Incompetent Martins

philsand · Mon May 02, 2022 2:42 pm

I have five mature pairs. They have spent very, very little time at my site. They are nesting. Over my 43 years having success, I have never had a group do this. I miss seeing them sailing around, their chatter and checking in often. I am not enjoying them. They are leaving it up to me to keep a wren away. They just may have to look elsewhere next year.

C.C.Martins · Mon May 02, 2022 2:53 pm

How many total pairs do you have?

Some days are not fun; you name it it happens. Some of what we call ASYs are two year old birds with little experience, they won't guard a nest as well as they should and loose eggs or chicks. You can almost pick them out by the way they act...they look like an adult, but act like a subbie.

Can't hold it against them, cant change them. Do what u can i guess.

deancamp · Mon May 02, 2022 4:06 pm

I have heard others talk about when having hawk issues the Martins spend very little time socializing. Any chance this could be the case with yours. Something has obviously changed to make them act so different than previous years...

Martintown33 · Mon May 02, 2022 4:18 pm

Agree, that does sound like hawk protection behavior.. .. look up in the sky,, and check any nearby trees, several times a day and see if you have hawks circling or cruising, or perching in trees.. if hawks are around martins will behave like yours are.. believe me, I would know, after the hawk battles I’ve been having this year..
Good luck,
Rob

randyM · Mon May 02, 2022 4:41 pm

If you don't already have a few single unit nesting boxes or gourds installed closer to the ground perhaps you could put a few up around your yard to attract tree swallows without fear of them chasing off your resident nesting martins. Tree swallows are quite tolerant of human activity and typically stay close to home base most of the day. You can watch them chase insects closer to the ground. If you have two or more tree swallow pairs in somewhat close proximity they are quite chatty and lots of fun to watch and can keep you occupied when your martins are out and about. If you don't attract any tree swallows the nest boxes might keep your troublesome wren occupied and away from your martin housing.

Randy

philsand · Mon May 02, 2022 5:14 pm

I have not seen any hawks. Neither have I seen any tree swallows. They sound easier to deal with. Handling the pole is getting harder.

C.C.Martins · Mon May 02, 2022 8:34 pm

I'm with you on poles, iv decided ill go to one level on the house. Phase it out in 2 seasons. That pole stinks to high heaven. Im done with ladders. 30 mph winds, im 56 years old and im on the top wrung of a ladder removing sparrow poop.

philsand · Tue May 03, 2022 9:25 am

[quote=C.C.Martins post_id=302818 time=1651541692 user_id=19868]
I'm with you on poles, iv decided ill go to one level on the house. Phase it out in 2 seasons. That pole stinks to high heaven. Im done with ladders. 30 mph winds, im 56 years old and im on the top wrung of a ladder removing sparrow poop.
[/quote]
I am 87. I can not figure out why that bottoms pole will not travel upward as far as earlier. It seems to be getting more stubborn each year. One of us must be rusting.

C.C.Martins · Tue May 03, 2022 11:24 am

Its the pole, not you.

birdman in buckhead · Tue May 03, 2022 11:49 am

FYI - Standing on the top of a ladder is NEVER a good idea!

I quit using a ladder this year (I'm 62), and I was only going to the 2nd to last rung from the top - the highest height as recommended. Sorry to be such a safety nut, but I worked for a huge chemical company for over 25 years and safety permanently etched in my brain. Instead of a ladder or buying a pole, I rigged up a 2 pulley system for the house and single pulleys for my 2 gourd racks. Makes nest checks simple and with little effort. I looked at the way the poles operate, and can see how it could be a pain in the butt!