THEY'RE HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WE GOT OUR FIRST SCOUT FOR THE YEAR THIS AFTERNOON JUST BEFORE DARK.ONLY ONE YEAR BEFORE HAVE WE GOTTEN MARTINS THIS EARLY.. WHAT A SURPRISE.....HE SHOWED ME HE WAS HERE AND WENT TO BED FOR THE NIGHT. I HOPE HE GETS SOME FRIENDS SHOW UP SOON TO HELP KEEP HIM WARM SINCE IT'S SUPPOSE TO GET COLD HERE AT NIGHT.
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dsonyay
- Posts: 1677
- Joined: Fri Jul 02, 2010 3:10 pm
- Location: Louisiana/Broussard
- Martin Colony History: 2010-2014 located in Slidell LA. Gourd rack with 16 gourds. Max of 2 pairs during this short period in Slidell. Plenty of fledglings.
2014-present.. moved to Broussard LA. Same Gourd Rack but added a 6 room house (modified from a 12 room)
2020: after a long drought of nothing, 4 pairs and 4 nests, 23 eggs total.
6 fledges.
2021: 9 pair, 47 eggs
36 hatchlings
30 fledged
2022: about 12 pairs.. many eggs, all fledged.. only had one hatchling die.. probably because of our schnauzer. :(
2023: 16 pairs. So far about 60 chicks with about a dozen eggs to go.
2024: 13 pair. About 60 eggs
2025: 14 pairs .. 69 eggs.
congrats! Are you far from Pearland?
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M.Stephens
- Posts: 1130
- Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2009 3:14 pm
- Location: Texas/Texarkana
Congrats ccarlin! I sure hope the weather cooperates with all these early arrivals in Texas and elsewhere.
Malcolm
2015 (110 nesting pair)
2014 (92 nesting pair)
2013 (75 nesting pair)
2012 (35 nesting pair)
2011 (20 pair)
____________
PMCA Member
2015 (110 nesting pair)
2014 (92 nesting pair)
2013 (75 nesting pair)
2012 (35 nesting pair)
2011 (20 pair)
____________
PMCA Member
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Dave Reynolds
- Posts: 2441
- Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2011 4:35 pm
- Location: Little Hocking, Oh.
- Martin Colony History: Satellite Site “Oxbow Golf Course”..
2018 - 15 Pair, 36 Fledged
2019 - 26 Pair, 97 Fledged
2020 - 30 Pair, 137 Fledged
2021 - 30 Pair, 144 Fledged
2022 - 27 Pair, 125 Fledged
2023 - 31 Pair, 130 Fledged
2024 - 41 Pair, 198 Fledged
2025 - 44 Pair, 168 Fledged
Home Site "Little Hocking, Ohio".
2019 - 1 Pair, 5 Fledged
2020 - 1 Pair, 4 Fledged
2021 - 8 Pair, 36 Fledged
2022 - 13 Pair, 46 Fledged
2023 - 16 Pair, 84 Fledged
2024 - 22 Pair, 104 Fledged
2025 - 28 Pair, 83 Fledged
ccarlin --
Congrats on your new arrival, hope he bring lots of friends tomorrow.
Try to keep them down there for a few more weeks, we have a cold snap coming this weekend. I m ready but I don't think Ohio is ready yet.
Good luck and have a great year.
Dave -- in Little Hocking, Ohio
Congrats on your new arrival, hope he bring lots of friends tomorrow.
Try to keep them down there for a few more weeks, we have a cold snap coming this weekend. I m ready but I don't think Ohio is ready yet.
Good luck and have a great year.
Dave -- in Little Hocking, Ohio
PMCA Member
Little Hocking, Ohio
Little Hocking, Ohio
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Fredmyyster
- Posts: 280
- Joined: Mon Mar 24, 2008 12:30 pm
- Location: Tennessee/ Nashville
Kudos !
Empty POOLS are a Delight ! !
Mine are here too, but BB's seem to want to commandeer the whole house and area around my home. I hate to say this but I may have to take out the male BB to give my Martins a chance to settle in. I have BB homes below but I guess they are not good enough for'em.dsonyay wrote:congrats! Are you far from Pearland?
Mine are here too, but BB's seem to want to commandeer the whole house and area around my home. I hate to say this but I may have to take out the male BB to give my Martins a chance to settle in. I have BB homes below but I guess they are not good enough for'em. Where is that resident hawk at when you need himRoymg wrote:dsonyay wrote:congrats! Are you far from Pearland?
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Emil Pampell-Tx
- Posts: 6743
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 1:26 pm
- Location: Tx, Richmond (SW of Houston)
- Martin Colony History: First started in Gretna, La in 1969 with a small homemade house, have had martins ever since at 2 different homes in Texas
Congrats, CCarlin
Roymg, I hate to see "take out the male bluebird". Why not force the bluebirds to use the bluebird house nearby, and take the necessary steps that will cause the BB to move to the BB house?
Roymg, I hate to see "take out the male bluebird". Why not force the bluebirds to use the bluebird house nearby, and take the necessary steps that will cause the BB to move to the BB house?
PMCA Member, 250 gourds, 6 poles, 2traps
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Louise Chambers
- Site Admin
- Posts: 6208
- Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2003 1:07 pm
- Location: Corpus Christi, TX
Roy,
Bluebirds are very scarce where I live, and I would give my eyeteeth to have some. Your thinking is skewed - killing the male bluebird is 1) totally unnecessary and won't fix anything; and 2) illegal - bluebirds are protected by the same law that protects your martins, hawks, etc. You had bluebirds and martins both nesting last year? Why would that not happen this year too?
First of all, you have an established martin colony. The returning birds will not be run off by the bluebirds, they will stick it out and all the birds, martins and bluebirds, will settle down and nest. The bluebirds may be fussy now since they are getting ready to lay eggs - but once they do, they will focus on their nest. You may have an extra male bluebird around, but the martins will not be run off, even if you see them squabbling now. If you shoot the male bluebird - the female may stay and attract a new mate. Or a new pair may take that box.
How far from your martin housing is the active bluebird box? A distance of 25-35 feet away is a good spacing to try for that box. Additional bluebird boxes should be placed further from first box/martin housing location. Bluebirds won't typically allow another pair of bluebirds to nest too close - but they will and do nest in close proximity to all other native cavity nesters. I bet most of the people on this forum that have martins also have bluebirds, or tree swallows, or both. It's only when a site has not attracted martins yet, that bluebirds/tree swallows can be challenging to get situated, but not with an active martin site.
Bluebirds are very scarce where I live, and I would give my eyeteeth to have some. Your thinking is skewed - killing the male bluebird is 1) totally unnecessary and won't fix anything; and 2) illegal - bluebirds are protected by the same law that protects your martins, hawks, etc. You had bluebirds and martins both nesting last year? Why would that not happen this year too?
First of all, you have an established martin colony. The returning birds will not be run off by the bluebirds, they will stick it out and all the birds, martins and bluebirds, will settle down and nest. The bluebirds may be fussy now since they are getting ready to lay eggs - but once they do, they will focus on their nest. You may have an extra male bluebird around, but the martins will not be run off, even if you see them squabbling now. If you shoot the male bluebird - the female may stay and attract a new mate. Or a new pair may take that box.
How far from your martin housing is the active bluebird box? A distance of 25-35 feet away is a good spacing to try for that box. Additional bluebird boxes should be placed further from first box/martin housing location. Bluebirds won't typically allow another pair of bluebirds to nest too close - but they will and do nest in close proximity to all other native cavity nesters. I bet most of the people on this forum that have martins also have bluebirds, or tree swallows, or both. It's only when a site has not attracted martins yet, that bluebirds/tree swallows can be challenging to get situated, but not with an active martin site.
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M.Stephens
- Posts: 1130
- Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2009 3:14 pm
- Location: Texas/Texarkana
I have blue birds and I love to hear their song . Please don't harm them ! They won't be a problem with your returning martins.
Malcolm
2015 (110 nesting pair)
2014 (92 nesting pair)
2013 (75 nesting pair)
2012 (35 nesting pair)
2011 (20 pair)
____________
PMCA Member
2015 (110 nesting pair)
2014 (92 nesting pair)
2013 (75 nesting pair)
2012 (35 nesting pair)
2011 (20 pair)
____________
PMCA Member
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Jeff Robinson
- Posts: 908
- Joined: Mon May 04, 2009 3:32 pm
- Location: Rogersville, Missouri
- Martin Colony History: 2008 - Current
72 Cavities - 70 Pairs in 2021
PM Mentor
Congrats ccarlin,Roymg wrote:Roymg wrote:Mine are here too, but BB's seem to want to commandeer the whole house and area around my home. I hate to say this but I may have to take out the male BB to give my Martins a chance to settle in. I have BB homes below but I guess they are not good enough for'em. Where is that resident hawk at when you need himdsonyay wrote:congrats! Are you far from Pearland?
Not sure of the measures you've taken for the Bluebird giving you problems, but lots of good advice already given in this thread. Ref below link, you'll find my experience and how I got a persistent nesting pair to move to a BB house, and have never given my martins problems since. Check out my second post in that thread. http://www.purplemartin.org/forum/viewt ... highlight=
Jeff
PMCA Member - Bedrock Colony
I have two BB homes 10 feet below my Martin home. I don't have a very large back yard. I've only had BB for one year in these two homes. Last year I had one pair, but they only laid the eggs and then left. I think my resident hawk caused that to happen as this hawk was attacking and killing my Martins too. I did have a lot of Martins last year and my only problems with outsiders was a pair of sparrows. Are they protected too?Louise Chambers wrote:Roy,
Bluebirds are very scarce where I live, and I would give my eyeteeth to have some. Your thinking is skewed - killing the male bluebird is 1) totally unnecessary and won't fix anything; and 2) illegal - bluebirds are protected by the same law that protects your martins, hawks, etc. You had bluebirds and martins both nesting last year? Why would that not happen this year too?
First of all, you have an established martin colony. The returning birds will not be run off by the bluebirds, they will stick it out and all the birds, martins and bluebirds, will settle down and nest. The bluebirds may be fussy now since they are getting ready to lay eggs - but once they do, they will focus on their nest. You may have an extra male bluebird around, but the martins will not be run off, even if you see them squabbling now. If you shoot the male bluebird - the female may stay and attract a new mate. Or a new pair may take that box.
How far from your martin housing is the active bluebird box? A distance of 25-35 feet away is a good spacing to try for that box. Additional bluebird boxes should be placed further from first box/martin housing location. Bluebirds won't typically allow another pair of bluebirds to nest too close - but they will and do nest in close proximity to all other native cavity nesters. I bet most of the people on this forum that have martins also have bluebirds, or tree swallows, or both. It's only when a site has not attracted martins yet, that bluebirds/tree swallows can be challenging to get situated, but not with an active martin site.
The only other bird I hate more are Starlings.
Okay, I"ll let this problem ride out, however I don't necessarily agree with what you say. Heck, I like BB's too but Martins even more. I've had 'em since 1979.
Thanks,
RG
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Carlton
- Posts: 1959
- Joined: Tue May 17, 2005 6:42 pm
- Location: Florida/Deerfield Beach
- Martin Colony History: I moved to South Florida, from Delaware, in August of 2015.
I care for a 6 condo Sunset House as well as two Deluxe Gourd Racks, with 24 Chirpynest/Excluder gourds, along a canal in Pompano Beach, Florida.
At Quiet Waters Park, nearby in Deerfield Beach, I care for a Deluxe Gourd Rack with 12 TVG's. I also care for a Deluxe Gourd rack with 12 Excluder gourds with Modified Excluder entrances. I am substituting 6 Chirpynest boxes for 6 of the Conley II entranced gourds in 2026.
At another local park, Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek, I care for a Trendsetter 12, 5 gourds rack with 60 Excluder gourds with Modified Excluder Entrances and 1 Deluxe Gourd Rack with 12 Troyer Vertical Gourds with Starling Stoppers over the Conley II's to keep out smaller starlings.
House Sparrows and starlings are NOT protected by law.
Of course the hawks ARE protected.
Of course the hawks ARE protected.
You have to be carefull for what you wish for. Me standing right under my Martin house watching the blue bird attack the Martins as they tried to enter the house, when from no where came my redsident hawk and junped on one of the Martins and they went to the ground. The blue birds took off and the Martin was able to escape. Just my luck that the hawk tried to take out the wrong bird. That shook eveybody up. I've removed my BB houses. Too much congestion.Jeff Robinson wrote:Roymg wrote:Congrats ccarlin,Roymg wrote: Mine are here too, but BB's seem to want to commandeer the whole house and area around my home. I hate to say this but I may have to take out the male BB to give my Martins a chance to settle in. I have BB homes below but I guess they are not good enough for'em. Where is that resident hawk at when you need him
Not sure of the measures you've taken for the Bluebird giving you problems, but lots of good advice already given in this thread. Ref below link, you'll find my experience and how I got a persistent nesting pair to move to a BB house, and have never given my martins problems since. Check out my second post in that thread. http://www.purplemartin.org/forum/viewt ... highlight=
Jeff
RG