MAYDAY, MAYDAY!

[SYmywa]

HELLO,

Following my introduction to PUMA at a workshop, in spring 2013.

And having lowered, cleaned and loaded the house compartments
with some cedar chips and pine straw.
I raised the house to the up position, assuming it was ready.

On the 4th day following the workshop, in fact it was May 1st (MAYDAY)
I happened to be standing in front of the picture window, as I do so
often, anymore. Out of nowhere appeared not 1 or 2 but FOUR-PUMA
swooping directly over the window, in formation, like "jets at an airshow"
It was like, HELLO!, there was no doubt in my mind, what they were, in
fact in that fleeting moment, I believe I saw 3 very dark and 1 lighter PM.
They circled over my house and landed on their house, (was hoping)
Was the first I'd experienced anything like it and although I was very
excited at the moment, I was also concerned!
After watching them sit in the house, cold, hungry and tired for most of 3 days, some
with beaks poking out of compartments and others on the porch, barely moving and
with temps. hovering around the freeze point and snow drifts lingering around the yard
and me hardly leaving the house, lest I disrupt them.
Some time during day 3 they disappeared and I have often wondered, was there some
thing I could have done to help?
I have studied about PM intently since then and read quiet a lot about supplemental
feeding.
Was this a time to apply it?
Any chance earthworms or scrambled eggs might have worked?

[Perry D. Vogel]

With four Purple Martins showing interest in your property, I would've made sure that my presence would've been known in the area. Purple Martins scouts didn't start showing up into the area until around April 20th when the daytime temperatures first got above 50°F. I don't think we really experienced any prolonged periods were Purple Martins would've needed supplemental feedings in the spring of 2013. Most likely the Purple Martins that you saw at your property were Purple Martins that were passing your colony and live further north.

We have a Facebook album called Mudding for Purple Martins that might help attract Purple Martins to your site next spring give it a try and good luck.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 240&type=3

[Dave Duit]

I agree. The 50 degree mark is when flying insect activity stops or slows down. I have heard that martins will visit low laying areas such as marshes where the natural heat may entice flying insect. This is the reason that martins may disperse from your location for a day or two in order to feed at these niche areas.

[SYmywa]

Perry,
I'm hoping those birds were just visitors.
Lets hope for improved temps. for 2014 PM. arrival.

Thanks for the heads-up on "mudding".
My housing was wearing a gob at the entrances, this past summer and
I also added mud internal and on the porches of some compartments, as
I was lowering my housing for winter.
Plan to freshen that up, before prepping nest trays and raising in spring.

Dave,
Lets hope these and other PM arriving ahead of the insects, searched out
a food supply, before there tanks ran empty and they fell out of the sky!

Have either of you Landlords used supplemental feeding for "early birds" in the past?

[Dave Duit]

Scrambled eggs, crickets and mealworms yes. I have never heard of earthworms for supplimental feeding. I smear mud around the entrances prior to martins arrival; it seems to peak the male scouts interest. I have flicked scrambled eggs for feeding, but these days I just use a large feeding tray. The martins use less energy in obtaining their food in this way. When you have a large colony, you may want to consider two feeding trays due to forced copulation. When young males realize that females will eat the crushed eggs shells on a feeding tray, they go where the so called chances of carrying on their lineage are present. Young males will take any opportunity with these females on the feeding tray; it is very instinct driven. They won't kill the females, but it makes it difficult for the females to feed. By putting up another feeding tray, there are less martins per tray which decreases this behavior. On a side note, I'm developing a feeding tray that allows martins to feed, but keeps out starlings and robins.

[SYmywa]

I only brought up earthworms, because I try to keep these on hand for bait.
So might it be beneficial to add a feed tray to my new housing for 2014 and offer worms
along with scrambled eggs, to 1st time PM, that may arrive well ahead of their food supply?

Your idea on the feed tray, to avoid the competition, sounds like a PM custom!

[Dave Duit]

Symywa,
You are welcome. I hope the additional feeding trays help. I agree, it is good to have worms on hand for fishing or for trying it out with martins.

[SYmywa]

PERRY,

I tried opening the link above, about "mudding for pm" without any luck.?

[Perry D. Vogel]

Right-click the link and 'Open in new tap'. Because of an increased security measure to reduce the amount of SPAM posts, all external links need to be opened using this method. Or you can use the forum by using the 'Open in full window' at the bottom of the forum and the new security restrictions are not enforced.

[SYmywa]

PERRY,

Thanks for the heads-up on how to open the "mudding link", that worked.
Have also read where painting a layer of mud inside the nest tray is attractive to PM.
Will be adding some our houses, for spring 2014, in hopes of retaining tennants.
Good luck to all who try this.

Thanks,
Jerome