Purple Martin Association of the Dakotas

GUMORNIN,

AL HANSON, CAROLINE, DAVE DUIT, PERRY (other landlords)

Any updates or progress reports on your colony's?

Nest numbers, compared to 2013? (growth)

Is egg laying complete, any new SY birds?

Are all eggs hatched, percentage?

Are chicks midterm, any near fledge?

Any porch predation, moisture or insect issues

JAS

Sorry about the delayed response. My website is slow this time of year in the forum with everyone watching over their colonies. My numbers were good from last year. This year I had 97% fledge rate. 218 babies, 7 deaths from natural causes, one wing entrapment out of a total of 318 martins, 50 nesting pair, one nest with a mud dam had a rare double clutch with their estimated fledge date of Sept 4th, one nest with an amazing 8 eggs all fledging successfully. Overall, I had a great year.

Dave Duit

Good report Dave,

If I read you, sounds like nest numbers and fledges were
strong, considering the cool spring/low forage that some experienced.
How did other LL in your areas do?
Bob Buskas and company out of Alberta, Can. reported a good average production, /w many SY fill-ins!
Apart from the AllenH report above, Things have been on the quiet side on this end.
Always watchin our houses, lest a late migrant stops by to say Hi!

JAS

I'll try posting a reply to your message. It always tells me my post must be approved by a moderator and doesn't actually post for weeks.

My last PM's left on 09/10/2014 for the year. Last fledge on 09/02/2014.
Active nests were down 6 from last year to 59. Totals were 286 eggs, 260 hatched = 90.9%, 252 fledged = 96.9%, Occupancy 59%, clutch average 4.8

Fed 100,00 mealworms and 15,000 crickets for this season.

Al

This website is much like my website at: www.iamartin.org. Our forums see little activity due to the national PMCA website. people tend to stay with what has been familiar over the years. We have specific area oriented sites. But, my thoughts are that we can provide detailed resources that specifically focus on our regions. Each group adds additional info and in the long run increases awareness overall. I try to focus on shear numbers of visitors to the site. There are usually PM landlords that choose not to sign up, but check in for information. I like being a member of this site as much as my own and I encourage everyone to join other surrounding states websites.

Hi again AllenH

Perry hopefully fixed the post glitch you had.
Good to see those percentages strong, inspite of the late spring &
pair numbers down. why would many adults not nest, forage, weather??
Thanks for your ongoing support for those "early birds" lookin for forage!
Hope to chat again soon.

Dave Duit,

Thanks again for all you do and for 'swoopin' over /w your expertise
and insight.
I wholeheartedly agree that sharing Info. and some how generating
more awareness to the plight of these Swallow's and bring to the attention
of others, the need for more "Quality Housing" in all of the Northern Tier in
particular.
Has anyone try'd hanging Posters saying- ( Help, Housing Needed for Homeless P.M. etc?)
/w a number to call, to generate interest from "Bird Folks" in our areas who may not
be computer savvy?

JAS

Hi,

Just noticed your November post today!

I hope Perry (didn't know who to contact about Forum problems) got it solved. I am sure some of it is to stop bogus posters etc.

The birds that didn't breed probably arrived very late and in non breeding condition. It would be my opinion only. I did find 4 dead PM's almost at the fledgling point when I took my setup down. One was in the last nest to fledge. Two were in a nest that only had a SYF feeding the young at fledge time.

There is a person north of town very interested in getting setup after visiting my site in late Sept. I hadn't taken every thing down and put it away for the year. I gave him one of Troyer's catalogs. Last Saturday we had lunch along with some other farmers and talked about him getting setup. He asked if he could stop by with the catalog so he gets all he needs to get going. He was interested in either the Gemini rack or a T-14 with THG's under it.

Maybe with more rural people looking to get started we can get more birds in the area.

Hope this coming season is better for the PM's.

Al

Hy Al,

We may have a couple things goin on here, Post delivery and we used to
receive email notification each time someone posted on the forum.?

Anyway, thanks for your insight on why some PM may not have nested.
Great to here your site not only attracts PM, but PMW (PURPLE MARTIN WANABEE'S)
Once word is out, sites like yours could be the nucleus, for Our Better Homes for PM
outreach program.
I hope this party and many others can use your insight and experience along with the
quality housing on a good site, to help bring back PM to our areas!!!

Thanks'
JAS

The Forum now appears to be working correctly for me. Thanks for letting Perry know about my issue.

FYI: I am not an activist but will help anyone that asks for assistance.

JAS: I haven't used your name when responding (I think it is Jerome) as my memory isn't as good as it used to be. It never was that good anyhow.

Al

Al,

Nice to have the Forum working, so we can respond once we find out
there's a post. I didn't' receive an email regarding this, did you?

Al said-
"FYI: I am not an activist but will help anyone that asks for assistance."

Your willingness above, is probably just what us "new to and unaware of" the
PM plite/hobby in the "northern tier" need to get off on the right foot.

*Just a note to your party and anyone interested in housing PM, with no desire to
build the same. Hav-it Industries on this site offers, well built "Wood Housing"
starting with the T-6 pine, thru the T-14 cedar, in a good price range.

My thought, the T-6/8 /W there insulating property's for our cool springs and lower cost,
could make someone a nice starter unit.

We set-up and helped a couple neighbors in this area erect new T-8'S for spring
2014. one party had ASY visitors on 2 different occasions and we had an SY male
camping here and draw in up to 4 other PM,(no nesting) during a 29 day stay. Hoppin,
Hoppin for 2015!!!

Thanks,
JAS