tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2891478286629018612.post6302876454148476503..comments2024-03-14T14:32:56.802-05:00Comments on Garden Musings: New Year ActivitiesProfessorRoushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17827625019371233145noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2891478286629018612.post-45635537710983276122012-01-05T20:09:07.198-06:002012-01-05T20:09:07.198-06:00Each year we've had to clean out some sparrow ...Each year we've had to clean out some sparrow nests, but the sparrows here don't seem as tenacious as some of the ones we dealt with in Mayetta!<br /><br />Yes, we do keep the house down until the scouts are reported in the area. Greg checks for the northward progression of them via a website. I can get that from him, if you're interested.<br /><br />We try not to completely lose hope until it's been a couple weeks past when the first years are back in the area.<br /><br />My mantra for this spring (among many): "We WILL get martins this year. We WILL get martins this year!" (I wonder if bird-napping would be helpful....)Gaia Gardener:https://www.blogger.com/profile/00692281131036600613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2891478286629018612.post-23316172906549658722012-01-05T15:55:23.098-06:002012-01-05T15:55:23.098-06:00I hope it will be for you. I love to watch them p...I hope it will be for you. I love to watch them pirouet around the sky as I mow. Do you have trouble with sparrows inhabiting the houses? You're pretty good about reading up on things so I'm sure you know to only put out the Martin houses when the scouts arrive in your area. I've even held it a bit longer. Last year I didn't go up till I saw the first Purple Martin in mid-April; they swarmed to it within hours after that.ProfessorRoushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17827625019371233145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2891478286629018612.post-43770088658204002642012-01-05T15:09:23.053-06:002012-01-05T15:09:23.053-06:00We had a thriving colony of martins when we lived ...We had a thriving colony of martins when we lived north of Topeka (the 1990's, give or take a year or so), but we can't seem to attract them here, despite having what seems like excellent habitat for them. Greg is quite frustrated, as we've got a great martin house just waiting for proper occupants which he religiously raises and lowers, keeps clear of sparrow nests, and so forth. <br /><br />The nearest colony is a couple miles away, as the crow flies. My favorite hypothesis is that the colonies are only now rebounding from the horrible April freeze we had 5 years ago this spring, the first year that we put the house out. As I understand purple martin population dynamics, they'll fill up current colonies before expanding out to find suitable new nesting sites.<br /><br />We're keeping our fingers crossed that THIS year will be the start of a martin filled sky for us.Gaia Gardener:https://www.blogger.com/profile/00692281131036600613noreply@blogger.com