2012 PM Roost Stafford TX

[BumBee]

04JUN2012
Last Saturday I watched and waited for the PMs to return to my backyard to roost ad only a few
returned. This gave me an idea to go to the Fountains in Stafford Texas. To my surprise, the PMs
are roosting there again.

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

Thanks for finding the roost. We may go there one night this week to see it We live about 10mi from it (16.6 driving distance)

[BumBee]

Hey Emil,
The roost starts at the power lines next to the pond behind the Fountains Shopping Center.
Then they go to the oak trees that line the street that leads to Sports Authority.
For better viewing, park on the Guitar Center side of the oak trees.

Patrik D. was there looking for this roost last Sunday. I told him that I think the reason for
this roost moving is because of the over whelming number of starlings and other black birds taking
over the old roost Site in front of the old RoomStore. I was there Saturday 02JUN2012 and watch them
try to roost at the old site but quickly got out of there.

[Matt F.]

Great recon BumBee!
Thanks for posting!

[BumBee]

06JUN2012
I went to see if the roost was there for good, I think it is.

[BumBee]

Here is a three minute video I took Tuesday night (06JUN2012).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv2WTjykKks

[Don Troha]

Hey Bumbee, nice pics and video. I've checked out the park at mid afternoon but there are only a few Martins there at that
time of day. Hope to get out there at dusk sometime in the next few days. (Waiting for my resident martins to leave.) Thanks!

[BumBee]

Hey Don,
All I see at my site are visitors. By sun set, they are all gone.

I hope that these visitors will be the future residents at my site. I see them claiming
unoccupied rooms.

[Don Troha]

For past few days my two resident families have returned to spend the night accompanied
by 10-15 visitors on their way to the roost. What a loud and rowdy bunch!
I drove by the park yesterday at about 6:00PM and there were only a couple of hundred
martins on the wires there. The majority of the roost must be showing up closer to sunset.
I've been checking the radar & today is the first day I've seen a donut pattern in the Stafford area:

[BumBee]

18JUN2012
Friday evening (15JUN2012) I went to see how the 2012 PM roost at the Fountains was going, to my
Big surprise, it appears to be twice to three time bigger that when I first saw it. They started at the
Oak tress the line the street that leads to the Sports Authority store and ended up at the trees that
Lines the street in that leads to the front door of the Rack Room Store. I think it is already bigger than
last year’s roost. Some of the late comers to the roost ends up on the smaller trees that lines the street
next to the building between the Rack Room Store and Stein Mart. I parked on the Stein Mart side of the
roost site and had a blast. Got Pooped on a few times. When you’re under thousands of flying PMs,
expect it.

[DornCounty]

For past few days my two resident families have returned to spend the night accompanied
by 10-15 visitors on their way to the roost. What a loud and rowdy bunch!
I drove by the park yesterday at about 6:00PM and there were only a couple of hundred
martins on the wires there. The majority of the roost must be showing up closer to sunset.
I've been checking the radar & today is the first day I've seen a donut pattern in the Stafford area:

What site are you using to get these radar images?

[Don Troha]

What site are you using to get these radar images?

I like this one because it keeps a 15 day history: http://vortex.plymouth.edu/nids.html
Pick a radar site from the map and type it into the "ID" box. For SE Kansas try EAX, ICT, for SGF.
Fill in the blanks with the date, time(GMT), etc. Select "21-frame GIF" to get a 2hr animated loop.

Edit: This one works also, but it is live and provides about a 1hr loop. So if your roost disperses at 6AM,
you'll need to run it at say 6:30AM. http://www.wunderground.com/radar/map.asp

[Patrick W. Dusek]

Went tonight really getting LARGE, this is a must see if you are in the area.

Later, Patrick

[Don Troha]

Thanks for the updates Patrick & BumBee. Enjoyed visiting the roost tonight.
Lots of Martins skimming the pond before roost time. Took a bunch of pics. Posted some on Flickr.

Edit: Uploaded some video clips (very short).
http://youtu.be/tG8eKQYuXrM (Martins at park)
http://youtu.be/IkeBOQYEzu0 (Martins at roost)
http://youtu.be/qdXPn_8p7gQ (Martins on electrical tower)
http://youtu.be/t91R4-5mQVo (Martins skimming the water)