Ok fellow Ohioans, is anyone worried about their Martins today? We have two ASY males back who should have fed well the last two days. Awoke to 23degrees here at home and snow. It is very windy and high of 34 today. 21 for tonight and only a high of 45 tomorrow. If sunny and not windy I'm hoping for feeding by end of day. Should they be ok? Will they likely roost together tonight?
I'm so worried because we lost over a dozen last spring with the horrible weather
Thanks
Ohio weather
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flyin-lowe
- Posts: 3788
- Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2006 8:49 am
- Location: Indiana/Henry Co.
Not sure what part of OH you are in but I am in central Indiana not far from the state line. Yesterday it was in the mid 40's and they were out feeding. Today it only got into the mid to high 30's. I saw them out on the porches a few times but never saw them leave to try to feed. It's supposed to be in the low 20's overnight tonight. Tomorrow it is supposed to be in the mid 40's with sun so they should be able to feed. By Saturday temps will be back to the 60's and everything looks good after that. Usually the 3rd day without feeding is when they start to perish so unless your part of the state has been a lot different then my side of the state you should be OK.
2026 HOSP 26
2025 62 pair HOSP 20
2024 60 pair, HOSP 44
2023 60+ pair, HOSP 8
2022 60 nests with 262 eggs, HOSP 14
2021 62 pair, HOSP 9
2020 42 nest, HOSP 8
2019- 31 pair
2018- 15 pair 49 fledged
2017 3 SY pair, 12 eggs , fledged 10. 4 additional lone SY's
2016 1 pair fledged 4
2015 Visitors
2014 Visitors
2013 Moved 6 miles, 1 pair fledged 2.
2012 30 pair fledged 100.
2011 12 pair 43 fledged.
2010 5 pair 14 fledged.
2025 62 pair HOSP 20
2024 60 pair, HOSP 44
2023 60+ pair, HOSP 8
2022 60 nests with 262 eggs, HOSP 14
2021 62 pair, HOSP 9
2020 42 nest, HOSP 8
2019- 31 pair
2018- 15 pair 49 fledged
2017 3 SY pair, 12 eggs , fledged 10. 4 additional lone SY's
2016 1 pair fledged 4
2015 Visitors
2014 Visitors
2013 Moved 6 miles, 1 pair fledged 2.
2012 30 pair fledged 100.
2011 12 pair 43 fledged.
2010 5 pair 14 fledged.
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Unk Bond
=================================flyin-lowe wrote: ↑Thu Apr 01, 2021 8:48 pmNot sure what part of OH you are in but I am in central Indiana not far from the state line. Yesterday it was in the mid 40's and they were out feeding. Today it only got into the mid to high 30's. I saw them out on the porches a few times but never saw them leave to try to feed. It's supposed to be in the low 20's overnight tonight. Tomorrow it is supposed to be in the mid 40's with sun so they should be able to feed. By Saturday temps will be back to the 60's and everything looks good after that. Usually the 3rd day without feeding is when they start to perish so unless your part of the state has been a lot different then my side of the state you should be OK.
Hello
I am in southern Ohio close to the Ohio river. [ Later
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flyin-lowe
- Posts: 3788
- Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2006 8:49 am
- Location: Indiana/Henry Co.
Lows got in the low 20's over night, still in the 20's right now and all the martins I have back are sitting out on the porches soaking up some sun. I have also seen a few of them flying off and coming back so they appear to have gotten along just fine the last couple days. Supposed to be sunny all day and temps into the high 40's today and then a warm up coming up.
2026 HOSP 26
2025 62 pair HOSP 20
2024 60 pair, HOSP 44
2023 60+ pair, HOSP 8
2022 60 nests with 262 eggs, HOSP 14
2021 62 pair, HOSP 9
2020 42 nest, HOSP 8
2019- 31 pair
2018- 15 pair 49 fledged
2017 3 SY pair, 12 eggs , fledged 10. 4 additional lone SY's
2016 1 pair fledged 4
2015 Visitors
2014 Visitors
2013 Moved 6 miles, 1 pair fledged 2.
2012 30 pair fledged 100.
2011 12 pair 43 fledged.
2010 5 pair 14 fledged.
2025 62 pair HOSP 20
2024 60 pair, HOSP 44
2023 60+ pair, HOSP 8
2022 60 nests with 262 eggs, HOSP 14
2021 62 pair, HOSP 9
2020 42 nest, HOSP 8
2019- 31 pair
2018- 15 pair 49 fledged
2017 3 SY pair, 12 eggs , fledged 10. 4 additional lone SY's
2016 1 pair fledged 4
2015 Visitors
2014 Visitors
2013 Moved 6 miles, 1 pair fledged 2.
2012 30 pair fledged 100.
2011 12 pair 43 fledged.
2010 5 pair 14 fledged.
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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.
Here in southeastern Ohio, the weather has been terrible for over 3 days. Even if your birds have been out flying in search of food, that does not mean they are being successful finding enough insects to survive. After approx. 3 days the posture of your birds will tell you if they are in trouble and in danger of losing the fight against hypothermia and starvation. This is where supplemental feeding via flipping meal worms and crickets can save your colony. Get a plastic serving spoon and as many meal worms as you can afford and get out under your colony and teach them to hop off their perches and catch the flippings . Not only will you teach them to survive, but it is amazing fun to watch their flying skills and ability to track and catch the "flying" meal worms.
Down to 22 degrees tonight. Tomorrow will be a critical day for the birds in my colonies. Hopefully they will have enough strength to continue to fly well enough to catch the meal worms and crickets that I will be flipping at them like they did today. I can only hope that I do not find dead ASY's like we experienced at some colonies last spring. Not fun.
Saturday is the critical day because the forecast looks much better for insects and martins Sunday and beyond.
"Bird"
Down to 22 degrees tonight. Tomorrow will be a critical day for the birds in my colonies. Hopefully they will have enough strength to continue to fly well enough to catch the meal worms and crickets that I will be flipping at them like they did today. I can only hope that I do not find dead ASY's like we experienced at some colonies last spring. Not fun.
Saturday is the critical day because the forecast looks much better for insects and martins Sunday and beyond.
"Bird"
Mike "Bird" Wren
Hi Mike, I got crickets and we flipped them yesterday but they just flew off. Today was nicer, but still a pretty biting wind.
I have watched their posture the last two days and they seem fine. Not supposed to get below 40 tonight, so that's encouraging. I absolutely LOVE having Martins but hate going through the worry every spring!
I drive my husband crazy
I also do not want a repeat of last year, they were literally falling out of the sky and more dead inside the houses
Looks great for the next week, so hoping for no more cold weather
Happy Martining!
I have watched their posture the last two days and they seem fine. Not supposed to get below 40 tonight, so that's encouraging. I absolutely LOVE having Martins but hate going through the worry every spring!
I drive my husband crazy
I also do not want a repeat of last year, they were literally falling out of the sky and more dead inside the houses
Looks great for the next week, so hoping for no more cold weather
Happy Martining!