Around noon today, I was walking from our office to the kitchen where I stopped at the window to count the decoys on my pole out on my swim dock. This is a habit I have gotten into the past few days. I counted four. Not right; I only have three decoys. I re-counted and again came up with four. I had an ASY male sitting on one my perches. He flew over to my gourd rack where I was able to get a pic of him before he took off and just started circling overhead. I lowered the housing and opened up half of the cavities on the poles.
My first year, my first martin arrived on March 29. Last year, my first scout arrived on March 9. This year, my first scout on Feb. 19. Each subsequent year has been about three weeks earlier. Hopefully this is the earliest I will see any of my scouts in the future. Now, if he will just go out and find some of his colony-mates from last season.
With the arrival of my first scout, I get to change my avatar from a fish to a martin. My wish for this season is for the martins to be plentiful and the hawks to be slow and blind.
Tim
Licensed Bander
2015 - 14 Pair - fledged 68
2014 - Moved to Kansas - 7 Pair, 35 eggs, 28 fledged in first year
2010 Thru 2013 - Moved-Tried to start new colony
2009 - 46 pair, 217 eggs, 178 fledged
I am very happy for you that you have your first martin back...congratulations I also wish you a season with lots of martins and no hawks or for them to be slow and blind!!!!!
I am officially back on hawk patrol and last night he was right across from the canal watching the martins as they were ready to come in for the night. I do not know what spooked him at the end to make him leave, but fortunately he took off in the opposite direction.....
I just had a feeling you would be reporting in soon with a martin return! That is great news! Your season has begun and thanks for sharing that beautiful photo with us.
Hi Tim. I can feel the excitement in the air in Hot Springs. Congratulations. I know you are liking the early start date. It will give him a lot of time to recruit a large number of his kind, and to help fill your nice systems.
Have a great season!!!!!
~~TEAMED WITH A MARTIN GODDESS~~
Member/Mentor-PMCA. I do regular nestchecks and participate in PROJECT MARTINWATCH!! Coordinated 3 geolocator studies-2009, 2010 & 2013. State and Fed licensed bander (retired Jan., 2020)
Julio, Astrid, Al and Dawn, thanks for the replies. Dawn, right after I took this picture, I went for my afternoon walk and I had not gone the road two houses when I saw a hawk sitting on pole wires. I know I have them here; just not what I wanted to see after seeing my first scout of the season.
Tim
JB:
Your right. I think in terms of "my" martins from last year returning. He sure acted like he knew what he was doing of each of my poles so I am hoping he is one of mine from last year. He has plenty of time to go out and recruit some other scouts and I have plenty of room for them this season.
Tim
Steve:
Its funny; I had just finished hitting the send button on a message to you telling you I did not have any scouts yet and it was still too early. I got up to go into the kitchen and that is when I saw him; three weeks earlier than last year. Sure hope our weather holds.
Tim
Licensed Bander
2015 - 14 Pair - fledged 68
2014 - Moved to Kansas - 7 Pair, 35 eggs, 28 fledged in first year
2010 Thru 2013 - Moved-Tried to start new colony
2009 - 46 pair, 217 eggs, 178 fledged
I can't believe your Martins are back so soon!! I know you must have been jumping up and down with joy. Your wife was probably rolling her eyes, right?
I told you I was tight with the Big Guy. I prayed for your Martins, too.
By the way, I really miss the fish. He was so YOU!
Jeanne
"Look at the birds in the sky. They do not sow or reap, yet your heavenly Father feeds them."
Thanks Matt and Jeanne. Jeanne, my wife was at work when I saw my scout. I did send her an e-mail advising her that "our" first martin had arrived. Well, she has been home from work for a couple of hours and she has yet to acknowledge my e-mail or mention the scout.
Sorry, my crappie avatar is gone till August. My next avatar change will be when they start bringing in leaves to the nest for the eggs. Call me strange, but I enjoy using the avatars to show what stage of the season I am in with my martins.
How many martins are you up to now?
Tim
Licensed Bander
2015 - 14 Pair - fledged 68
2014 - Moved to Kansas - 7 Pair, 35 eggs, 28 fledged in first year
2010 Thru 2013 - Moved-Tried to start new colony
2009 - 46 pair, 217 eggs, 178 fledged
Your season is off to a good start. We have some bad weather coming in tomorrow. It is only suppose to be a high of 38 with rain for a couple of days. My lone scout fed real good yesterday and with the 50's predicted for today, he should get in another good day of feeding before the wintry weather hits. Only suppose to last a couple of days, so hopefully he will be okay.
Tim
Joe:
I have 23 more Troyer tunneled gourds just like #32 on this rack. Plenty of room for growth this season. I did paint the insidea dark brown on six of these gourds on this rack. Want to see if there is any preference in gourds taken with the returning "adults" between the inside being white vs. brown.
Tim
Licensed Bander
2015 - 14 Pair - fledged 68
2014 - Moved to Kansas - 7 Pair, 35 eggs, 28 fledged in first year
2010 Thru 2013 - Moved-Tried to start new colony
2009 - 46 pair, 217 eggs, 178 fledged
Well Mister Tim I see you have beaten me this year>>>>>>>>>>My first has come on March 2nd the last two years.I have added 16 natureline gourds this year.Last year I fledged over 100 and it was only my second year.I have a total of 32 naturelines and a T-14 that I am hoping to fill this year.
Good to hear from a fellow Arkansan! Your profile says you have 10 pair. I suspect that is from your first year since you fledged over 100 last year. Those are great 2nd year numbers; you must have a very attractive site. With this cold weather we are having, I wish my lone scout would have waited till March 2 to arrive. Have a great season.
Tim
Licensed Bander
2015 - 14 Pair - fledged 68
2014 - Moved to Kansas - 7 Pair, 35 eggs, 28 fledged in first year
2010 Thru 2013 - Moved-Tried to start new colony
2009 - 46 pair, 217 eggs, 178 fledged
Congratulations Tim! This is probably the more normal time you will start seeing your first scout (since your colony is established). Sure hope you have a great season.
