SW Missouri on the Map

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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

South winds and 60s bring em home - 3 arrivals on Leap Day!

Jeff
PMCA Member - Bedrock Colony
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Brad Biddle
Posts: 523
Joined: Wed Feb 17, 2016 6:22 pm
Location: Marshall County AL

Cool. Congrats.
Martin landlord since 2003. Currently offering 162 plastic gourds with tunnels, all with Conley II entrances with the Lewis modification. I have 24 Supergourds and the rest are Troyer Horizontals.
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Fuzzmeister
Posts: 178
Joined: Mon Sep 25, 2017 9:02 pm
Location: Saskatchewan Canada

Congrats! Good for you hope the winds keep blowing from the south.
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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

Fuzzmeister wrote: Congrats! Good for you hope the winds keep blowing from the south.
Thanks and best to you on your 3rd year Fuzzmeister! Around what date do you get your first returns way up there? I was stationed in North Dakota for several years, so I know how long the cold can hold on into April and May sometimes.
PMCA Member - Bedrock Colony
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mwren
Posts: 174
Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2015 2:43 pm
Location: OH/Athens
Martin Colony History: I have had my martin colony on the dam of one of my ponds for nine years. The colony has grown each year, but I am now concentrating on helping friends and acquaintances who have shown interests in martins. My colony consists of three T-14's with 8 Troyer gourds attatched to each T-14, a Troyer gourd rack with 12 gourds, and another gourd rack with 18 Troyer gourds for a total of 96 nest cavities. I am having serious predation issues with hawks and owls and am experimenting with various hawk guards and "screens". Established successful supplemental feeding the last few seasons and have had a blast flipping mostly meal worms and some crickets. Faculty from Ohio University are using my colony as a research site to study parasites that target cavity nesting birds. In exchange for access to my bird trail nest boxes and martin housing, they are banding all birds involved in their study.

Actually, I woudn't mind seeing the martins slow down their advance north! Here in Ohio we see some nasty winter like conditions sometime in March almost every year which can be a disaster for our birds. It appears that our birds are significantly ahead of averaged arrival dates across the mid-south, so I am in favor of them feeding on those southern insects and giving us some time to warm up here in Ohio!
"Bird"
Mike "Bird" Wren
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KathyF
Posts: 3522
Joined: Thu May 24, 2007 1:57 pm
Location: Missouri/Licking
Martin Colony History: Colony started - 2007 with one pair
As of 2018 - 84 cavities offered, max # of pairs hosted - 82.

Wonderful news, Jeff! I guess you win the bets from Friday!! :lol:

Congratulations! I'm outside today watching for my guys & gals!
"Sometimes", said Pooh, "the smallest things take up the most room in your heart."
2023 - 82 pair
2022 - 80 pair
2021 - 75 pair
2020 - 78 pair
2019 - 80 pair
http://kathyfreeze.blogspot.com
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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

mwren wrote: ↑
Sun Mar 01, 2020 10:36 am
 Actually, I woudn't mind seeing the martins slow down their advance north! Here in Ohio we see some nasty winter like conditions sometime in March almost every year which can be a disaster for our birds. It appears that our birds are significantly ahead of averaged arrival dates across the mid-south, so I am in favor of them feeding on those southern insects and giving us some time to warm up here in Ohio!
"Bird"
Understand what you're sayin Bird, but with temps down here forecast for upper 50s to 60s thru mid March, it's gonna be difficult for to hold em back! Got 2,000 crickets in the freezer just in case.
PMCA Member - Bedrock Colony
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