests Fledged 133, three early deaths due to cold & rain
2019-19 Nests Fledged 84
2018-11 Nests Fledged 48, ASY-M Arrived April 6, Despite Snow & Cold, Joined Soon by Mate & Two Adult Pairs
2017-3 Nests Fledged 13, FIRST-YEAR LANDLORD! Resident SY-M from 2016 Returned (as ASY-M) on May 20. At Least 11 Adult Residents
2016 Late-Arriving SYs, Resident Lone SY-M
2015-14 Many Visits
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Martinfarmer
- Posts: 153
- Joined: Sun May 07, 2017 6:33 pm
- Location: Guthrie KY 42234
- Martin Colony History: 2015 put up a S-k house, visitors but no takers
2016 homemade Martin condo (40 nesting boxes) several visitors no takers
2017 changed crescent openings to Troyer Conley 2 openings and installed 4 super gourds with Conley2 adapters and 12 vertical Troyers.
Several nests and eggs. Hopefully will exceed one hundred eggs this year.
6-21-17 nest inspection 68 chicks and 26 eggs
6-30-17 inspection 90 chicks and a new nest with 4 eggs.
8-30-17 successfully fledged over 85 martins.
Mark thank you for the post. I don't know how I came up with "Colony" instead of Conley.4th Gen Martin Fan wrote:LonesomeDuck,
Martinfarmer is referring to the Conley 2 SREH entrance offered by Troyer. That is the entrance in his attached picture.
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handyman315
- Posts: 300
- Joined: Thu May 12, 2016 11:03 am
- Location: SW Ohio
- Martin Colony History: Colony established May 20, 2017 after three unsuccessful years. Persistent and aggressive Tree Swallows plagued the site, but beyond learning - and practicing - to control them, was the return in 2017 of a 2016-SY-M previously unable to find a mate. As a handsome ASY-M, he brought along two females and a swagger that soon put the Tree Swallow issue to rest. As the anchor pair, he and his mate hatched all six of their eggs into fat and healthy babies into what settled in to be a three-pair, flourishing new colony with up to 11 birds total, including 3 SY-M trouble makers.
(Some general newbie comments follow that might give you an idea or two):
"Trying" is pretty much how several of us got started, and I applaud your efforts. Few things will be as rewarding, with so much joy of anticipation. Sounds like you are off to a great start, and with that gorgeous PM house and pole you've got much more going for you than many of us. A newbie landlord myself, I'll leave some of your questions to the more seasoned pros, but my comments might touch a cord inasmuch as we've both recently struggled with establishing a NEW colony.
The senior PMCA members talk in terms of taking - on average - 3 to 5 years to start a new colony, and although I fall directly into that "average", they would hasten to add that it can happen the first year . . . but with some landlords waiting 10 - 15 years . . . one legend has a 30-year wait with no Martins.
What do newbies do to get PMs? Well, I are one, and most of all I read this Forum and everything I could find online. First and foremost, I had to get my problems under control: Tree Swallows and House Sparrows . . . and although I thought I knew what to do, it took a couple years to perfect it.
Cut to the chase:
First year I had one apartment style house, lotsa PM visitors - virtually all just "moteling" on the way to somewhere else. None showed ANY interest in staying. Houses up early, all fully open, stayed busy yanking out HOSP nests, all a mistake in method. Coping with the Tree Swallows had not even quite registered with me. My expectations were unreasonable, i.e., the "sky did not darken with approaching Martins".
Second year I installed a gourd rack, that'll do it! I just need nicer housing! Great thinking for humans, means virtually nothing to Martins. Now knew HOW to solve my TRES problem, but implemented the whole plan poorly despite successfully transplanting the TRES from the gourd rack to their own shepherd hook rack at the back of my property. PMs chased mightily by TRES. Put all housing up a little later, but still opened all immediately. HOSP less of a problem, they had already started nesting elsewhere. PM interest? "Hey, look! Human has more EMPTY housing, let's go to Martinville". Virtually no PM showed any serious interest after they figured out where Dawnsong and Daytime Chatter were coming from. My expectations were coming in line, e.g., "two pair would be nice".
Third Year I modified the gourd rack . . . that'll do it, it needs tinkering! Again probably meant squat to the PMs, but it kept me busy and from getting more discouraged. Carefully re-did the TRES plan - BUT GOT THE DISTANCE PART WRONG - it's gotta be done RIGHT, SYs are just too easily intimidated by those aggressive little green and white Mig fighters.
Late in my third season a SY-M began to hang around - a lot . . . we bonded, he clearly liked this stupid ole human, put he couldn't find a mate despite some really good ole college tries and my cheerleading. He'd bring females in - sometimes sleek looking ASY-Fs EVEN! None stayed. But clearly my SY-M was spending some nights in my gourds, and when senior PMCA Forum members confirmed over the winter that my guy "Spot" had probably "claimed" my site as his EVEN THOUGH he couldn't find a mate, I had my PLAN! I had to get Spot back in 2017 - as an ASY-M.
Get it right this year! October meant gather a box of clean pine needles, make mental notes to slap some mud on my housing, and most of all resist the urge to fling those houses open first sunny spring day. My expectations had taken care of themselves: Get Spot and one female to claim my site; my life will be complete.
Fourth year started just as planned, even aggressively went after my HOSP with a scoped Benjamin .177 air rifle that I'd had all my adult life - it's deadly accurate. Hardly see a HOSP anymore. Put up housing AFTER scouts reported in the area - BUT WITH ALL HOUSING CLOSED!
STILL I managed to screw up the TRES part, getting the distance wrong and allowing the little snits to chase off the very FEW SUBBIE PMs that showed up early. Dang it! Went back to reading PMCA . . . measure the distance from the gourd rack PRECISELY - moved it - TWICE no less, and mostly it worked, the TRES were less aggressive - not that it was going to matter much . . . a new sheriff was coming to town.
Spot had arrived in my third year BY HIMSELF, May 31, 2016, my hopes were pinned on that one tiny bird and his successful round trip to South America. He arrived May 20, 2017 in my fourth year, and despite "knowing" I'd recognize him I did not . . . not immediately, mostly because he arrived with TWO dandy females and a real swagger in his step. First order of business? He stomped the TRES' butts. After one particularly vicious thumping they never offered any serious resistance again.
The other parts of my plan? Yep, the pine needles had gone in, the mud had been slathered, Dawnsong continued to play, housing stayed closed until Spot (now JB for "Jet Black") arrived and then only opened more housing in stages - it seemed to make arriving PMs even more desirous to move into this new, now jabbering, community.
Final analysis: My efforts or Mother Nature? Obviously some of mine, but this colony was started by JB, not me.
Expectations: My realistic expectations have been exceeded many times now in this fourth year, yet I fear something could still change all the good luck. Holding my breath!
Best of luck with your colony startup. Do keep in mind that if you opt to move your PM house even farther from your main house it will become more difficult to monitor, e.g., think House Sparrows, Tree Swallows, predators, etc.
My comments were long-winded, but maybe there is something there that might be of help.
"Trying" is pretty much how several of us got started, and I applaud your efforts. Few things will be as rewarding, with so much joy of anticipation. Sounds like you are off to a great start, and with that gorgeous PM house and pole you've got much more going for you than many of us. A newbie landlord myself, I'll leave some of your questions to the more seasoned pros, but my comments might touch a cord inasmuch as we've both recently struggled with establishing a NEW colony.
The senior PMCA members talk in terms of taking - on average - 3 to 5 years to start a new colony, and although I fall directly into that "average", they would hasten to add that it can happen the first year . . . but with some landlords waiting 10 - 15 years . . . one legend has a 30-year wait with no Martins.
What do newbies do to get PMs? Well, I are one, and most of all I read this Forum and everything I could find online. First and foremost, I had to get my problems under control: Tree Swallows and House Sparrows . . . and although I thought I knew what to do, it took a couple years to perfect it.
Cut to the chase:
First year I had one apartment style house, lotsa PM visitors - virtually all just "moteling" on the way to somewhere else. None showed ANY interest in staying. Houses up early, all fully open, stayed busy yanking out HOSP nests, all a mistake in method. Coping with the Tree Swallows had not even quite registered with me. My expectations were unreasonable, i.e., the "sky did not darken with approaching Martins".
Second year I installed a gourd rack, that'll do it! I just need nicer housing!
Great thinking for humans, means virtually nothing to Martins. Now knew HOW to solve my TRES problem, but implemented the whole plan poorly despite successfully transplanting the TRES from the gourd rack to their own shepherd hook rack at the back of my property. PMs chased mightily by TRES. Put all housing up a little later, but still opened all immediately. HOSP less of a problem, they had already started nesting elsewhere. PM interest? "Hey, look! Human has more EMPTY housing, let's go to Martinville". Virtually no PM showed any serious interest after they figured out where Dawnsong and Daytime Chatter were coming from. My expectations were coming in line, e.g., "two pair would be nice".Third Year I modified the gourd rack . . . that'll do it, it needs tinkering! Again probably meant squat to the PMs, but it kept me busy and from getting more discouraged. Carefully re-did the TRES plan - BUT GOT THE DISTANCE PART WRONG - it's gotta be done RIGHT, SYs are just too easily intimidated by those aggressive little green and white Mig fighters.
Late in my third season a SY-M began to hang around - a lot . . . we bonded, he clearly liked this stupid ole human, put he couldn't find a mate despite some really good ole college tries and my cheerleading. He'd bring females in - sometimes sleek looking ASY-Fs EVEN! None stayed. But clearly my SY-M was spending some nights in my gourds, and when senior PMCA Forum members confirmed over the winter that my guy "Spot" had probably "claimed" my site as his EVEN THOUGH he couldn't find a mate, I had my PLAN! I had to get Spot back in 2017 - as an ASY-M.
Get it right this year! October meant gather a box of clean pine needles, make mental notes to slap some mud on my housing, and most of all resist the urge to fling those houses open first sunny spring day. My expectations had taken care of themselves: Get Spot and one female to claim my site; my life will be complete.
Fourth year started just as planned, even aggressively went after my HOSP with a scoped Benjamin .177 air rifle that I'd had all my adult life - it's deadly accurate. Hardly see a HOSP anymore. Put up housing AFTER scouts reported in the area - BUT WITH ALL HOUSING CLOSED!
STILL I managed to screw up the TRES part, getting the distance wrong and allowing the little snits to chase off the very FEW SUBBIE PMs that showed up early. Dang it! Went back to reading PMCA . . . measure the distance from the gourd rack PRECISELY - moved it - TWICE no less, and mostly it worked, the TRES were less aggressive - not that it was going to matter much . . . a new sheriff was coming to town.
Spot had arrived in my third year BY HIMSELF, May 31, 2016, my hopes were pinned on that one tiny bird and his successful round trip to South America. He arrived May 20, 2017 in my fourth year, and despite "knowing" I'd recognize him I did not . . . not immediately, mostly because he arrived with TWO dandy females and a real swagger in his step. First order of business? He stomped the TRES' butts. After one particularly vicious thumping they never offered any serious resistance again.
The other parts of my plan? Yep, the pine needles had gone in, the mud had been slathered, Dawnsong continued to play, housing stayed closed until Spot (now JB for "Jet Black") arrived and then only opened more housing in stages - it seemed to make arriving PMs even more desirous to move into this new, now jabbering, community.
Final analysis: My efforts or Mother Nature? Obviously some of mine, but this colony was started by JB, not me.
Expectations: My realistic expectations have been exceeded many times now in this fourth year, yet I fear something could still change all the good luck. Holding my breath!
Best of luck with your colony startup. Do keep in mind that if you opt to move your PM house even farther from your main house it will become more difficult to monitor, e.g., think House Sparrows, Tree Swallows, predators, etc.
My comments were long-winded, but maybe there is something there that might be of help.
2023-42 Nests, 197 Eggs/Babies
2022-48 Nests Fledged 203
2021-43 Nests Fledged 185
2020-31 Nests Fledged 133, three early deaths due to cold & rain
2019-19 Nests Fledged 84
2018-11 Nests Fledged 48, ASY-M Arrived April 6, Despite Snow & Cold, Joined Soon by Mate & Two Adult Pairs
2017-3 Nests Fledged 13, FIRST-YEAR LANDLORD! Resident SY-M from 2016 Returned (as ASY-M) on May 20. At Least 11 Adult Residents
2016 Late-Arriving SYs, Resident Lone SY-M
2015-14 Many Visits
2022-48 Nests Fledged 203
2021-43 Nests Fledged 185
2020-31 Nests Fledged 133, three early deaths due to cold & rain
2019-19 Nests Fledged 84
2018-11 Nests Fledged 48, ASY-M Arrived April 6, Despite Snow & Cold, Joined Soon by Mate & Two Adult Pairs
2017-3 Nests Fledged 13, FIRST-YEAR LANDLORD! Resident SY-M from 2016 Returned (as ASY-M) on May 20. At Least 11 Adult Residents
2016 Late-Arriving SYs, Resident Lone SY-M
2015-14 Many Visits
-
4th Gen Martin Fan
- Posts: 1498
- Joined: Thu Jul 04, 2013 1:19 pm
- Location: TN/Collierville
- Martin Colony History: I have been exposed to purple martin sounds in utero when my mother went out to get my father away from his martin colony.
I played around the martin colony every summer and watched as my father maintained his colony. In the late 50's until the 70's he did not notice European Starlings in south Texas.
When old enough, I helped maintain his colony. My primary task was eliminating English House Sparrows with a 1956 Benjamin 317 .177 air rifle.
When I settled into my own home, I started my first colony with an original Trio Castle and Trio Grandpa. When I moved again, I did not put up any martin houses. Frustration with European Starlings in the Southeast US was overwhelming.
Found PMCA Forum and learned about modern enlarged compartments and SREHs.
Inherited my father's last martin house, a Trio Grandma, modified it to modern specifications and have had good results since then.
Martinfarmer,
I do not mean any disrespect by correcting your reference to Conley 2 entrances. Especially since I am going to ask you to edit and correct each reference to Conley 2. In the future, I plan on linking this topic. Your martin house has interesting features which I plan to reference in the future and having the Conley 2 identified correctly in your post will save a lot of future viewers. Also if your house design is proprietary, then tell me now so I will not cause a problem.
Also, there is some great discussion about encouraging new landlords that I will be linking in the future.
I do not mean any disrespect by correcting your reference to Conley 2 entrances. Especially since I am going to ask you to edit and correct each reference to Conley 2. In the future, I plan on linking this topic. Your martin house has interesting features which I plan to reference in the future and having the Conley 2 identified correctly in your post will save a lot of future viewers. Also if your house design is proprietary, then tell me now so I will not cause a problem.
Also, there is some great discussion about encouraging new landlords that I will be linking in the future.
Mark.
Firm believer in HOSP/EUST Control, Enlarged Compartments, SREHs, Pole Predator Guards, Owl/Hawk Guards, Mite/Parasite Control, Housing Insulation, and Vents for Compartment Cooling.
PMCA Member.
Firm believer in HOSP/EUST Control, Enlarged Compartments, SREHs, Pole Predator Guards, Owl/Hawk Guards, Mite/Parasite Control, Housing Insulation, and Vents for Compartment Cooling.
PMCA Member.
-
4th Gen Martin Fan
- Posts: 1498
- Joined: Thu Jul 04, 2013 1:19 pm
- Location: TN/Collierville
- Martin Colony History: I have been exposed to purple martin sounds in utero when my mother went out to get my father away from his martin colony.
I played around the martin colony every summer and watched as my father maintained his colony. In the late 50's until the 70's he did not notice European Starlings in south Texas.
When old enough, I helped maintain his colony. My primary task was eliminating English House Sparrows with a 1956 Benjamin 317 .177 air rifle.
When I settled into my own home, I started my first colony with an original Trio Castle and Trio Grandpa. When I moved again, I did not put up any martin houses. Frustration with European Starlings in the Southeast US was overwhelming.
Found PMCA Forum and learned about modern enlarged compartments and SREHs.
Inherited my father's last martin house, a Trio Grandma, modified it to modern specifications and have had good results since then.
LonesomeDuck,
Your new location looks just like my father's former martin colony in Texas, except the Trio Grandma was tiny compared to your grand Trendsetter. The only difference between your setup and his was a half acre pond was located close to his martin house. Not that you need a pond but it helped his remote location.
His 7 acre ranchito was 1/4 mile from his house. The martin house location broke all the rules about being close to a human habitat but my Dad spent a lot of time fishing out of that pond and working on his ranchito. That Trio Grandma house was always full!
I noticed that you have a garden next to the new martin house location so I resume that people will be spending time around that area.
By the way, in Texas everyone wants to say they have a "ranch" no matter how small it is. My father speaks Spanish and qualifies his property as a ranchito (little ranch). Funny!
Your new location looks just like my father's former martin colony in Texas, except the Trio Grandma was tiny compared to your grand Trendsetter. The only difference between your setup and his was a half acre pond was located close to his martin house. Not that you need a pond but it helped his remote location.
His 7 acre ranchito was 1/4 mile from his house. The martin house location broke all the rules about being close to a human habitat but my Dad spent a lot of time fishing out of that pond and working on his ranchito. That Trio Grandma house was always full!
I noticed that you have a garden next to the new martin house location so I resume that people will be spending time around that area.
By the way, in Texas everyone wants to say they have a "ranch" no matter how small it is. My father speaks Spanish and qualifies his property as a ranchito (little ranch). Funny!
Mark.
Firm believer in HOSP/EUST Control, Enlarged Compartments, SREHs, Pole Predator Guards, Owl/Hawk Guards, Mite/Parasite Control, Housing Insulation, and Vents for Compartment Cooling.
PMCA Member.
Firm believer in HOSP/EUST Control, Enlarged Compartments, SREHs, Pole Predator Guards, Owl/Hawk Guards, Mite/Parasite Control, Housing Insulation, and Vents for Compartment Cooling.
PMCA Member.
-
Martinfarmer
- Posts: 153
- Joined: Sun May 07, 2017 6:33 pm
- Location: Guthrie KY 42234
- Martin Colony History: 2015 put up a S-k house, visitors but no takers
2016 homemade Martin condo (40 nesting boxes) several visitors no takers
2017 changed crescent openings to Troyer Conley 2 openings and installed 4 super gourds with Conley2 adapters and 12 vertical Troyers.
Several nests and eggs. Hopefully will exceed one hundred eggs this year.
6-21-17 nest inspection 68 chicks and 26 eggs
6-30-17 inspection 90 chicks and a new nest with 4 eggs.
8-30-17 successfully fledged over 85 martins.
No offense taken Mark. I will be glad to correct the "Conley 2" misspellings.4th Gen Martin Fan wrote:Martinfarmer,
I do not mean any disrespect by correcting your reference to Conley 2 entrances. Especially since I am going to ask you to edit and correct each reference to Conley 2. In the future, I plan on linking this topic. Your martin house has interesting features which I plan to reference in the future and having the Conley 2 identified correctly in your post will save a lot of future viewers. Also if your house design is proprietary, then tell me now so I will not cause a problem.
Also, there is some great discussion about encouraging new landlords that I will be linking in the future.
I came up with my configuration idea after reading forum posts about male porch dominance. So far, it seems to be working. The martins using the gourds don't pay much attention to the box nests. The gourds are all occupied except two and one of those is complete with green leaves.
There are eight box nests occupied with eggs and chicks. One section has birds nesting in the top two and bottom two cavities. They seem to be oblivious to the fact that they are nesting side by side.
I have no problem with someone using this design if they want to build one for themselves.
Hopefully next season, I will find out just how well this setup works. I ran out of newcomer martins before it got crowded this year.
Thanks, Mike
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LonesomeDuck
- Posts: 59
- Joined: Tue Nov 10, 2015 5:04 pm
- Location: Arcadia, IN
- Martin Colony History: 2016- Some visitors on my Trendsetter 12, no nesting pairs yet.
2017- More visitors, still no nesting pairs yet.
2018- Added Troyer Horizontal gourds and moved house to more open location. One nesting pair of subadults! 2 eggs, 1 egg hatched.
2019- added Gemini gourd rack. 2 pairs, 10 eggs, 10 hatched.
Hi Handyman,
What was the exact distance you placed your tree swallow nestbox from your martin house? I do have 5 or 6 pair of tree swallows on the north side of my property, and 1 pair of bluebirds. I did notice the tree swallows chasing away purple martins sometimes this year. Next year I think i'm going to relocate all the tree swallow nestboxes to the extreme west edge of my property. That would place them 400-500 feet from my martin house. The bluebird nestbox is ~320 feet from the martin house.
Thanks,
Lee
What was the exact distance you placed your tree swallow nestbox from your martin house? I do have 5 or 6 pair of tree swallows on the north side of my property, and 1 pair of bluebirds. I did notice the tree swallows chasing away purple martins sometimes this year. Next year I think i'm going to relocate all the tree swallow nestboxes to the extreme west edge of my property. That would place them 400-500 feet from my martin house. The bluebird nestbox is ~320 feet from the martin house.
Thanks,
Lee
-
LonesomeDuck
- Posts: 59
- Joined: Tue Nov 10, 2015 5:04 pm
- Location: Arcadia, IN
- Martin Colony History: 2016- Some visitors on my Trendsetter 12, no nesting pairs yet.
2017- More visitors, still no nesting pairs yet.
2018- Added Troyer Horizontal gourds and moved house to more open location. One nesting pair of subadults! 2 eggs, 1 egg hatched.
2019- added Gemini gourd rack. 2 pairs, 10 eggs, 10 hatched.
Hi 4th Gen,
Yes the new spot for the martin house is near my garden where I spent quite a bit of time. Much more time spent there than in my front yard actually! I have noticed that I have one subadult in particular who likes to follow me around wherever I am on the property. I am hopeful this martin could the "anchor" for the colony someday like Handyman described one of his ended up becoming.
Thanks,
Lee
Yes the new spot for the martin house is near my garden where I spent quite a bit of time. Much more time spent there than in my front yard actually! I have noticed that I have one subadult in particular who likes to follow me around wherever I am on the property. I am hopeful this martin could the "anchor" for the colony someday like Handyman described one of his ended up becoming.
Thanks,
Lee
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LonesomeDuck
- Posts: 59
- Joined: Tue Nov 10, 2015 5:04 pm
- Location: Arcadia, IN
- Martin Colony History: 2016- Some visitors on my Trendsetter 12, no nesting pairs yet.
2017- More visitors, still no nesting pairs yet.
2018- Added Troyer Horizontal gourds and moved house to more open location. One nesting pair of subadults! 2 eggs, 1 egg hatched.
2019- added Gemini gourd rack. 2 pairs, 10 eggs, 10 hatched.
Hi Rodger,
The small white tombstones you mentioned are tree tubes for a walnut plantation I have planted on the north side of the creek of my property. Going treeless on my place is not an option (I like trees, and the windbreaks we've planted should help with the brutal winter wind here), but my property is big enough that I have found an open spot that I think will work. I had three martins circling around my new site this past weekend. I am ordering 4 horizontal Troyer gourds to replace the four natural gourds I have hanging from the Trendsetter right now.
Thanks,
Lee
The small white tombstones you mentioned are tree tubes for a walnut plantation I have planted on the north side of the creek of my property. Going treeless on my place is not an option (I like trees, and the windbreaks we've planted should help with the brutal winter wind here), but my property is big enough that I have found an open spot that I think will work. I had three martins circling around my new site this past weekend. I am ordering 4 horizontal Troyer gourds to replace the four natural gourds I have hanging from the Trendsetter right now.
Thanks,
Lee
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handyman315
- Posts: 300
- Joined: Thu May 12, 2016 11:03 am
- Location: SW Ohio
- Martin Colony History: Colony established May 20, 2017 after three unsuccessful years. Persistent and aggressive Tree Swallows plagued the site, but beyond learning - and practicing - to control them, was the return in 2017 of a 2016-SY-M previously unable to find a mate. As a handsome ASY-M, he brought along two females and a swagger that soon put the Tree Swallow issue to rest. As the anchor pair, he and his mate hatched all six of their eggs into fat and healthy babies into what settled in to be a three-pair, flourishing new colony with up to 11 birds total, including 3 SY-M trouble makers.
Lee,LonesomeDuck wrote:Hi Handyman,
What was the exact distance you placed your tree swallow nestbox from your martin house? I do have 5 or 6 pair of tree swallows on the north side of my property, and 1 pair of bluebirds. I did notice the tree swallows chasing away purple martins sometimes this year. Next year I think i'm going to relocate all the tree swallow nestboxes to the extreme west edge of my property. That would place them 400-500 feet from my martin house. The bluebird nestbox is ~320 feet from the martin house.
Thanks,
Lee
Yes, the natural tendency is "to go long", and that's exactly what I did the first couple years. It did NOT work. Sure, it pulled the TRES away - they flew along beside me while I carried "their" gourd from the gourd rack to the shepherd's hook over 100' away, and they moved right in.
BTW, while I removed their gourd from the rack, they sat on the OTHER SIDE of the rack! They are fearless.
But I stress, this does not usually work because it pulls the TRES pair so far away that ANOTHER pair will either claim another gourd, or as in my case, started chasing the PMs all over again.
Think "subservient" . . . for a start-up PM colony, you gotta make the TRES think they are "under" the PMs . . . in my case, EXACTLY 28' from the gourd rack. Close, actually.
This document has become the "bible" for TRES and BB problems:
https://www.purplemartin.org/uploads/me ... cy-377.pdf
The pros say that after the first year the TRES will not as easily intimidate the PMs, e.g., the SYs are pretty easily run off. Saw a perfect demonstration of this when "Spot", now "Jet Black" rolled back into town . . . clearly there was a new sheriff! He almost immediately started taking names and kicking TRES butts.
BTW, my anchor bird is just that, he runs this colony. Just this morning three SY-Ms flew in like young punks on motorcycles . . . I can't decide whether they've claimed this site, are from another site, or they just ramble around looking to hit on females. Anyway, JB flew up within 3 or 4 minutes, took his usual perch near them, chattered a short message, and they found reasons to do a lot of flying, high flying, distant flying . . . I think JB was smiling.
Don't overlook those HOSP; they can also be a real problem, worse even for a start-up colony.
Good luck with your efforts, the rewards are so obvious to bird lovers.
2023-42 Nests, 197 Eggs/Babies
2022-48 Nests Fledged 203
2021-43 Nests Fledged 185
2020-31 Nests Fledged 133, three early deaths due to cold & rain
2019-19 Nests Fledged 84
2018-11 Nests Fledged 48, ASY-M Arrived April 6, Despite Snow & Cold, Joined Soon by Mate & Two Adult Pairs
2017-3 Nests Fledged 13, FIRST-YEAR LANDLORD! Resident SY-M from 2016 Returned (as ASY-M) on May 20. At Least 11 Adult Residents
2016 Late-Arriving SYs, Resident Lone SY-M
2015-14 Many Visits
2022-48 Nests Fledged 203
2021-43 Nests Fledged 185
2020-31 Nests Fledged 133, three early deaths due to cold & rain
2019-19 Nests Fledged 84
2018-11 Nests Fledged 48, ASY-M Arrived April 6, Despite Snow & Cold, Joined Soon by Mate & Two Adult Pairs
2017-3 Nests Fledged 13, FIRST-YEAR LANDLORD! Resident SY-M from 2016 Returned (as ASY-M) on May 20. At Least 11 Adult Residents
2016 Late-Arriving SYs, Resident Lone SY-M
2015-14 Many Visits
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LonesomeDuck
- Posts: 59
- Joined: Tue Nov 10, 2015 5:04 pm
- Location: Arcadia, IN
- Martin Colony History: 2016- Some visitors on my Trendsetter 12, no nesting pairs yet.
2017- More visitors, still no nesting pairs yet.
2018- Added Troyer Horizontal gourds and moved house to more open location. One nesting pair of subadults! 2 eggs, 1 egg hatched.
2019- added Gemini gourd rack. 2 pairs, 10 eggs, 10 hatched.
On the sparrow and starling front, we do a pretty good job trapping and shooting. On average we've been killing 3 or 4 per week since we moved in 2 years ago.
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Rodger Drye
- Posts: 671
- Joined: Sun Mar 23, 2014 10:07 am
- Location: NC/Mt. Pleasant
- Martin Colony History: Have been hosting and providing a sanactuary for Purple Martins for 30 years.
Hey Lee,
Thought perhaps all the white tree guards would be intimidating or even spook your Martin's. IDK, These bird's can be finicky especially about a New Site. Maybe your new site option would be better.
Good Luck with starting your Colony.
Rodger
Thought perhaps all the white tree guards would be intimidating or even spook your Martin's. IDK, These bird's can be finicky especially about a New Site. Maybe your new site option would be better.
Good Luck with starting your Colony.
Rodger
PMCA Member
Have been Hosting and Protecting Martin's for 30 years.
Have been Hosting and Protecting Martin's for 30 years.