Purple Martin Association of the Dakotas

Hi everyone. Here in central Iowa I had my first ASY male arrive on 3/20/18. This is roughly 10 days earlier than last year. I thought I would share that with everyone up north so as to prepare a bit earlier than normal for their arrival in Minnesota and the Dakotas.

Mr Dave
Thanx for the heads-up bout early return of our friends
Congrats on the Purple kick-start to your season!
Any changes or upgrades to sites in your area?
Was waiting in line so others might respond, but guess
I am the line❓
Jerome

Thanks. I still have only the single ASY male and have been flipping crickets and offering scrambled eggs everyday since the weather has turn downward. Ice, snow 31 degrees and windy, but he is ok and has been eating the supplement food I have offered through a variety of methods. Also, supplement feeding the public site in Ames in case any martins arrive at that location. I made huge improvements to my colony for this season. Over the winter I made a "heating box" made of aluminum with a ceramic heater. This box slides behind the back ends of my metal houses and the radiant heat dissipates through the 2 inch louvered soffit vents on the back end of each of the compartments, it is removable for storage once temps rise in the nights. Even on a cold night it keeps the temp inside the compartments warmer than the outside temp. I built all new slide out trays for my own colony as well as our organizations' public martin education colony in Ames, Iowa. lastly, I replaced 36 Big Bo 11, with 36 new Troyer horizontal gourds. With the newly invented heater, I have less to worry about the early arrivers. This summer, once the temps get warm I will remove the heating box, take some pics and offer them to your organization as well as the PMCA for others to copy and build this designed heater.

Mr Dave
U flip forage or host the " Oyster Bar?"
The Swallow Brooder sounds interesting!
Ur waaay busy as usual
I been upgrading an old Heath Castle to double comp. /w SRE & access doors.
Also built a foam Bungalow as added option for 2018 season.
Snowing our way now, hopefully it stays here so ur birds can enjoy some better!

Later
Jerome

Hi Jerome,
I'm doing both the Bob Buskas oyster bar feeding tray as well as flippin' crickets. The idea of a combination enclosed feeding tray and community heating box has really sparked interest, especially on the PMCA. I have a heating set up for my four grandpa style metal houses that keeps it at a toasty 55 degrees when temps outside are 19 degrees. I have kept an asy male going for 18 days so far with the combination of my modified oyster feeding tray and hot box with ceramic heater unit.

Dave

So once they join the "Oyster Club" also require Flipping?
Boy, wait till your bird spreads the word

Spose I should line-up some Perks, lest mine return ahead of their forage!
My founding pairs & visitors did use provided small oyster trays For 2017 season!
Could add forage to above if needed.

Swallows here looked at alum. housing, but chose wood box's to nest in 2017.

Jerome

Great question. Most of the martins use the oyster bar once they learn, but I still flip a cricket or two to keep them honest. I did notice on the PMCA scout report that South Dakota got it's first arrival;
2018-04-07
ARMOUR, SD
Reported by Lea Ymker
This is great news for the Dakota landlords.