Last year I had about 7 breeding pairs. I'm in central FL. Right now, I've got one bird back. What the heck ?!! Did they all die in South America ?
Last year at this time, I remember a lot more were already here. Puzzled.
What happened over the winter ?
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Pat Kramer
- Posts: 132
- Joined: Fri Oct 31, 2003 10:48 am
- Location: Ontario/Toronto
It is not unusual for martins to be later than expected. All of the martins from a given colony do not travel as a group and this explains why a whole colony will not be devastated by weather events such as a hurricane or a tornado that hits a roost city in Brazil. Your colony is a collection of birds that winter throughout the Purple Martin's winter range and have varying migratory timings.
The northward migrations of Purple Martins are heavily dependent on the weather. Generally only the oldest birds arrive early, with younger birds following later. Patience may be a hard thing to request of you; I know how anxious I tend to get waiting for our birds in Pennsylvania (mid-April).
If in May, you still do not have the numbers of martins you expect, consider the possibility of site abandonment. Martins abandon colony sites for many reasons, nest failures and predation being the main two. These are much more plausible than something killing them all in South America as martins are dispersed as mentioned above. It would have to be wide-ranging die-off and we have not received any reports or lack of scout reports to indicate such a scenario has occurred.
Hang in there and let us know what happens in the coming weeks.
The northward migrations of Purple Martins are heavily dependent on the weather. Generally only the oldest birds arrive early, with younger birds following later. Patience may be a hard thing to request of you; I know how anxious I tend to get waiting for our birds in Pennsylvania (mid-April).
If in May, you still do not have the numbers of martins you expect, consider the possibility of site abandonment. Martins abandon colony sites for many reasons, nest failures and predation being the main two. These are much more plausible than something killing them all in South America as martins are dispersed as mentioned above. It would have to be wide-ranging die-off and we have not received any reports or lack of scout reports to indicate such a scenario has occurred.
Hang in there and let us know what happens in the coming weeks.
Patrick M. Kramer
York University
Formerly Research Assistant for PMCA - Please consider becoming a member of the PMCA.
York University
Formerly Research Assistant for PMCA - Please consider becoming a member of the PMCA.