Poor survival
-
Ammonite in KY
- Posts: 11
- Joined: Tue Mar 20, 2012 10:10 am
- Location: Allensville, KY
- Martin Colony History: I began in 2008 and slowly built up the number of guords that we have. We have 36 guords now and this year (2016) almost all are in use.
Checking the 36 Troyer guords is usually disappointing these last years including this year. The young survive up to about 5 days old and then most die, leaving only one. The dead bodies sometimes are still there but most times are not. We are surrounded by agriculture fields here in southwest Kentucky (we have 35 acres of forest and meadow), which probably causes them to have to fly long distances to feed. Does anyone else have this low survival rate? It's very disheartening to find that much loss.
Debbie
Hoping I'm doing the right thing for the PUMA. It's a struggle for them to find enough to eat when you are surrounded by ag fields. I try to tell myself they need a place to nest but the last few years their success rate has been low.
Hoping I'm doing the right thing for the PUMA. It's a struggle for them to find enough to eat when you are surrounded by ag fields. I try to tell myself they need a place to nest but the last few years their success rate has been low.
-
paule
- Posts: 135
- Joined: Mon Nov 09, 2015 2:06 pm
- Location: Central Iowa
- Martin Colony History: 5 Modified Trios 10 Gourds and 1 B&B
2025 33 Pair 83 Fledged
2024 39 Pair 75 Fledged
2023 33 Pair 114 Fledged
2022 27 Pair 113 Fledged
2021 31 Pair 115 Fledged
2020 29 Pair 109 Fledged
2019 24 Pair 83 Fledged
2018 23 Pair 92 Fledged
2017 26 Pair 105 Fledged
2016 21 Pair 99 Fledged
2015 15 Pair 59 Fledged
2014 18 Pair 40 Fledged
2013 16 Pair 30 Fledged
2012 10 Pair 30 Fledged
Started in late 1980's
Debbie
We also live in an agricultural area. When I was a child the fields produced ample insects for the martin houses on every block. Back then we had to clean our automobile windshields several times per day. Now, once a month. The agricultural community have become so efficient with genetics and pesticides we no longer have as many insects as we used to have. We help offset that with supplemental feeding. We usually have around 80% egg to fledgling success rate. Last year it went down to 40% success rate. The young would just waste away in spite of being fed. Some of the adults would also waste away. The only difference that I noticed was last year they were also using helicopters to inoculate the fields. I have no scientific evidence if it was the helicopters, chemicals or nature causing this. We did notice a change quickly every time the helicopters flew over the fields. We will have to wait and see how this year progresses. It was not an easy thing to witness.
Paul from Iowa
We also live in an agricultural area. When I was a child the fields produced ample insects for the martin houses on every block. Back then we had to clean our automobile windshields several times per day. Now, once a month. The agricultural community have become so efficient with genetics and pesticides we no longer have as many insects as we used to have. We help offset that with supplemental feeding. We usually have around 80% egg to fledgling success rate. Last year it went down to 40% success rate. The young would just waste away in spite of being fed. Some of the adults would also waste away. The only difference that I noticed was last year they were also using helicopters to inoculate the fields. I have no scientific evidence if it was the helicopters, chemicals or nature causing this. We did notice a change quickly every time the helicopters flew over the fields. We will have to wait and see how this year progresses. It was not an easy thing to witness.
Paul from Iowa
Project MartinWatch participants and supplemental feeding is provided. I also add heat to housing when needed.
-
Ammonite in KY
- Posts: 11
- Joined: Tue Mar 20, 2012 10:10 am
- Location: Allensville, KY
- Martin Colony History: I began in 2008 and slowly built up the number of guords that we have. We have 36 guords now and this year (2016) almost all are in use.
Thank you for the reply. Yes, I agree that the number of insects is drastically low. We have lots of flowers, clover and other flowers that bees and butterflies should be visiting but they aren't there. Our apple trees that used to be bent over with fruit produce only a few apples. There aren't enough pollinators. It has to be affecting the insect eating birds, as well, although I never see anyone discussing the affects.
How do you supplementally feed? I have tried and tried to get them to take meal worms that I fling in the sky but I have no success with that.
How do you supplementally feed? I have tried and tried to get them to take meal worms that I fling in the sky but I have no success with that.
Debbie
Hoping I'm doing the right thing for the PUMA. It's a struggle for them to find enough to eat when you are surrounded by ag fields. I try to tell myself they need a place to nest but the last few years their success rate has been low.
Hoping I'm doing the right thing for the PUMA. It's a struggle for them to find enough to eat when you are surrounded by ag fields. I try to tell myself they need a place to nest but the last few years their success rate has been low.
-
paule
- Posts: 135
- Joined: Mon Nov 09, 2015 2:06 pm
- Location: Central Iowa
- Martin Colony History: 5 Modified Trios 10 Gourds and 1 B&B
2025 33 Pair 83 Fledged
2024 39 Pair 75 Fledged
2023 33 Pair 114 Fledged
2022 27 Pair 113 Fledged
2021 31 Pair 115 Fledged
2020 29 Pair 109 Fledged
2019 24 Pair 83 Fledged
2018 23 Pair 92 Fledged
2017 26 Pair 105 Fledged
2016 21 Pair 99 Fledged
2015 15 Pair 59 Fledged
2014 18 Pair 40 Fledged
2013 16 Pair 30 Fledged
2012 10 Pair 30 Fledged
Started in late 1980's
Ammonite
I struggled to get them to eat also. I got them to eat a few live meal worms in the beginning. As they would gather on the roof for warmth I would pinch the meal worms heads for safety reasons and throw them on the roof. As they wiggled on the roof the martins would eat them. Alas, I lost that colony. It took five years to get it started again. Through this forum and going to conferences I learned how to freeze and toss crickets. I had one ASY male take the first one and he more or less taught the rest to take them. I added a platform feeder for food, bedding, egg shell and oyster shell. They now eat a scrambled egg concoction of egg and freeze dried meal-worms. I try to keep them trained at every opportunity. When they are struggling to feed their chicks, they readily accept food at this time. Otherwise they won't bother accepting any food offered if flying insects are available. I don't believe I would have been successful in their training to eat without first starting with the crickets.
"Supplemental feeding & Purple Martins" at the beginning of this forum has much information on the subject. If you have not seen it, by all means locate it and read it. A couple of the links no longer work. This YouTube video is pretty close on how I do it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdbY1Rn_hwg
Hope this is helpful.
Paul
I struggled to get them to eat also. I got them to eat a few live meal worms in the beginning. As they would gather on the roof for warmth I would pinch the meal worms heads for safety reasons and throw them on the roof. As they wiggled on the roof the martins would eat them. Alas, I lost that colony. It took five years to get it started again. Through this forum and going to conferences I learned how to freeze and toss crickets. I had one ASY male take the first one and he more or less taught the rest to take them. I added a platform feeder for food, bedding, egg shell and oyster shell. They now eat a scrambled egg concoction of egg and freeze dried meal-worms. I try to keep them trained at every opportunity. When they are struggling to feed their chicks, they readily accept food at this time. Otherwise they won't bother accepting any food offered if flying insects are available. I don't believe I would have been successful in their training to eat without first starting with the crickets.
"Supplemental feeding & Purple Martins" at the beginning of this forum has much information on the subject. If you have not seen it, by all means locate it and read it. A couple of the links no longer work. This YouTube video is pretty close on how I do it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdbY1Rn_hwg
Hope this is helpful.
Paul
Project MartinWatch participants and supplemental feeding is provided. I also add heat to housing when needed.