![]() ![]() The Purple Martins loved their new set-up! Old-style gourd with crescent entrance Upgraded Conley II entrance with porch, tunnel, and vented cap Spring 2018: Martin habitat upgraded to a new 3” square pole and 11 gourds Taking all this to heart, in 2018 we purchased a complete Purple Martin pole system with a 3-inch pole and winch for raising and lowering the gourds. A further suggestion was to upgrade the regular inspection caps with new heavy-duty caps that included venting, allowing for a cooler interior to the gourds. He also suggested we use gourds with Troyer tunnels the long horizontal tunnel neck prevents predators like raccoons and great horned owls from reaching into the nest cavity, and seem to be preferred by Martins. Matt suggested switching to gourds with Conley II starling-resistant entrances, which are easier for the Martins to learn to use and accept. ![]() The crescent-shaped entrance wasn’t ideal because Martins sometimes got trapped and stuck in the entrance hole (this primarily happens when Martins are fighting over a gourd). Although these entrances were designed to be starling proof, we had seen at least one starling easily pass through. Matthew was extremely knowledgeable and helpful, explaining that the gourds we had put up (and that were now occupied with House Sparrows) had crescent entrances. Matt graciously drove out to Western Academy to offer advice on our setup. In the summer of 2017 Mary Anne put me in contact with Matthew Fendley, a Purple Martin Landlord at the University of Houston. Every year we waited with eager anticipation for the distinctive chortling and flying antics of these harbingers of Spring! For three years we used the hexagon Martin house, enjoying the return of the Purple Martins to campus each April. A few House Sparrows and at least one European Starling pair moved into some of the upper chambers as well. Mary Anne donated several white gourds, which we hung beneath the metal house, but the Purple Martins seemed to prefer the higher cavities and House Sparrows moved into the gourds. What a joy to hear the Purple Martins chortling above campus, and watching them circle and swoop above our heads! Because the metal house was permanently fixed to the top of a pole, there was no way to lower the house and count eggs or check on the Purple Martins, so we have no accurate numbers from those first few years. That spring, we had our first Purple Martins! We set the house up in the median in the middle of the main driveway. We mounted it on a 12-foot pole that was part of the chain-link fence that used to run the length through of what is now the middle of campus. In January 2015 Mary Anne put me in touch with Bob Wall, a Houston Audubon Nature Photography Association Member, who donated a two-story metal hexagon Purple Martin house to Western Academy. We will also identify the locations and monitor the phenology of autumn Purple Martin roosts in the mid-Atlantic region.ġ) Link individual purple martin movements and use of aerial habitats during pre-breeding and breeding season with breeding productivity and survival.Ģ) Measure the timing, location, and use of pre-migratory roosts by individual purple martins.ģ) Measure pre-migratory roost dynamics of purple martins in aggregate using weather surveillance radar.Ĥ) Measure migration routes, non-breeding locations, and survival of individual purple martins outside of the Mid-Atlantic region.Spring 2015: Hexagon two-story Martin tower at Western Academy Our goal is to link the movement ecology of individual Purple Martins, Progne subis, in the mid-Atlantic region with their breeding productivity, foraging habitat use, survival, migration phenology, and nonbreeding locations. Investigating Purple Martin Movements and Autumn Roosting Activity in the Mid-Atlantic ![]() Project: Purple Martin University of Delaware (#310) Short name: ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |