The Martin Problem

A couple weeks ago, I vented about Osprey-related frustrations at Chambers Creek Properties on my personal blog. In that rant, I mentioned concerns regarding how they have been handling the Purple Martins. From the look of things, they screwed that up too.


Let me go back to my primary concern. Last year, I found some Martin children sticking their heads out of a metallic box waiting for food from their parents. I think it's safe to say that this box was where they decided to nest.



Although I haven't taken any pictures worth uploading of the new nesting boxes, they are similar in shape and size to the box on the dock. I'm not an expert on Martins, but I felt that keeping the box on the dock was an odd decision if they wanted the birds to move.

It's not like they have started their nest, but my first Martin encounter of the year hasn't eased my concerns. I found three of them today, including a male and a female above the old box. It appears that they are more interested in that box than the new homes that had been built for them.



The above picture was taken this morning. Call it a hunch, but I don't think this is a good sign. After screwing up with the Ospreys, it looks like they also made mistakes in dealing with the Martins. I never understood why they wanted to target the middle of nesting season for the removal of the docks. If they absolutely must remove the dock during summer, I hope they can find a safe way to get these Martins to move to the new boxes.

5/1/14 Update: Although I didn't see them up above the box, I did see them on the dock again. I still have not seen any interest in the new boxes. Due to uncooperative tides, it is unlikely that I will be able to look for them again until at least next Thursday, and that's a close call.

5/11/14 Update: The martins were hiding today, but I saw them yesterday. A male and female were seen together inside the old box. That's not a good sign. There was some good news. A male was inspecting the new boxes. This was the first time that I saw any interest in the boxes.