Question for experienced Landlords

[frushaj]

This is only my 3ed year as a landlord.
The first year I had a pair 4 eggs. Only 6 compartments usable due to trees.
Moved and changed to a T14 - 3 pair with 15 eggs.
This year 4 pair 23 eggs all have fledged but 4 due to fledge in another week.
It has been over 2weeks since the last fledged and I see all these birds in the last two days that appear to be NEW arrivals. There were 10 this AM counting the parents of the 4 soon to fledge.
Some of these could be fledged birds but I did not think they say around more than 2 weeks after the fledge.
They are checking out the cavities like new birds. Some ASY males and ? ASY females and SY females.
Is it possible to have new birds this late in the south?
Will they begin nests this late in the south?
Thanks for the help. John

[Louise Chambers]

John,

It is possible for martins to nest (or renest) this late in the south, but probably this is about it. We found a new clutch of eggs on our nest check this weekend, although some nests have fledged and others will by mid June. We are pretty sure our new eggs are from an adult pair who lost their first clutch of eggs, maybe to SY males.

I would bet the birds you are seeing are visiting, they do some roaming and visit other colony sites after young fledge. But keep an eye on them, and let us know if they stay and nest. There are always exceptions, such as birds that lost their housing to a storm. I remember a landlord in FL who got her first nesting pair about June 23 - not the norm but it happened in her yard.

[Billy Stephens]

I had two ASY males show up yesterday and sat on my rack as if they had been here all along. maybe they need a new home too!