No nesters in northern Mn
On June 25th I had a lone ASY male checking out my setup, sticking his head in a few of the T 14 entrances.. He stayed around for 15 or 20 minutes and left. To sum it up here in N Mn, no nesters for this year and not a whole lot of lookers either. I had a successful nesting pair for 2011, 2012, and 2013. Im still playing the dawn song and am going to order the daytime chatter today. The nearest colony to me is about 4-5 miles away. Usually this colony has 8 to 10 pair... Last year he had 7 pair. I talked with him yesterday and his colony is struggling. Two weeks ago he had 5 nesting pair and now he has only 2 pair. The other 3 pair were building nests and then all of a sudden they were gone. He did have a lone ASY male check his setup out yesterday. The same one that has been here off an on, who knows..? This landlord does a really good job of protecting his martins from nest site competitors so i dont' think that 's the problem.. Is it just a shortage of martins in N Mn and the brutal weather combined..? All I can do is keep trying and give it another shot next year. I had a total of 8-10 martins checking things out. Im sure that a few did a flyby when i wasn't home .. Starting from scratch again..
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4th Gen Martin Fan
- Posts: 1498
- Joined: Thu Jul 04, 2013 1:19 pm
- Location: TN/Collierville
- Martin Colony History: I have been exposed to purple martin sounds in utero when my mother went out to get my father away from his martin colony.
I played around the martin colony every summer and watched as my father maintained his colony. In the late 50's until the 70's he did not notice European Starlings in south Texas.
When old enough, I helped maintain his colony. My primary task was eliminating English House Sparrows with a 1956 Benjamin 317 .177 air rifle.
When I settled into my own home, I started my first colony with an original Trio Castle and Trio Grandpa. When I moved again, I did not put up any martin houses. Frustration with European Starlings in the Southeast US was overwhelming.
Found PMCA Forum and learned about modern enlarged compartments and SREHs.
Inherited my father's last martin house, a Trio Grandma, modified it to modern specifications and have had good results since then.
Dave,
This time of the season as the southern climate landlords' season winds down, I am so excited to hear any news from the northern climate landlords such as yourself.
The Scout Arrival Study shows that your first sighting this year was on April 19.
I noticed that there are no reports from Grand Rapids, MN. I have to presume that is because most people who report are in the suburbs and outer communities of Grand Rapids.
I assume that your T14 does not require the vents which are used here.
I have completely read Bob Buskas' website and gotten a lot insight into northern climate landlording.
As I related in a post to Bob Buskas, in the southeast US we had an early spring which I believe was somewhat similar to northern MN's typical spring.
I am probably too curious about other landlord's circumstances. I always try to learn for the benefit of the martins.
Mark.
This time of the season as the southern climate landlords' season winds down, I am so excited to hear any news from the northern climate landlords such as yourself.
The Scout Arrival Study shows that your first sighting this year was on April 19.
I noticed that there are no reports from Grand Rapids, MN. I have to presume that is because most people who report are in the suburbs and outer communities of Grand Rapids.
I assume that your T14 does not require the vents which are used here.
I have completely read Bob Buskas' website and gotten a lot insight into northern climate landlording.
As I related in a post to Bob Buskas, in the southeast US we had an early spring which I believe was somewhat similar to northern MN's typical spring.
I am probably too curious about other landlord's circumstances. I always try to learn for the benefit of the martins.
Mark.
Mark.
Firm believer in HOSP/EUST Control, Enlarged Compartments, SREHs, Pole Predator Guards, Owl/Hawk Guards, Mite/Parasite Control, Housing Insulation, and Vents for Compartment Cooling.
PMCA Member.
Firm believer in HOSP/EUST Control, Enlarged Compartments, SREHs, Pole Predator Guards, Owl/Hawk Guards, Mite/Parasite Control, Housing Insulation, and Vents for Compartment Cooling.
PMCA Member.
Mark, the ASY male that showed up here on April 19th was here for almost a week...But the weather was brutal.... snow, wind,, cold and on an on. I was gone for the last weekend in April and when i got back home late Sunday afternoon all i had was starlings.. No sign of a dead martin, feathers in the nest boxes or anything like that.. Either they drove him off or the weather finally got to him. Grand Rapids is only about 16 miles from here and im sure that there are landlords that don't post anything or even know that the PMC even exists. My closet landlord that i mentioned earlier didn't know about it until I told him 4- 5 years ago and he's had martins for 30 plus years. The starling onslaught was pretty much my fault as I forgot to re-adjust my Ron Seekamps entrances when I put the houses back up this spring. Dave
Good season for me here in southwestern MN. Went from 6 pair last year to 13 pair this year. Have been networking with landlords in wortington, even gave out one of my sparrow traps. 
The sparrow battle is finally coming to an end, found myself focusing more on the sparrows than the martins. Thankful for the martins and love watching them.
Paul
The sparrow battle is finally coming to an end, found myself focusing more on the sparrows than the martins. Thankful for the martins and love watching them. Paul
pauly D
2011-2 pair
2012-2 pair
2013-6 pair
2014-13 pair
2011-2 pair
2012-2 pair
2013-6 pair
2014-13 pair
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4th Gen Martin Fan
- Posts: 1498
- Joined: Thu Jul 04, 2013 1:19 pm
- Location: TN/Collierville
- Martin Colony History: I have been exposed to purple martin sounds in utero when my mother went out to get my father away from his martin colony.
I played around the martin colony every summer and watched as my father maintained his colony. In the late 50's until the 70's he did not notice European Starlings in south Texas.
When old enough, I helped maintain his colony. My primary task was eliminating English House Sparrows with a 1956 Benjamin 317 .177 air rifle.
When I settled into my own home, I started my first colony with an original Trio Castle and Trio Grandpa. When I moved again, I did not put up any martin houses. Frustration with European Starlings in the Southeast US was overwhelming.
Found PMCA Forum and learned about modern enlarged compartments and SREHs.
Inherited my father's last martin house, a Trio Grandma, modified it to modern specifications and have had good results since then.
Dave,
I dealt with the cold weather that killed the majority of the eggs which were laid.
My sister dealt with the starlings that drove away an early ASY. The Lewis modification to her Conley II entrances solved the starling problems. The starlings are not a problem for her anymore. The martins were not even phased by the addition of Lewis mods.
I am clueless about the Ron Seekamps entrance.
Mark.
I dealt with the cold weather that killed the majority of the eggs which were laid.
My sister dealt with the starlings that drove away an early ASY. The Lewis modification to her Conley II entrances solved the starling problems. The starlings are not a problem for her anymore. The martins were not even phased by the addition of Lewis mods.
I am clueless about the Ron Seekamps entrance.
Mark.
Mark.
Firm believer in HOSP/EUST Control, Enlarged Compartments, SREHs, Pole Predator Guards, Owl/Hawk Guards, Mite/Parasite Control, Housing Insulation, and Vents for Compartment Cooling.
PMCA Member.
Firm believer in HOSP/EUST Control, Enlarged Compartments, SREHs, Pole Predator Guards, Owl/Hawk Guards, Mite/Parasite Control, Housing Insulation, and Vents for Compartment Cooling.
PMCA Member.
Mark,
Good to hear of your sister's success with my modification of the ConleyII entrance. Of course I am bias but I believe it to be the best sreh out there. If anyone is interested, just do a search for the " Lewis SREH" It is a simple fix for the Conley II that makes it more starling resistant and it is so easy for the martins to enter. I love the Troyer Horizontal Gourd with this modification and the martins do to. I have fledged over 100 with a few nest left to fledge. I have had very little hawk pressure and no owl predation that I can detect.
Wishing all success in attracting and keeping purple martins.
Lewis
Good to hear of your sister's success with my modification of the ConleyII entrance. Of course I am bias but I believe it to be the best sreh out there. If anyone is interested, just do a search for the " Lewis SREH" It is a simple fix for the Conley II that makes it more starling resistant and it is so easy for the martins to enter. I love the Troyer Horizontal Gourd with this modification and the martins do to. I have fledged over 100 with a few nest left to fledge. I have had very little hawk pressure and no owl predation that I can detect.
Wishing all success in attracting and keeping purple martins.
Lewis
Spring Garden Keeper
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John Miller
- Posts: 4867
- Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2004 9:11 pm
- Location: St. Louis, MO
Dave
I hope you can talk with some of the folks from the MN working group -- will try to find their link.
We had a recent poster from NW Michigan in the lower peninsula who had no martins return to an established colony. I suspect the very harsh continuing cold spells into April from the Great Lakes being frozen, but I'm really speculating and maybe blowing hot air/or cold. Have tried to research online what effects the lingering winter there might have had on birds but have not found much, except a lot of duck mortality as the ducks could not feed.
I hope you will keep trying next season.
John M<
I hope you can talk with some of the folks from the MN working group -- will try to find their link.
We had a recent poster from NW Michigan in the lower peninsula who had no martins return to an established colony. I suspect the very harsh continuing cold spells into April from the Great Lakes being frozen, but I'm really speculating and maybe blowing hot air/or cold. Have tried to research online what effects the lingering winter there might have had on birds but have not found much, except a lot of duck mortality as the ducks could not feed.
I hope you will keep trying next season.
John M<
Two things to think about, Dave:
First, do you use starling resistant holes on all your entrances? And, do you keep all your entrances closed until you are reasonably certain that martins are in your area? We have noticed that the starlings here in northern Illinois typically choose their nest sites before the martin scouts arrive; and only then do we open any entrances (starling-resistant, of course) for the martins. Of course, the sparrows are another story; but they do not pose quite the same problem as do the starlings.
The second thing is that our winter and spring lasted way too long in the states and provinces near the Great Lakes this year, and that affected the nesting and breeding of the martins. Can you remember the last time the Great Lakes were completely frozen over? I cannot, and I am 77 years old!
If I am still here next year, I promise that all my martin colony stuff will be ready before the end of 2014.
In both 2013 and this year the ground was still frozen when our first scout arrived before I had everything in place. Still, I feel lucky to have enjoyed some success this year.
First, do you use starling resistant holes on all your entrances? And, do you keep all your entrances closed until you are reasonably certain that martins are in your area? We have noticed that the starlings here in northern Illinois typically choose their nest sites before the martin scouts arrive; and only then do we open any entrances (starling-resistant, of course) for the martins. Of course, the sparrows are another story; but they do not pose quite the same problem as do the starlings.
The second thing is that our winter and spring lasted way too long in the states and provinces near the Great Lakes this year, and that affected the nesting and breeding of the martins. Can you remember the last time the Great Lakes were completely frozen over? I cannot, and I am 77 years old!
If I am still here next year, I promise that all my martin colony stuff will be ready before the end of 2014.
In both 2013 and this year the ground was still frozen when our first scout arrived before I had everything in place. Still, I feel lucky to have enjoyed some success this year. PMCA member
2011 - 1 SY pair w/ 2 HY fledged
2012 - 5 breeding pairs
2013 - 14 nesting pairs and several singles
2014 - 8 nesting pairs
2015 - 5 nesting prs w/mostly ASY parents
2011 - 1 SY pair w/ 2 HY fledged
2012 - 5 breeding pairs
2013 - 14 nesting pairs and several singles
2014 - 8 nesting pairs
2015 - 5 nesting prs w/mostly ASY parents