Minnesota Roosts forming
-
Kelly Applegate~MN
- Posts: 291
- Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2003 12:54 pm
- Location: Princeton, Minnesota
Our roosts here in Minnesota are starting to form. The Minnesota Purple Martin Working Group is conducting a transmitter study to track 24 martins from their colony nesting sites to their roosts. We hope to get information on how long our outfitted birds use the roost, the frequency they use it, and the geographical distribution the birds are coming from. We plan on collecting data from each roost 2-3 times per week from now until the roosts disappear. We have made great connections with the Big Swan Lake Association and the residents are very proud of their martin roost and are offering pontoon service for the study. If anyone is interested in coming with to view the roost, let me know.
-
Dick Sherry
- Posts: 774
- Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2003 5:30 pm
- Location: Tulsa, OK
Kelly, how long will those transmitters work? I would be curious to know what would be needed to pick up the frequency, if those birds were to migrate through the Tulsa roost in a few weeks.
-
LarryL-MN
- Posts: 52
- Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2004 2:08 pm
- Location: Minnesota/Brainerd
- Martin Colony History: Built first house in 1972 and have had Martins ever since. Became an active landlord in 2002 after finding the PMCA web site.
Hi Dick,
Glad to hear your roost is doing well again this year. I believe the transmitters have a battery life of 120 days. The Working Group has a programable scanner to receive the pings at each of the 24 frequencies. The frequency range is 148.000-151.000. If you could find a scanner Kelly could post the exact frequencies. They have a range of approximately 3 miles. I'm sure Kelly will add more infomation. It would be great to know if the Minnesota Martins stop and spend a little time in the Tulsa area.
Glad to hear your roost is doing well again this year. I believe the transmitters have a battery life of 120 days. The Working Group has a programable scanner to receive the pings at each of the 24 frequencies. The frequency range is 148.000-151.000. If you could find a scanner Kelly could post the exact frequencies. They have a range of approximately 3 miles. I'm sure Kelly will add more infomation. It would be great to know if the Minnesota Martins stop and spend a little time in the Tulsa area.
-
Kelly Applegate~MN
- Posts: 291
- Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2003 12:54 pm
- Location: Princeton, Minnesota
Hi Dick-
Anyone is welcome to try and pick up the frequencies at the southern roosts. We are using a receiver with a hand-held YAGI antenna which I have programmed the frequencies in to. I'll list them below and where they were outfitted with transmitters.
148.810, 148.931, 148.780: Orlin Schneewind in Young America, MN
148.960, 148.721, 148.991: Frank Meister in Corcoran, MN
148.691, 148.611, 148.661: Larry Leonard in Brainerd, MN
148.750, 148.841, 148.902: Ron Seekamp in Fridley, MN
148.632, 148.872, 150.032: Dick Doll in Willmar, MN
150.062, 150.302, 150.183: Ed & Carol Kacures in Rice, MN
150.242, 150.211, 150.152, 150.092, 150.122, 150.272: Kelly Applegate in Onamia, MN
Good luck, and definitely let me know if you pick them up.
Kelly
Anyone is welcome to try and pick up the frequencies at the southern roosts. We are using a receiver with a hand-held YAGI antenna which I have programmed the frequencies in to. I'll list them below and where they were outfitted with transmitters.
148.810, 148.931, 148.780: Orlin Schneewind in Young America, MN
148.960, 148.721, 148.991: Frank Meister in Corcoran, MN
148.691, 148.611, 148.661: Larry Leonard in Brainerd, MN
148.750, 148.841, 148.902: Ron Seekamp in Fridley, MN
148.632, 148.872, 150.032: Dick Doll in Willmar, MN
150.062, 150.302, 150.183: Ed & Carol Kacures in Rice, MN
150.242, 150.211, 150.152, 150.092, 150.122, 150.272: Kelly Applegate in Onamia, MN
Good luck, and definitely let me know if you pick them up.
Kelly
-
Kelly Applegate~MN
- Posts: 291
- Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2003 12:54 pm
- Location: Princeton, Minnesota
The Big Swan Roost is looking great already. There were several thousand martins putting on an impressive display. We were able to get within 50' of the main reed bed, so the frequency readings were clear. So far we have picked up two transmittered birds at Big Swan:
150.092 a sub-adult female outfitted at Eddy's Resort on Lake Mille Lacs on 7-24-09
150.242 an ASY male outfitted at Eddy's Resort on Lake Mille Lacs 7-24-09
That means the two birds from Mille Lacs are roosting roughly 60 miles from their nesting site.
The Willmar roost may hold some of the others. I will try to get there at some point this weekend.
150.092 a sub-adult female outfitted at Eddy's Resort on Lake Mille Lacs on 7-24-09
150.242 an ASY male outfitted at Eddy's Resort on Lake Mille Lacs 7-24-09
That means the two birds from Mille Lacs are roosting roughly 60 miles from their nesting site.
The Willmar roost may hold some of the others. I will try to get there at some point this weekend.
-
Dick Sherry
- Posts: 774
- Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2003 5:30 pm
- Location: Tulsa, OK
Larry and Kelly, thank you for this information. Any idea where I might be able to get a scanner that would pick up these frequencies? It would be interesting to see if any of your birds come this way.
-
LarryL-MN
- Posts: 52
- Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2004 2:08 pm
- Location: Minnesota/Brainerd
- Martin Colony History: Built first house in 1972 and have had Martins ever since. Became an active landlord in 2002 after finding the PMCA web site.
The receiver was purchased from Advanced Telemetry Systems in Isanti, MN.
This is the web site. http://www.atstrack.com/ The model we are using is the ATS R410 Scanning Receiver and a Yagi antenna. I have no idea what the cost was.
This is the web site. http://www.atstrack.com/ The model we are using is the ATS R410 Scanning Receiver and a Yagi antenna. I have no idea what the cost was.
-
Dick Sherry
- Posts: 774
- Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2003 5:30 pm
- Location: Tulsa, OK
Larry, thanks for the information. I will do some checking.