Moving a gourd or single unit

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Gun
Posts: 80
Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2016 11:26 pm
Location: Foothills, AB
Martin Colony History: 2016 - 1 pair - 4 fledged
2017 - 4 pair - 16 fledged
2018 - 7 pair - 24 fledged
Moved and starting over in 2019

Just curious if anyone has tried to move a gourd or single unit with young from an established colony to help a new colony get started about 30 miles away.
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randyM
Posts: 229
Joined: Thu Jun 18, 2015 2:30 pm
Location: Long Lake SD
Martin Colony History: * 2016 - 1 nesting pair (ASYM + SYF) 2/3 eggs hatched 2 young fledged.
* 2017 - 4 nesting pairs, 16/17 eggs hatched, 16 fledged, 16 banded - 2 banded SY returned in 2018 (12.5%), added housing: 11 houses w/gourds, 4 gourd poles = 376 cavities
* 2018 - 10 nesting pairs, 46/52 eggs hatched, 45 fledged, 29 young banded - 3 banded SY returned in 2019 (10.3%)
*2019 - 32 nesting pairs, 145/160 eggs hatched, 139 fledged - 87 young banded - 12 banded SY returned in 2020 (13.8%).
* 2020 - 35 nesting pairs, 180/199 eggs hatched, 178 fledged - 150 young banded - 42 banded SY returned in 2021 (28.0%).
* 2021 - 89 nesting pairs, 363/446 eggs hatched, 355 fledged - 150 young banded - 19 banded SY returned in 2022 (12.7%).
*2022 - 116 nesting pairs, 495/579 eggs hatched, 471 fledged - 150 young banded.
27 banded SY returned in 2023 (18.0%)
*2023 - 160 nesting pairs, 708/828 eggs hatched, 572 fledged - 150 young banded

Moving a gourd or house with eggs or young even to the other side of your yard would likely result in the abandonment of the gourd or house by the parents, and eggs would never hatch and the nestlings would die due to starvation. Even if the young in a gourd or house you'd move miles away from the original colony site were only one day from fledging, the young would not know how to catch insects when they left the nest without being taught by their parents and would starve to death. The parents would not follow you moving a gourd or house even a few hundred feet away yet alone miles away. The parents that lost their nest or gourd would likely not return to that colony site the following year due to the failed nesting attempt. Trying this strategy to start a new colony would be fruitless and could result in the total abandonment of nesting adult martins at the original colony and then you'd have two sites with no nesting martins. It would be best to try decoys, dawn song CD, pre-nesting, etc. at the site you're looking to start a new colony. It might take a few years to get things started if it is in a good location, but the martins will eventually show up if it is a good site.

Best of luck to you in your quest to establish a new colony!

Randy
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dsonyay
Posts: 1561
Joined: Fri Jul 02, 2010 3:10 pm
Location: Louisiana/Broussard
Martin Colony History: 2010-2014 located in Slidell LA. Gourd rack with 16 gourds. Max of 2 pairs during this short period in Slidell. Plenty of fledglings.

2014-present.. moved to Broussard LA. Same Gourd Rack but added a 6 room house (modified from a 12 room)

2020: after a long drought of nothing, 4 pairs and 4 nests, 23 eggs total.
6 fledges.

2021: 9 pair, 47 eggs
36 hatchlings
30 fledged

2022: about 12 pairs.. many eggs, all fledged.. only had one hatchling die.. probably because of our schnauzer. :(

2023: 16 pairs. So far about 60 chicks with about a dozen eggs to go. :)

In a word- no.
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Spiderman
Posts: 987
Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2008 9:19 am
Location: Gladewater, Texas

If you need another opinion, that won’t work.
Colony started in 2002

Offering 82 Troyer Horizontal Gourds

2018 - 45 PAIR - FLEDGED 203 MARTINS
2019 - 68 PAIR - FLEDGED 268 MARTINS
2020 - 82 PAIR - FLEDGED 392 MARTINS
2021 - 78 PAIR - FLEDGED 349 MARTINS
2022 - 76 PAIR - FLEDGED 373 MARTINS
2023 - 68 PAIR - FLEDGED 355 MARTINS

*2023 Added 2”X4” wire cages to all three Troyer Gemini Gourd Racks to deal with Great Horned Owl predation on Colony.
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C.C.Martins
Posts: 2737
Joined: Fri Apr 14, 2017 11:15 am
Location: Corpus Christi Tx
Martin Colony History: 2016- Visitors.
2017- 5 pair. 15 fledged
2018- 18 pair. 85 fledged
2019- 17 pair. 81 fledged
2020- 25 pair. 111 fledged
2021- 28 pair. 118 fledged
2022- 33 pair. 151 fledged
2023- 33 pair. 165 fledged
2024:
HOSP: 35 Starlings: 23
Home colony: mix natural, super, Troyer and excluder gourds, enlarged compartment house. All SREH.
Satellite colony: Oso Bay Preserve: 36 PMCA excluder gourds, 6 room trio mini castle with troyer tunnels and enlarged compartments.
2019: Visitors
2020: 3 pair, 11 fledged
2021: 10 pair, 30 fledged
2022: 11 pair, 35 fledged
2023: 18 pair, 101 fledged
2024
PMCA member

Doomed to fail.
A good house sparrow is a dead house sparrow.
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Martintown33
Posts: 951
Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2021 6:21 pm
Location: Laplace,La
Martin Colony History: Colony started in 1998. 2 s&k modified houses and gourd rack

Agree with all of the above..
Rob
PMCA member
Laplace, La
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jhcox
Posts: 756
Joined: Thu May 26, 2016 9:23 am
Location: tennesse
Martin Colony History: Started colony in 2014. 0 pairs
2015 0 pairs
2016 0 pairs
2017 0 pairs but visitors
2018 1 pair fledged 5
2019 10 pair
2020 25 pair
2021 42 Pair
2022 60 Pair
2023 72 Pair

Not to mention its illegal to mess with the eggs or young of a migratory bird. MBTA.
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John Miller
Posts: 4839
Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2004 9:11 pm
Location: St. Louis, MO

It has been tried -- or at least some variation -- think was in PA many decades ago. I vaguely recall reading about it. Maybe it was adults they captured in cavities at night and moved them to relocated housing and released next morning. As expected, did not work.
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John Miller
Posts: 4839
Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2004 9:11 pm
Location: St. Louis, MO

It has been tried -- or at least some variation -- think was in PA many decades ago. I vaguely recall reading about it. Maybe it was adults they captured in cavities at night and moved them to relocated housing and released next morning. As expected, did not work.
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Gun
Posts: 80
Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2016 11:26 pm
Location: Foothills, AB
Martin Colony History: 2016 - 1 pair - 4 fledged
2017 - 4 pair - 16 fledged
2018 - 7 pair - 24 fledged
Moved and starting over in 2019

Alright, thanks everyone.
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Conrad Baker
Posts: 649
Joined: Fri Jan 12, 2007 7:43 pm
Location: Paulina, Louisiana

Are you convinced yet, or do you need another "no'?
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