Aug 6 VHCC

Season results from the colony at VHCC in Abingdon Virginia.

This spring I refurbished the established T-14 house here and in conjunction with Kevin Hamed of the biology department erected a second rack filled with my ChirpyNest units. 

Of the 14 compartments in the T-14 -  12 were active, 60 eggs laid , 40 eggs hatched and 36 fledged.

Of the 26 new ChirpyNest compartments: 21 were active,  75 eggs laid , 55 hatched and 51 fledged.  The Martin's really like the ChirpyNest system. The colony more than doubled with this addition.

      Summary of the VHCC Season:

40 compartments

33 Active

135 eggs

95 hatched

85 fledged

  In addition, many people inquired about 'the martins ' and plans for more educational opportunities are in the works for 2018.

first year single ChirpyNest boxes  

Peak of season

 Going into July 1 fledglings have left the nest but the majority of the birds are at their peak of reading young bringing in food too hungry babies and continual activity throughout the colony all day long  

 It's an enjoyable time but it's also a time that you know it's going to start declining over the next several weeks and the end of the Martin season is within sight  

 I'm going to enjoy every chance I can watching my birds chronicle in the season and genuinely watching the progress of young fledge of the fun in the Quitman of the evening gathering have the returning fledglings and the adults at the colony becomes a massive Steria have activity every evening  

Summer kicking in

There is a Lull in the purple Martin season between the craziness of spring pairing, nesting, and claiming compartments to the time feeding becomes a full time job for the martin parents. 

This lull is a time that morning activity decreases but most noticeable is the decrease of evening activity   This is the time of incubation. The  female Martin is usually on the Nest while the male goes about foraging and keeping watch over the cavity.  The time the female is off the nest is short and she quickly returns to the eggs.  I think this lull has part to do with not drawing attention to the nest and is a protective measure. And part to do with the priorities of  survival  

Once hatching begins and feeding become almost constant, the evening activity begins to increase. It is a relaxing and enjoyable time to watch as beak full after beak full of insects is brought to the cavity for hungry and fast growing purple martin babies. 

     Soon young will be fledgling and the days will become more silent, replaced by the fun and excitement of the returning birds in the evening. 

Storms

today. May 24 storms rolled through mid day. 

Many trees and limbs in neighborhoods came down but the martin poles are ok.  Rain and cool finished the day but at least first half was nice.   

Found dead SY male on ground. Found five eggs punctured under pole E. a wren is suspect and a frustration is setting in with that and the owl presence. to top it off I see an egg in the entrance of Leuies gourd.  This weeks nest check is going to be very telling as to the direction of the season.