Colony update April 23

On Friday I did my first nest check of the season. My Martin's began building earlier in the week and I also had to discharge starlings in two compartments. I have a pair of starling in the trendsetter and one in the T-10.  

  after the check I have 15 nests started.  Only one had green leaves.  This seems early for my place but it my still be some time before eggs are laid.   

  I have yet to see SY males but have noticed at least two SY females.  

    Leuie has found a mate and has claimed the super gourd B-1 that hangs on the T-10.  It is interesting that he chose this gourd as I can keep a good eye on him from the roost.  

Latest cold snap is over and a week of warm weather is ahead. My martins are pairing up and selecting compartments. Nest building should commence in a couple weeks.  

Leuie

On Wednesday April 5 I was watching my Martin's while lying in the hammock. I grabbed my binoculars to look for any banded Martin's I had no reason to suspect there would be any banded birds but it gave me a challenge.

No sooner then I started looking I spotted a bird that at first I thought was a second-year male. Immediately after spotting it through my binoculars I knew it wasn't but what was it. I then did a double take and looked closer and realized that he bird was a partial albino called a    Leucistic    bird. I was thrilled surprised and excited to find this bird. I immediately tried to take a picture with my iPhone but realize that wasn't going to be enough. I got my digital SLR camera and got some nice photographs fearing that maybe it was just a passing moment and the Bird would move on and not be here very much longer.

The other exciting thing with ithis leucistic

Bird was that he was checking out the ChirpyNest boxes almost exclusively, first on the new rack and then on the other poles

That was two days ago on Wednesday, this is Friday and "Leuie" as he has become known is still here and looks to be a resident for the summer. It will be exciting to follow his of adventures throughout the season and tell his story

Numbers starting to build.

2017 started with first sighting on March 4 and second sighting March 11. I finally heard vocalizing and my third sighting on Tuesday March 21. Today, March 26 I am only up to four birds but i expect numbers to increase almost daily from now on as long as weather stays nice, which is the forecast.  

Its is obvious that the first arrivals do not always stay around and that they may be birds passing through but at very least they don't spend a lot of time at their colony.  The last several seasons I have been lucky to see the first bird. After the first sighting several days passed until the next sighting. It is easy to see how the term scout came to be used to refer to the first Martin's seen.  Since they are not seen every day and don't spend night an explanation is that they check things out then return to bring in others.  

  Even though the term scout is still used it is not believed that they perform a leadership role.  

My Martin's are now spending the nights but with three here since Tuesday only one was seen going in at night.  The others are either zipping in unnoticed or staying elsewhere.  I think elsewhere since I have watched closely each evening.