Purple Martin Forum

It's amazing how soon the martins will be back down South. Hope we have a better Mother's Day in Northeast Ohio than last year! I lost 10 birds due to the cold and did supplemental feeding.

Mitch

I hope everyone bunkers down and is safe during this storm!!! I’m much further North so I would imagine most of the southern landlords already have there racks down for the winter.

Stay safe!!

Mitch

Mitch Sorry I can't answer your question but it is good to hear from you and I am glad to see you finally have an established colony. I would expect your numbers to continue to grow, at least as much as you are willing to provide housing. SY's are really moving in right now. Last Friday I had 32 ne...

At what stage of the nesting cycle do the adult male Martins typically perform the Dawnsong vocalization? I have what appears to be about 12-15 pair here and the first egg was laid yesterday with a few gourds having 1 egg and the other nests all have fresh green leaves in them. I’ve left the window ...

How much of the Amazon (in general) do the martins utilize for over-wintering? I'm not that familiar with Brazil, where I'm guessing, the birds primarily over-winter.

Thanks,

Mitch

Birds, Whereabouts in Northeast Ohio are you? Look at my track record and sometimes it just takes persistence. Are you playing the Dawnsong 24/7? Feel free to reach out to me with any questions at three three zero seven zero four five two seven two. I'm in the Akron/Portage Lakes area. As of today I...

I was wondering at what stage of the migration do the adult males begin their Dawnsong? I have maybe approximately 20 -25 birds at the house with 8 active nests but no eggs at this time as of Monday. Do they typically wait to perform the Dawnsong AFTER the first eggs are laid? I've tried leaving my ...

Yep they are definitely sparrows. I will dispose of the entire nest and place a trap in the bluebird house to eliminate either the female or male who ever visits next. I was surprised how blue they looked prior to getting their feathers. It was definitely a sparrow egg and the nest certainly looked ...

Is it possible for a bluebird and European house sparrow to nest or breed together? A friend of mine asked me to inspect his bluebird house. I found a HOSP egg and 4 nestlings that look like bluebirds but the nest looks like a mix between a tree swallow and HOSP. Feathers everywhere and the nestling...

Rob,

It typically peaks around May 17th in my area of Northeast Ohio and the only reason I pick this date is that it is my wife’s birthday and prior to having a nesting pair, for like three years in a row, would be my first sighting of SY birds and continues up through the middle of June.

Mitch

Being on the water is not a necessity, especially if you have water near by. Some people wait years and other get martins the first year. I just takes the first couple birds that decide they like your place better then the other places near by. Flyin-lowe, Just wanted to give you an update at my si...

Tim, Great job. My wife also accused myself of being crazy. I have had limited success the past 7 years. I believe last year was my break through year though. I had 4 pair and they fledged all 19 young. I’m completely surrounded by trees but have a 12 acre parcel of land with a 1-1/4 surface area po...

With cold weather and north wind most of this week there will be little movement north. Folks in the south need to keep those arrivals healthy. But beginning the 8th the winds will change and by the 10th the Ohio Valley will likely see their first arrivals. Let's hope the weather continues to co-op...

No doubt about that! I struggled for 7 years with limited success and ended moving a few poles and a few trees and everything came together much better. I would love to help anyone that needs it!!

Mitch

Congrats again Mitch. I am hoping you double or more your numbers next year. Yes I'm hoping for 10 pair next year! This year was a thrill having 10-12 birds there at all times. I've only ever had 1 pair the previous times I had them and was able to keep tract of all the activity just having one pai...

Thanks everyone! I can't hardly wait for April 2019 as I'm confident I'll finally get some returning birds with 4 pair all successfully fledgling young.

Hard to believe in about 12 weeks they'll start returning to the US!!

Mitch

Well gang its been a super busy year for me and I haven't had much time to spend on The Forum, but I'm certain I've finally gotten out of the Wannabe Club. It was very exciting having 10-12 martins around at all times this year. I had a few SY males that just couldn't attract a mate but I'm super th...

Update: Well as of today I have 3 pair for sure on 10 eggs and 5 nestlings. I have two other completed nests with leaves and 2 single sy males hanging around guarding the same cavities. I'm more than thrilled with (for the first time ever) having more than one pair for a change. Having 10-12 birds t...

Sharon that is absolutely awesome!!!! Wow!!! How many ASY birds do you have? I had the one pair last year and so far I have 3 pair sitting on 15 eggs (5 each) and a fourth pair getting ready to lay eggs in a leaf filled nest with one additional SY male that has his gourd picked out trying to attract...

Way to go Mitch! I’m glad you have 2 pair now! You should have a chance at sy’s For a few more weeks! I can’t believe what my colony has done! I HAVE 10 PAIR WITH 36 EGGS!! Totally crazy! But I’m loving every minute of it!!! Good luck my friend! Sharon, That is fabulous!!! I had at least 8-10 birds...