The ASY Male and the Purple Martin Decoy
From: Diane Oberlander - McKean, PA
Date: 5/17/00
Time: 2:37:18 PM
Around April 21, 2000, I spotted a male ASY martin hanging out at my SuperGourd
colony site located in McKean, PA. Hoping the male would stay around, my husband,
Bob, and I began playing the Dawnsong morning and evening. The Dawnsong (in
my opinion) kept the martin here, while he attempted to find a mate. Around
May 5th, I attached a wooden martin decoy to the front of a random, empty SuperGourd,
and then was away for 1 week. When I returned, the ASY male martin was still
in residence, but here in PA, we were having a bit of a cold spell, so I opted
not to disturb him by raising or lowering the system. On May 11th, I lowered
the system and was stunned to find a mud nest with oak leaves in the SuperGourd
I had hung the decoy from! (see photos). I ran to the phone and called the PMCA
to let them know of my findings: The male ASY martin had built a mud nest using
the gourd that the decoy was perched on! I took the pictures you see. At the
time I found the nest, the ASY male had no female companion. The following day
a European Starling moved into this SuperGourd and destroyed the eggless nest.
I observed the ASY male martin defend his nest, but lost. I lowered the housing
and inserted a SuperGourd insert trap (SG-INT) and leaving the Deluxe Gourd
Rack lowered, I hoped to catch the
starling. I ended up catching the male ASY martin instead! I examined the martin
for leg bands, which it had none (too bad), and set him free. He was soon back.
By the way I did catch the starling soon after, and did destroy it. As of the
16th of May the ASY male martin has a companion and has chosen a different SuperGourd
on the same Deluxe Gourd Rack and I have high hopes that the two of them will
nest. The decoy is still in place on the original SuperGourd this all started
on.
Diane Oberlander, McKean, PA
