Not The Sharpest Tool In The Shed

[Guest]

We are first year landlords and have an adult male martin and sub-adult female that have taken up residence. Our house is a Coates Waters Edge with the split compartments, this is where my question comes in. The female has begun to lay her eggs in the entrance compartment and not the nesting compartment; what should I do? The nesting compartment is designed to give the eggs and young more security from predators, but is it safe to move her eggs? I don't want to take a chance on her not finding them. What to do, what to do?

[Guest]

Very interesting. You will probably here very good rationales for both courses of action. If you move the eggs, she may freak and leave, if you don't they may get eaten by a predator...
If it were me...I guess I would wait until they hatch, then move them to the back compartment.
But like I said, I am sure you will hear compelling reasoning either way.

[Guest]

That's kinda what I was thinking. She will hear them and is more likely to find them in the other side if they are moving around.

[Guest]

Jay and Lara
Which side did she build her nest in. Double check that it is a Martinegg.
Wow I will be watching to see what happens.
Your Neighbors,
Ron n Liz

[Guest]

It is definitely a martin egg, now there are three of them. She laid them in, what I guess would be, the living room of their apartment as opposed to the bedroom. Everything seems fine. Mom and Dad spend a lot of time at the house and she has been sitting on them most of the day. We took some photos. Thanks for the encouragement, good neighbor!

[Guest]

Hey JayandLara,

I have the same Coats house. Last year I had 1 pr. lay their eggs in the entrance comp. as you have described and that is where they built their nest. My first thought was to move them but I decided not. I figured if they had the instinct to build the nest, set the eggs and raise and fledge that I would not second guess what nature was doing. I left them where they were and they were of the few who fledged after a snake attack. I would say leave them alone. Others may feel different and might give better advice. Lots of good landlords here.


May God bless America again,

[Guest]

Thanks Harley. That's sound advice.

[Guest]

I've been considering this house as an addition to my colony in the future. This is a pretty interesting situation.

Maybe another way to do this is to move the nest & eggs back a little bit at a time. I don't know how concerned you are about predation, so that would determine how urgently you feel the need to do something.

Best of luck, and keep us posted...

- Steve

[Guest]

Steve, I'm not THAT worried about predation at the moment, but it is a concern. As far as adding one of these houses to your colony, I'm not sure I would recommend it. The assembly directions are terrible, and the only way to do nest checks is to remove each section of the pole and bring the house down manually. This is an extremely unstable way to lower the house and takes two people to be done safely. We are in the process of adding another house (a pole through house design with a winch on the pole) in order to take this house out of service in a couple of years.
Jay

[TrkrBob1949]

I wouldn't move the eggs. If I remember correctly, in that particular Coate's house the martin enters the first compartment, turns right/left and crawls thru another hole into the "nesting compartment." If you move the eggs into the nesting compartment, the martin may suspect predation and abandon, not thinking to search the nesting compartment. Even if the female checks the nesting compartment and discovers her eggs, she may think something is awry and abandon then, too. A purple martin has a small brain and its light isn't the brightest one in the avian hallway, so I wouldn't take a chance and move the eggs. I'd just hold my breath that a predator didn't get her or the babies until they fledge.

All of my aluminum housing has been modified with larger compartments, which I am a firm believer in. The rooms in my Trio castles are modified in a configuration similar to the Coate's and every once in a blue moon the female will build her nest in the first compartment, too. I've even had them build their nests close to the hole in my T-14s with their 12" deep compartments. Nesting in this manner nullified any protection from predators offered by the extra deep compartments. But they are females and they are prone to do things that are illogical and defy imagination, a trait shared by all the female species represented in the animal kingdom. Why can't they be as smart as the males?


Gitting while the gittin' is good, Bob Bozeman

[Guest]

OOOOOH Bob!!

You ah uh brave man grasshopper!

Better hope some of these Ladies don't have GPS in their cars. OH NO, I'm not insinuating yall, I didn't mean you have to have a GPS to find, I mean I didn't mean.......

See Bob, now you got me in trouble toooo!!!!

[TrkrBob1949]

Aw, women are good sports. They finish high school and college in greater percentages than males so they know who's the smartest of the bunch. They aren't going to be offended by some silly insinuation, are you, ladies?

[KathyF]

Bob, I'm originally from the DeRidder / Leesville area - born & raised, so I'm sure you'll understand when I say; when I whoop your butt, you'll learn to show a bit more respect for the feminine gender, ya hear, boy!?! Don't make me come down there!

It's ok - we were *trained* to drive men crazy - it's in our instruction manual that only women can read.

[Guest]

Jay:

I had no intention of using a telescoping pole. I have already figured out how I'd pole mount it in a better way if I were to get one of these. It's a fault of mine; I always figure first.

Anyone else out there with a Watersedge house? What's your experience? How often do PMs net in the entrance compartment?

- Steve

[Guest]

See Bob,

You got Kathy mad and she's ready to "throw down". I'm sorry Kathy, it was all Bobs fault. I told him to play nice!!!


Who can we laugh at if we can't laugh at ourselves? (No Bob not again!!!)

[Guest]

Hey JayandLara,

Back to the serious side. I guess I'll have to practice what I preached. Did a nest check this evening (wind blew extremely high here again today). In my #3 apartment of my Coates Waters Edge I noticed that she had built nest in both sides. In the entry compartment I noticed a pile of green leaves. I stirred through them and there they were. 3 eggs!! So I guess we'll see how they do together.

[Guest]

I guess if I had a house like this and the martins were somewhat prone to plop their nest in the entry compartment, I'd consider adding an offset entrance inside to protect them. This would likely have to be done in the off season, not midstream. Since I'm not familiar with the watersedge house, I don't know if there's room. Comments?

- Steve

[Guest]

Good luck Harley. Keep us posted. Ours laid a total of four eggs. I'm gonna have to add an owl guard to our house before the babies hatch so I can sleep at night.
Jay