I need an opinion

[Guest]

I have an unusual situation this year and would like to hear from someone with more experience than me.

First some background. I live in NE Florida, and have had two houses (one six sided, one rectangular-both made from aluminum with two levels) for 8 years. For the first 7 years I have had multiple nesting pairs that arrive in February and leave in June. Last year they all left in mid May and I found two dead birds on the ground under the houses. After writing to this forum and doing some research I figured I had a predator problem which scared away my birds. So, this year before arrival time I built wire cages and snake guards (per instructions found on this web site) to ward off predators. Then I waited for the martins to arrive in February.

I had one pair show up in February. They flew around the six sided house for one day, then I never saw them again. No birds at all the rest of February and up to late March when I wondered if the wire cage may have scared off potential nesters. So, I removed the wire cage from the six sided cage in late March and left it on the rectangular one.

In mid April I started getting pairs coming to my houses. However, they are using the house with the wire cage. I think I have 3-4 pair and am delighted. However, I thought that when they did not come in February as usual and went all through March and half of April with no activity that I had totally missed the season. Could my birds be late arrivals...ones that don't migrate until much later than the first ones? Or could they be ones that have been here all along and for some reason just now found my houses? I would appreciate some help better understanding migration habits.

Sorry for the long note. Any feedback would be appreciated.

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

If a predator gets into the martins, they leave and usually never come back. What you have that came to your place may be strangers that like your setup. Your are indeed lucky to get martins after a predator got into them, many people wait years for martins after this happens.

I am happy that you got some, but be sure to keep a very good predator guard on all the poles all the time. You don't want to put up martin houses, get martins, and then have the predators chase them away, and worse, kill a few of them..

good luck

[Mary Dawnsong]

Hi Mike,

Congratulations on identifying and solving your predation problem!!!!

It sounds like the adult (ASY) martins passed you by and you attracted the later arriving subadult (SY) martins. SY martins migrate from Brazil many weeks later than most ASY martins.

SY martins are often the birds that start (restart?) martin colonies, because the ASY martins have site fidelity and return to last year's colony -if- they bred there successfully. I would guess that none of your birds returned, rather you have all new birds.

SY martins were born last season. They are fully capable of raising young this season, although they tend to raise smaller families than ASY martins.

Take a close look at your martins and you can determine whether they are SY or ASY. There are four, distinct plumages of martins: SY female, SY male, ASY female, ASY male. For help identifying them, use the great info and photos on the PMCA website:

http://purplemartin.org/MartinID/martinid.html

http://purplemartin.org/update/Tattletails11(4).pdf

Good luck with your new colony,
Mary

[Matt F.]

Ooops, Mary beat me to the punch.


Mike,
It sounds like your late arrivals are actually sub-adults looking to start a new colony. That is a good deal. They are the beginning of "starting over" after that predator attack.

The sub-adults or "subbies", where last years hatchlings. They do arrive somewhat later than the adult birds.

Here's a good article:
http://www.purplemartin.org/forumarchiv ... enOpen.htm

[Guest]

More experienced landlords can correct me if I'm wrong, but most predators eat their prey. Starlings on the other hand don't. Nor are they stopped by pole guards or owl prevention.

[CUL Lou~Mich]

Jeff. You are mostly correct. However. Not all of the birds are eaten. Some may have been scared away by predators eating some of the others. For instance. If a snake gets into the house, it might eat one pair, and the others be scared off. CUL Lou

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

Jeff_MO, here is the definition of predator out of Websters dictionary:

1 : one that preys, destroys, or devours

The starling fits the word "destroys", and a pole guard does not stop them, so for starlings an SREH is recommended (or a gun or trap)