Is July too late for egg laying in Ohio?

Guest · Fri Jun 27, 2008 10:01 am

Hello All,

I was just curious if anyone would know if July was too late for egg laying in Northwest Ohio. It was a very cold and wet beginning of the season and just thought maybe I might get a late nest? I have some extra Martins that haven't layed any eggs.

Tom

Sparky · Fri Jun 27, 2008 10:46 am

Tom,
This is quite the strange year. I would say, no you are not too late and it can happen any day now. I just had 4 eggs hatch this week in another gourd rack and this is really late for my area.

Perry D. Vogel · Sat Jun 28, 2008 8:01 pm

BarnesAcres wrote:I have some extra Martins that haven't layed any eggs.

With the exception of renest attempts, this year is the latest those purple martins have still been laying eggs in seven years.

Martin man RI · Sat Jun 28, 2008 8:18 pm

Hi Tom
I have just gotten new eggs and have two other complete nest ready
for eggs. These young birds must have been looking for weeks for a home
and landed with my colony. I may have birds here till labor day at this rate.
and have many with young also. Ray

Guest · Sat Jun 28, 2008 8:24 pm

Tom,just this week we had eggs in two new colony sites

in allen and auglaize cos. Nile

duck · Sat Jun 28, 2008 9:17 pm

a couple of years ago, I found a nest of 5 new eggs in the middle of July as we were banding all of the other chicks...It was nice having martins around for an extra month..they fledged the end of August and left the area quickly, unlike the others who stay around for a week or two!!

Guest · Sun Jun 29, 2008 6:27 am

Thanks for the encouraging news! I have a small colony right now, with 3 pair and a total of 14 chicks that hatched in the last week. I'm hoping that the new birds will lay some eggs for me this year.

Tom

EngineerBill · Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:15 pm

I have had martins lay eggs in the second week of July, the pair and 5 fledglings were here into mid September before they departed, though it is rare.
Bill

Guest · Mon Jun 30, 2008 9:08 pm

Wow!! That does seem late. I'll keep my fingers crossed Bill.

How many pair do you have this year Bill? 43 years being a PM landlord is awesome!

Tom

EngineerBill · Wed Jul 02, 2008 8:33 pm

Tom
It started out as a Boy Scout merit badge project, as I recall it was supposed to be a blue bird house, but I built a 16 room purple martin house instead. That was 43 years ago, that I put up the house at my parents home, and I maintained it for 25 years at that location, plus maintaining PM housing at my home. Wow how time passes. Thats the story. I have 30 units with a few vacancies, plus 7 barney nest in my horse barn.
Bill