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Purple Martins and Bluebirds (Part 2)Purple Martin web site http://www.purplemartin.org/Date: Mon, 15 Apr 2002 20:35:58 -0700 (PDT) Hello all, Mr Jack Wilson and I have had great success with PUMA. Jack has quietly had much success with PUMA for 20 years now. In the last three years since Jack has decided to mentor me, we have gone from 40 to 88 gourds at Jack's residence. Fearing that we are putting all of our eggs into one basket so to speak by expanding Jack's colony, we have decided to start new colonies at two locations each about 3/8 ofa mile from Jack's. We put up 8 gourds at each new location less than two weeks ago which was about 3 weeks after Jack's established colony already saw about 10 PUMA return. To our surprise, on both Saturday and Monday, male and female PUMA are showing up at both new sites. Everything needs to be perfect to start a new colony and unfortunately neither Jack or I know how to make things perfect. I have posed this ? on the forum on website purplemartin.org. Should we be trying to start a new PUMA colony using gourds with the crescent shaped (starling resistant) entrance holes?. Although the holes seem to be very effective against starlings the PUMA seem not to like them either, Have a good day Bob Sitarski a.k.a The Doctor Jackson County Indiana ( 385244N 086023W ) & Clay County Illinois ( 384008N 0882908W ) Date: Mon, 15 Apr 2002 20:36:32 -0700 (PDT) Hello all, Mr Jack Wilson and I have had great success with PUMA. Jack has quietly had much success with PUMA for 20 years now. In the last three years since Jack has decided to mentor me, we have gone from 40 to 88 gourds at Jack's residence. Fearing that we are putting all of our eggs into one basket so to speak by expanding Jack's colony, we have decided to start new colonies at two locations each about 3/8 ofa mile from Jack's. We put up 8 gourds at each new location less than two weeks ago which was about 3 weeks after Jack's established colony already saw about 10 PUMA return. To our surprise, on both Saturday and Monday, male and female
PUMA are showing up at both new sites. Everything needs to be
perfect to start a new colony and unfortunately neither Jack
or I know how to make things perfect. I have posed this ? on
the forum on website purplemartin.org. Should we be trying to
start a new PUMA colony using gourds with the crescent shaped
(starling resistant) entrance holes?. Although the holes seem
to be very effective against starlings the PUMA seem not to
like them either, Have a good day Bob Sitarski a.k.a The Doctor Jackson County Indiana ( 385244N 086023W ) & Clay County Illinois ( 384008N 0882908W ) From: "Dottie, Hickory Hollow, Brown County, Indiana"
yumyumkatts"at"voyager.net I have a modified Purple Martin house and two crescent shaped supergourds hanging from the Martin house on "arms". My outfit is down by our lake. No big trees near it and not far from the house. I'm still waiting for Purple Martins to come. I don't think the flock is here yet. I went by a huge gourd colony today that is only a few miles from me and didn't see any Martins there. Have you looked at Dr. Dan's protocol on the PM Forum? Dottie, Hickory Hollow ... From: "Bill Darnell" bdarnel3"at"bellsouth.net Doctor, I may be able to help some. I have a three year old colony which has grown from three pairs the first year, to 23 pairs last year, More are starting their nests this year. Since this list is for bluebirds mainly, should we take this off list? I would love to discuss these lovely birds with you! Bill TN Hello all, Have a good day From: "Bill Darnell" bdarnel3"at"bellsouth.net Here is an answer from the Purple Martin forum by Chuck Abare to someone who asked almost the same question: I'm surprised to see this almost exact same question and scenario
twice 1. HOUSING LOCATED IN MOST ACCESSIBLE AREA OF YOUR PROPERTY. This means, open flyways, away from trees, bushed, fences, hedges or other obstacles that could allow hawks or other predators the chance to ambush or attack the housing. 2. DEEP COMPARTMENTS. Housing with small compartments just doesn't afford any measure of safety for martins (regardless of what anybody tells you) and as recent research has shown, 99% of the time they will choose housing with the deeper compartments. That also means at least 10" diameter gourds if they are used. 3. WHITE HOUSING. Make sure your housing is painted white, not only to help attract them, but to keep them cool in the summer. 4. ELIMINATE NESTING COMPETITORS. If you have starlings and sparrows also investigating your martin housing, then do what you have to, to eliminate them. Crescent entrances work for starlings, traps for sparrows. Shooting works for both if permissible in your area. 5. LANDLORD PRESENCE. This means YOU need to be seen by your
martins, even if you have to walk out of your way. DO NOT be
afraid to go near your martins. You have my word, an active
landlord will have many more martins and happier moments than
a passive landlord. Chuck Abare, Athens, AL Bill--TN
Hello all, Mr Jack Wilson and I have had great success with PUMA. Jack has quietly had much success with PUMA for ... From: "Kellams, Dina M" dmkellam"at"indiana.edu It's funny that this has come up because yesterday I observed my male EABL going into my neighbor's Purple Martin House, which came as a BIG surprise to me - I didn't think a Martin House would be attractive to them! Dina From: "Dottie, Hickory Hollow, Brown County, Indiana"
yumyumkatts"at"voyager.net BINGO! About four SY's came swooping over about 8am this morning. I had the Dawn Song playing. When I saw them, I went out on the deck and walked around and even waved to them. They stayed about five minutes or so-swooping and looking everything over--even me. They got a good look of all I have to offer. Then they flew over the tree tops towards Joe's house. Be on
the lookout, Joe. Dottie, Hickory Hollow Date: Wed, 15 May 2002 10:11:29 -0400 Hi All, What do carolina chickadee chicks eat? We have 6 chicks. Their parents visit the feeders and suet cakes. Do they feed the chicks grain and suet? They aren't insect eaters or are they? Just curious. Thanks in advance, Patty in WV From: "Randy Jones" randyj"at"enter.net What's an SY? Randy Jones ... From: "Dottie, Hickory Hollow, Brown County, Indiana"
yumyumkatts"at"voyager.net Just a little info about Purple Martins for those of you who may be interested. They are a "people bird". That's why I went out on the deck this morning so they could see me. I'm hoping to get a colony this year. I have a Martin house up and two supergourds under that. However, I think I will need to move my Martin house rig up closer to my home. Martins feel less threatened by predators if they are near people. The Purple Martin web site is: www.purplemartin.org It is a great site similar to our Bluebird Box. The Forum is neat also but is set up differently from Bluebird-L. A couple of other folks, Joe included, and myself are starting a Purple Martin Club here. We will probably call it Central Indiana Purple Martin Asso. Our first meeting is May 20th. Dottie, Hickory Hollow From: "Dottie, Hickory Hollow, Brown County, Indiana"
yumyumkatts"at"voyager.net "Hi Dottie--- SY stands for Second Year Martins. They start the new colonies. After the Martin babies are fledged, the mom and pop take them around the area to show them possible nesting sites for the next year. SY Martins don't go back to where they were born--they don't intermingle (if that's the way to say it). Only the moms and dads go back to the same place each year. They are a very faithful bird. Anyway, if you put a Martin house up this year, you may not get Martins until the next year. The SY Martins need to see your housing when mom and dad are taking them around. Dottie, Hickory Hollow From: "Cinda J. Salisbury" cjs"at"cvns.net I forgot that I can ask you guys about Purple Martins. I look in on that Forum as well. Everyone there keeps telling me that I need to be patient. I have a new box I just put up this month. There is absolutely no interest except for HOSP. I've only seen a few Martins fly over the area. What is going on here? My husband is involved in dairy bulls/cows and covers a large territory. He goes to many dairy farms, and tells me that there are very few occupied houses this year. What gives??? Have any of you experienced this? Cinda....South-central Pa. - Shippensburg From: "Bill Darnell" bdarnel3"at"bellsouth.net It is hard for a Southern (Tennessee) Martin Landlord to understand what is going on in the northern states. The weather is one thing. I am beginning to hear heart rending stories of hatchling Martins dying in the cold in MN, MI, and across the northern states. If you are using a box only, I recommend hanging gourds from the four bottom corners of the box. I used all gourds until this season, and built a nice 14 room box. I have one pair using the box, with all four gourds under it occupied. The first season is the hardest. It is like the old adage, "The rich get richer---" Once you get the first couple of pairs, it will get easy. In
2000, my first year, I got three pairs. In 2001, this increased
to 23 pairs, and this year, we have over 52 pairs now! Granted,
it is much easier here in TN than PA, but you will get them,
just keep trying and keep the Starlings and Sparrows at bay!
The sub-adult birds are still filtering in down here, so you
still have some time this year. I forgot that I can ask you guys about Purple Martins. I look in on ... Date: Mon, 20 May 2002 20:05:46 -0400 We've had bluebirds for three years on our acre. We have also seen purple martins in the neighborhood and flying over our property so we have considered placing a Martin House in our yard. Has anyone had problems with martins driving away their bluebirds or trying to take over their house? I'd like to know before we attract more martins. Thanks, From: "Bill Darnell" bdarnel3"at"bellsouth.net Martins will not take over your bluebird houses, or cause them any problems. It might happen the other way around, though. If bluebirds bond to the house or gourds you put up for the Martins, they can keep the SY (second year, or sub-adult) birds from nesting. They won't be a problem to Martins that have site fidelity, that is, Martins which have bonded to the site. (Making myself real clear! :-)) Go to www.purplemartin.org and read the archives, and especially, the FAQ. Bill We've had bluebirds for three years on our acre. We have also seen ... From: CookinMedic"at"aol.com I have bluebirds nesting in my Purple Martin Condo. Has anyone heard or seen of this before? C. Rondeau From: hubertrap"at"webtv.net (Joe Huber) Yes mine done that for several years in late summer for their last nest. This makes it hard to attract martins Joe Huber Charter member NABS, Charter member OBS, Life member OBS Joe Huber hubertrap"at"webtv.net http://community.webtv.net/hubertrap/HOUSESPARROWCONTROL http://community.webtv.net/hubertrap/RoostingBluebirds
27.1171494 N Lo -82.4124222 W From: CookinMedic"at"aol.com ... From: TonyTrz"at"aol.com Hi! From: "Bill Darnell" bdarnel3"at"bellsouth.net Sarah: If you really want Purple Martins, provide housing for the
Bluebirds and TRES close by, and keep the holes in the
Martin housing plugged until the EABL and TRES are settled
in their own housing. Bill TN Hi! ... Date: Tue, 18 Jun 2002 17:53:46 -0500 At 09:49 AM 6/17/02 -0400, CookinMedic"at"aol.com wrote: The first bluebirds I ever saw nested in a martin house on
my property in Lufkin, TX (100 mi north of Houston). A pair
nested there every year until we sold the property. I knew nothing
about monitoring, but would observe the house through binoculars,
and saw baby birds every year. The martin house was not really
in a good martin location, and I never saw a single martin. Kate Oschwald Date: Tue, 3 Jun 2003 07:08:56 -0700 (PDT) Hey all, An EABL is nesting in the same house with Purple Martins in
Illinois. The Purple Martin colony is 5 years old. In NY, TRES are nesting in nestboxes only 20 feet apart... the TRES spend alot of time staring at each other but they continue to go about their nesting activities. Bob Sitarski ... From: Michelle Martin Michelle Martin Central Louisiana Can anyone help me on the topic of purple martin housing vs bluebird housing ? A really good friend of mine in Tx has bluebirds and pm's. Just as I do - well, I let her know that some pm's have been reported in Tx -did she have her house up yet? She didn't , but she did put it up that day , and now her blues have been going in & out of the pm house. And they've been going to her bb box as well. She asked me about this , if one species can deter the other from nesting/fighting/etc, and I tried finding some info on this particular situation...for the both of us ! Well, I found this link -it's about tri-habitat for TR/BB/PM's, which of course neither of us have ts nesting in our area, only get them in winter,what do you all think of this and what can you add ? www.drugfreeworkplace.com/~Dan/TRIHABITATION/TSEMERGENCY.html We both would like info quickly b4 the bb's get too use to the pm house!!!!! Please help us if you can. We are wondering if we really have to close up the pm house when we know pm's have been seen in or near our areas already , but neither of us have seen them ourselves yet. What do we do as far as how far apart the housing really should be - close up the pm house even after the pm's arrive, we want both, but my choice is BLUEBIRDS, and not sure what her's would be IF we really had to choose ! Any advice ????????? From: Bet Zimmerman, ezdz"at"charter.net I have read about bluebirds nesting in purple martin houses, and getting killed by starlings there (because the entrance holes are bigger than regular bluebird nestboxes). So that would be my biggest concern. Maybe if she put up some bluebird boxes also, the blues would gravitate towards them (esp. Peterson's which bluebirds seem to prefer)? Bet from CT From: Tony Berg, w1vah"at"yahoo.com If the martin house has been used by martins before, it should probably be modified to use SREH entrances to keep out starlings. See www.purplemartin.org/forumarchives/archive/SOPEH.htm. The SREHs may keep out EABLs as well. Tony Berg From: Paula, PaulaZ"at"columbus.rr.com Mary Ellen, If it were me, the very first thing I would do would be to gently lower the box and plug up every single remaining hole in the martin house. Now that you have bluebirds in there, they will not allow martins to nest AND you don't want house sparrows or starlings trying to nest in any of the remaining cavities. We had our first bluebird nest in a martin house years ago and the house sparrows killed the babies. If the hoisting mechanism is too shaky, you might want to just keep an eye on them after that. You will see mom and dad enter and leave the nest. If they keep doing this, things are probably OK. You also might consider just lowering the house to eye level (when you plug up those remaining holes) so you can easily monitor and leave it there. Now you can easily take a peek about once a week, preferably when mom is off the nest. I do not know whether leaving box in lowered state could possibly cause them to abandon nest? Question for others out there? Paula Z, Powell (Central) Ohio From: Dottie Roseboom, rosedot"at"mtco.com So, Mary Ellen, IF you decide to lower the box, try not to change the orientation. From Mary Ellen's post, I wasn't sure if the post raised/lowered vertically, or if the middle hinge allowed the top to fold down to the ground. The latter would provide more difficulties in this situation and Mary Ellen may just have to hope for the best. In my area, if purple martin houses are not ACTIVELY monitored, they are overtaken by HOSP. That's why The Purple Martin Association frowns upon any setup that does NOT allow proper monitoring. Hopefully, Mary Ellen lives in an area devoid of HOSP. If the sparrows do begin to harass the bluebirds, contact some of this list's members privately on ways to handle. Either way, this will be a learning experience. Dottie Roseboom, Peoria IL (central) From: Trish Culpepper [mailto:trishkcully"at"earthlink.net] Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2005 11:36 AM Subject: Re: TRES Starvation Trish Culpepper - Frankston, TX Hi Paula! We have put up two Purple Martin houses this spring, but have yet From: Tree Greenwood [mailto:doctree"at"crosslink.net] Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2005 1:27 PM Subject: Egg shells (was "Re: TRES Starvation, ne: Attracting Purple Martings") Trish, eggs shells aren't used in the nest but they're valuable for almost all nesting birds. Or take the easy route and buy 'grit' (crushed oyster or other shells) for your birds. You can buy a 50 pound bag that'll last a lifetime for under $10 at a local farmer's coop or you can buy parakeet grit at the pet store or Wal-Mart. Putting out a source of grit and calcium is good for almost all birds. Take care, R J 'Tree' Greenwood From: Dottie, Hickory Hollow, Brown County, Indiana [mailto:yumyumkatts"at"voyager.net] Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2005 2:25 PM Subject: Re: Egg shells (was "Re: TRES Starvation, ne: Attracting Purple Martings") Before you put out egg shells, you should put them in the microwave or oven Dottie, Hickory Hollow From: Bruce Burdett [mailto:blueburd"at"verizon.net] LnL, From: Dottie, Hickory Hollow, Brown County, Indiana [mailto:yumyumkatts"at"voyager.net] Sent: Friday, June 24, 2005 7:11 PM Subject: Re: ? Using PM house for BBs Purple Martin landlords here have had a bad spring season with their Many are just falling out of the nest gourds and dying on the ground even However, Martins are still coming up North so they are refilling the spots As for me, I haven't even seen a Martin feather at my place and my gourds Dottie, Hickory Hollow From: Tree Greenwood [mailto:doctree"at"crosslink.net] Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2005 8:23 PM Subject: Re: ? Using PM house for BBs On Tue 24 May 2005 at 15:07, Trish Culpepper <trishkcully"at"earthlink.net> wrote: Trish, if you want to start a Purple Martin colony, you need to leave your house up until after the Martins migrate back south in late-summer/early-fall. After fledging, PUMA parents take their fledglings on tours around the area. Most PUMA landlords believe that the parents are helping fledglings shop around for next year's breeding spot. If you add some roosting rods (I just use bamboo garden stakes), it's likely that you'll be able to enjoy groups of Martins visiting a bit later this summer. > ... Luckily, so far, HOSP haven't been interested in it either. ... That's unusual. HOSP generally like the elevation. > ... I could always clean it out and raise it back next Jan or Feb in You folks down south have a much easier time establishing a colony that those of us farther north but you also have more problems with predators. Get great information that is accurate and up-to-date from the Purple Martin Conservation Association at http://www.purplemartin.org/ Start by reading the info in the 'download center' at the bottom of their home page. You may inadvertently do something to discourage PUMA from making your home theirs. Take care, R J 'Tree' Greenwood From: Lynn Emerich [mailto:lemerich"at"epix.net] They normally do nest in my area but I haven't really been checking the local houses. I'll make it a point to look next time I go by. One guy near hear has/had close to 500 martins a few years ago. Lynn near Bernville PSW From: Tree Greenwood [mailto:doctree"at"crosslink.net] Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2005 4:43 PM Subject: Purple Martins in New England (was "Re: ? Using PM house for BBs") Hi, Bruce. Actually, the cause was natural according to most experts. In 1972, Hurricane Agnes - "The Storm That Would Never End" - moved across Florida, then moved into the Atlantic. Instead of moving east, Agnes came back ashore in New York on 20 Jun 1972 and then stalled over Pennsylvania where much of the state got over 10" of rain between 20 and 25 Jun. A low pressure system moving across the country then merged with the remnants of Agnes and crept northeast. The whole area from Pennsylvania through Maine was innundated. Many areas had record rainfalls and record floods. Purple Martins are obligate aerial insectivores. > Has any of you heard of seeing Purple Martins in the New England area Purple Martin populations are SLOWLY recovering but not one has been reported in New Hampshire so far this year. There are some reports of PUMA as close at Vermont and numbers are increasing noticeably in Pennsylvania and New York. See http://www.purplemartin.org/scoutreport/2005/index.php > ... I do gather that they're still nesting in other parts of the Definitely! A few pair actually chose my place. Officially, the conservation status of PUMA is: Purple Martins are listed as "most wanted" by 'The Birdhouse Network' so that data on PUMA nesting can be tracked scientifically. The Purple Martin Conservation Association (PMCA) also has on-going research on many facets of PUMA conservation including cooperative work with peer conservation groups in Brazil. Bruce, if you have the time and inclination, the recovery of the Purple Martin in the northeast has crept to your doorstep. If your habitat is suitable for PUMA, putting up and managing some PUMA housing might help the recovery process. Take care, R J 'Tree' Greenwood From: Bet Zimmerman [mailto:ezdz"at"charter.net] Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2005 5:43 PM Subject: purple martins in NE I believe purple martins (which are listed as threatened in CT) have been nesting in Pomfret and Bet from CT From: Chuck Jensen [mailto:cjensen"at"dts9000.com] Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2005 8:35 AM Subject: FW: Purple Martins in New England (was "Re: ? Using PM house for BBs")
An excellent forum. Some socializing but lots of good information. Personal opinion--if you like BBs, you'll love PMs. Sort by: City Date Name Check out the 2005 Subadult Male Arrivals From: Dottie, Hickory Hollow, Brown County, Indiana [mailto:yumyumkatts"at"voyager.net] I have sad news about my Martin eggs or babies. After not seeing the mom and pop Martins for two days when the rain came, we checked the Martin house yesterday and discovered an empty nest. Dottie, Hickory Hollow From: Trish Culpepper [mailto:trishkcully"at"earthlink.net] Trish - East Texas From: roy pischer [mailto:tlp4456"at"msn.com] Hello Bluebirders! I wanted to let you know that one pair of our Purple Martins have returned to our farm. I was helping my husband put up horse fence yesterday and saw a lone female flying over the horse paddock. We quickly put up our gourd rack. This morning at 9 AM, saw the female perched on and soaring around the rack. At 11 AM today, I saw a male Purple Martin. We installed "Starling Excluder Doors" on the gourds that we got from the PMCA The Purple Martins don't seem to be unduely stressed by this change from the Starling Resistant half-circle and oboround doors we had last year. FYI, I watched a Starling wiggle into gourds with both these types of "Starling Resistant Doors" last year. It kicked out two eggs and killed one Purple Martin. We set up a "scarecrow" and that kept the EUST away from our gourds for the rest of the summer, but not willing to rely on a scarecrow alone this year. From: mtalentino"at"alltel.net [mailto:mtalentino"at"alltel.net] Sent: Saturday, April 08, 2006 1:01 PM Subject: purple martins interestingly enough, the purple martins, contrary to popular belief, do not eat mosquitos. Mike Talentino From: "Torrey" <torrey_canyon"at"yahoo.com> Sent: Monday, April 10, 2006 1:03 PM Subject: OT: another mosquito eater > Another major mosquito predator is the "mosquito From: Dottie, Hickory Hollow, Brown County, Indiana [mailto:yumyumkatts"at"voyager.net] Sent: Monday, April 10, 2006 3:39 PM Subject: Re: O/T another mosquito eater There is controversy about whether Martins eat butterflies but they will I have an overabundance of butterflies here normally (I'm a butterfly Dottie, Hickory Hollow From: Jim Koehler Sent: April 11, 2006 RE: ANother mosquito eater Yes, I agree on this being a very good mosquito catcher as well. This is also another reason I don't cultivate having purple martins around, because they eat a large number of dragon flies! Jim Koehler From: Keith & Sandy Kridler [mailto:txbluebirder"at"sbcglobal.net] Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 8:37 AM Subject: Purple Martins and predators at San Marcos Texas Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas Owls, hawks and crows are a problem. While I was standing there a Cooper Hawk streaked through so fast and so close to my head I jerked back fearing it would hit me. It missed a martin and ripped down through the martin houses with talons outstretched till about eye level and then it raised up it's killing gear and beat the air furiously with it's wings, dodging a couple hundred now very angry Purple Martins. It was like standing in the middle of a swarm of huge black honey bees. Within seconds the swarm moved off and was gaining altitude faster than the Cooper Hawk as it was constantly now under strafing runs from fighter pilots who had gained the higher altitude. It disappeared in mere seconds into a stretch of woods! From: Herb Kelley [mailto:herbsho"at"centurytel.net] Sent: Wednesday, May 17, 2006 2:42 PM Subject: Dead Purple Martins Found two dead Purple Martins today. Thanks Herb Kelley From: Robert Barron [mailto:rebarron"at"gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, May 17, 2006 3:19 PM Subject: Re: Dead Purple Martins Hi Herb, Are other PM's nearby ok? What is the weather like. What part of the Thanks, From: Herb Kelley [mailto:herbsho"at"centurytel.net] Sent: Wednesday, May 17, 2006 3:38 PM Subject: Re: Dead Purple Martins Thanks for the quick response. Thanks again. Herb Kelley From: Dottie, Hickory Hollow, Brown County, Indiana [mailto:yumyumkatts"at"voyager.net] Sent: Wednesday, May 17, 2006 4:42 PM Subject: Re: Dead Purple Martins Purple Martin landlords here are having Purple Martins to die because they Dottie, Hickory Hollow From: Dottie, Hickory Hollow, Brown County, Indiana [mailto:yumyumkatts"at"voyager.net] Sent: Wednesday, May 17, 2006 4:44 PM Subject: Purple Martins Starving This is in our Indy Star newspaper. I get it on-line and it just came over. Some southern Indiana birds starving Dottie, Hickory Hollow From: Torrey [mailto:torrey_canyon"at"yahoo.com] Sent: Thursday, May 18, 2006 6:18 PM Subject: Re: Dead Purple Martins Hi Herb, For future reference, there's a simple way to tell if an otherwise unmarked dead bird possibly died of starvation. When you're holding the bird, feel for the keel. Purple Martins feed exclusively on the wing & flying is an energy-intensive activity. The weather doesn't have to be totally rotten (considering wind, rain, & It's times like this that i'm very glad i get my food from a grocery store. It's tough being dependent on the weather. Torrey Wenger From: roy pischer [mailto:tlp4456"at"msn.com] Today, the six Purple Martins fledged from the Last of 6 gourds that were successfully nested and fledged babies. Tonight (while trying to salvage what the drought and my horses have left of my zinnias) I noticed that the PM were "bickering" with each other, and would drive some of the newly fledged babies to the tops of the trees in our yard. I saw the same thing with the other groups of fledglings, but paid particular attention tonight. Is this normal behavior? I've never noticed it before. From: Kenny [mailto:kpkmajk"at"cox.net] Hello, Roy. I know enough about bluebirds to be dangerous but purple martins are my real passion. Martin parents work in varying degrees to discourage their fledges from returning to roost in the nesting compartments. This will go on for about a week or two (at the most) before the fledges are more independent and frequent the natal site less and less. Naturally, the fledges have to be “taught” or “encouraged” to roost in trees. You know, there is a chance that those excluder entrances cause damage to the back feathers of martins enough, that I worry that it could compromise their migration flight efficiency and ultimately, their survival. They do not molt until they are in South America. There needs to be more research on this possibility and I wish PMCA would cause that to happen. Down here in Louisiana, I use excluders only until the young hatch. I use Trio houses where the doors can be interchanged. Eighty percent of the entering and exiting of nesting compartments occurs during the feeding phase and by that time, the starling pressure has all but abated as the starlings have left and found other nesting sites by that time. Good luck, Kenny Kleinpeter |
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