Question from 2nd year landlord

Cheryl S · Tue Feb 03, 2015 6:57 pm

I had 18 pair in 2014 that successfully fledged babies. Will they expect the gourds they nested in to be in the same location on the gourd rack as they were last year?
Thanks,
Cheryl S

apundt-TX · Tue Feb 03, 2015 7:11 pm

I never hang my gourds in the exact setup each year.
My gourd rack stays in the same location but I might swap out some gourds to view from my sitting area.
Some years I will put a wide porch in the viewing area for me and other years something with a clinger type entrance to watch them cling from the entrance hole and use the tail feathers as a prop.

kehunter · Tue Feb 03, 2015 7:40 pm

From the degree of housing upgrades / changes that successful landlords make year after year in their growing colonies, I don't think location changes on a rack would matter at all. I have read in various sources that individual birds often choose a cavity near the one they had previously, not the exact same one.

Anthony Neira · Tue Feb 03, 2015 7:52 pm

Nope.

Emil Pampell-Tx · Tue Feb 03, 2015 8:04 pm

For many years, I changed them all around. In the last few years, the hanging holes that are on the arms match certain gourds (unfortunately I have some differences in the hanging holes). Now I hang them in the exact same place. I think that the females usually go to the same gourd, and maybe (I think), that there is less fighting.

Overall, it is not something to worry about, you will be fine by moving them all over the place.

Waydog · Tue Feb 03, 2015 8:10 pm

They will orientate their "radar" to home into the openings when they settle into a picked home. Once they arrive, don't move the housing. The return birds have it "programmed" into them for the mapped return to their previously established homesite's annually...openings matter after they establish each homecoming!

Anthony Neira · Tue Feb 03, 2015 8:51 pm

Cheryl, Good Question, & like Waydog states, that their chosen home should Not be moved once they pick it. BUT, as far as knowing if the same Martin came BACK to the Same spot, Unless yours are banned & they are re- trapped to check the ban #, Most of us will NEVER Know if that IS Indeed the SAME Martin in the Same Gourd as last season, how do the rest of Us know if "Susy" Martin GOT "Helen" Martin's spot from last season?

Good Luck!

Cheryl S · Tue Feb 03, 2015 11:05 pm

Thank you to all that replied. I'm glad to know I don't have to duplicate last year's arrangement of gourds exactly.

I hope everyone has a great 2015.

Cheryl S

tonyg · Wed Feb 04, 2015 3:48 am

I have all my gourds marked as to which gourd rack they go, and have put them in the same place the last 3 yrs, when I expanded to all new gourd racks, but that's just the way I roll...it probably doesn't make that much difference, they'll manage it...

Cheryl S · Wed Feb 04, 2015 7:48 am

Tonyg, thanks for your input. The gourd placement I do remember from last year are the ones that had babies. It was the ones that didn't have active nests that I'm not sure about direction and placement. It sounds like some do and some don't try to duplicate. It's good to get differing opinions.

Have a great 2015.
Cheryl S

JeanS · Wed Feb 04, 2015 9:34 am

About 10 years ago, a bird bander came out to band all our baby purple martins. Over 100 babies were banded. The bander ran out of the little leg bands and he couldn't do all of them. The following year, we had only one of the banded baby birds return to our site. And the year after that, we had no banded birds. I know some of the banded birds did not make it to adulthood. I actually saw a few get taken by hawks. And one was taken by a loggerhead shrike. But I would think a great many survived but just didn't return to their birthplace.

I've often wondered how many of the adults return year after year, but I think the babies do not have a high rate of return to our site.

Cheryl S · Wed Feb 04, 2015 12:13 pm

JeanS, thanks for your reply. That's what I understand, too. I do think the adults that had successful nests do return to their home colony if they survive migration. Those are the ones I was concerned about.

Have a great 2015.
Cheryl S

Chuck4 · Wed Feb 04, 2015 1:28 pm

JeanS wrote:About 10 years ago, a bird bander came out to band all our baby purple martins. Over 100 babies were banded. The bander ran out of the little leg bands and he couldn't do all of them. The following year, we had only one of the banded baby birds return to our site. And the year after that, we had no banded birds. I know some of the banded birds did not make it to adulthood. I actually saw a few get taken by hawks. And one was taken by a loggerhead shrike. But I would think a great many survived but just didn't return to their birthplace.

I've often wondered how many of the adults return year after year, but I think the babies do not have a high rate of return to our site.

I read somewhere around here that survivability for first year birds is is about 30-40% (3-4 out of ten). So for a clutch of four birds probably one will survive until the next year. And, in general, they don't return to where they fledged.

Chris B · Wed Feb 04, 2015 3:39 pm

My gourd racks are 11' tall 3" PVC tees. The tee can and does rotate on the pole it is mounted on, depending on the winds. They seem to like/tolerate that. The guy who put me onto Martins suggested doing it this way.

I am going to put the 2" gourds on a new pole that is closer to my front porch and the new bigger gourds with SREH and porches on the old pole. 16 gourds instead of the 8 I had last year. We'll see and they are getting closer according to the scout reports. I will probably put up the SREH gourds on the new pole this weekend in case any earlybirds show up, and to keep the darn starlings out.