Egg Laying Begins - May 28, 2008

Nest building continues... Several of the ASY pairs are now bringing in green leaves and a few have started egg laying. The SY (second year) birds are continuing to arrive and pair up. The SY birds should begin nest building soon. The Memory Lake Colony has 20 nests started, 4 of which have eggs. The Snake River Colony has 7 nests started. The Pokegama Lake Colony has 3 nests started. The ECE Colony has 21 nests started, 4 of which have eggs. The Rush Lake Colony has 3 nests started. There still hasn't been any activity at the Plastech Corp. Site in Rush City. After this season, the housing may be relocated to different location if it doesn't host nesting pairs this season. In total, the ECMPMR colonies have 54 nests started! Some of these nests will likely not result in eggs as some Purple Martin pairs will build nests in multiple cavities. However, the 2008 season is off to a great start!

Nest Building Begins - May 18, 2008

ASY Purple Martins have begin nest building! A few SY Purple Martins have also started to arrive. The first official nest check was conducted today. The Memory Lake Colony (Grantbsurg, WI) has 19 nests started. All of the compartments in the T-14 and gourd below has nests; may have a full house! The Snake River Colony (Pine City, MN) has 2 nests started. The first SY male was spotted. The new Pokegama Lake Site (Pine City, MN): has one ASY pair bringing in nesting material! The well established ECE Colony (Braham, MN) has 18 nests started, 6 of the nests were in the new SS24 gourd rack! The new Rush Lake Site (Rush City, MN) has 3 nests started. Unfortunately, the Plastech Corp. Site (Rush City, MN) still hasn't had any martin activity. Looks like the beginning of a great season!

First Martins at Pokegama Lake Site - May 11, 2008

I decided to check on the Pokegama Lake site this evening. I just had a hunch... sure enough - there was an ASY male trying to lure down a female! The male zipped right into a compartment and called for the female. She landed several times, peered into the compartment. She nearly entered several times but never went all the way in. She took off and the male continued to sit on the porch. He is perched on the lower porch of the right side of the T-14! Several Tree Swallows harassed the female a bit, she didn't seem the least worried about them. It sure would be nice to have this site activated its first year!

Looking Good for Rush Lake - May 11, 2008

There are now 3 adult males and 1 adult female Purple Martins at the new Rush Lake site! All four of the birds were interested in the T-14; they didn't pay much attention to the gourds. They were easily able to enter and exit the WDC entrances with ease. It appears there is a pair of tree swallows interested in the gourd rack. One of the male martins dive bombed the tree swallows.

First Martins at Rush Lake Site - May 9, 2008

This evening I decided to check out the Rush Lake Site - a new site for 2008. I couldn't believe my eyes - an ASY male was sticking his head out of one of the compartments (top compartment facing the picture) and an ASY female popped out of the lower compartment as I pulled up. It was getting dark and I only saw the two birds. They both took off when I approached and circled over head. Hopefully this new site will have its first committed ASY pair!!!!!

New Sites Ready to Go - May 4, 2008

I visited all of the sites today. The Memory Lake, ECE, and Snake River colonies are doing great; the males are busy defending cavities and attracting females. The three new sites, Rush Lake, Plastech Corp. and Pokegama Lake, remain without martins, but are all ready to go. These sites will most likely attract SY pairs, which should begin to return within a few weeks. I checked each site today to ensure all compartments had dried White Pine needles. I also trapped a bull House Sparrow from the Pokegama Lake site using a nest insert trap. The three new sites are now free from European Starings and House Sparrows, which is of utmost importance when starting new colonies!

ECE Martins Approve - May 4, 2008

Several ASY martin pairs seem to have claimed their gourd on the new gourd rack at the ECE Colony in Braham, MN.

Many Memory Lake Martins - May 4, 2008

This is the second year for the Snake River Colony - last year it had three pair (two successful). There are now two ASY pairs back! One of the males seems committed to the very same compartment that fledged young last year!

Two ASY Pairs at Snake River Colony - May 4, 2008

This is the second year for the Snake River Colony - last year it had three pair (two successful). There are now two ASY pairs back! One of the males seems committed to the very same compartment that fledged young last year!

Female Martin Stuck in Entrance - May 4, 2008

While checking on the Memory Lake Colony in Grantsburg, WI today, I noticed a female stuck in one of the entrances. At this time of the season martins fight, sometimes very seriously, for compartments. During the early spring, martins have been reported stuck in many different types of entrances. This poor bird ended up stuck in the entrance hole with another female martin on the inside. Thankfully, I was able to free this bird and the bird stuck in the compartment. The bird trapped in the compartment pecked at the back of this martin, causing some minor damage (missing feathers, red skin). Hopefully she will make it. The female stuck in the compartment was freed unharmed. This incident demonstrates the importance of carefully monitoring your colony.

Martins Return to Snake River Colony - May 3, 2008

The martins have returned to the Snake River Colony in Pine City, MN! Last year was the first year for this site; it hosted three SY (second-year; hatched the previous year) pairs. Two of the pairs successfully fledged four young each. The third pair's nest was infested with Blowflies and all of the nestlings died. An ASY (after second-year; an adult) male and female have returned. This year, I hope to have at least five pair at this second year colony.