EZ now...

I installed EZ Off Pole Guards this week. My colony's numbers are well above 100 and growing.

Colony photo.

Numbers at my colony has really picked up. I now expect to reach or exceed last year's numbers. The weather has been great, and will continue with warm temp's and no rain expected for the next ten days.

Nite Guards

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I cannot speak of the Nite Guards effectiveness against owls as I have never had a serious owl problem, and have had no issues this year. But I hope I am not ruining my luck by telling everyone I have had no hawk attacks this year during the very early dawn hours when the devices are still flashing.

By this time of year I would have normally witnessed or observed the remnants of 3-4 successful dawn hawk attacks, so it seems to have helped prevent the early morning lurking when they sit in wait.

I have witnessed three attacks during the day without success, but I have never beem concerned about those as they are rarely successful here until the fledglings are hanging around as hawk bait. I have wide open space for about a half to full mile in all directions, except for the trees in my own yard.

It is still early and the verdict is still out, but so far so good for early morning hawk incidents. Knock on wood.

Robert
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Geolocators

The PMCA put geolocators on a few purple martins from Pennsylvania and Texas, and their migration south and back north the following year were tracked. The PMCA learned the exact routes the martins took, the time spent at certain locations, etc. From the little information that Louise Chambers has disclosed on Facebook, martins from both Texas and Pennsylvania spend time in the Yucatan peninsula going north and south.

Also what got my attention was that martins migrating south for the winter takes six weeks to get to the Yucatan peninsula, and martins flying north in the spring only takes two weeks. This was true for both Texas and Pennsylvania martins.

This is just the opposite of what I thought, as I was always under the impression it would take them longer to fly north because of climate, but that is not true.

The PMCA plans on publishing this information in the winter issue of the PM Update. It should be fascinating.

Upsurge

I recently made a few adjustments on my 2010 set-up, and thought I would take a snapshot of it, especially since I have finally cut my grass. In this photo the martins are still away feeding and I use that time to bring down racks and do what needs to be done. What I decided to do over the weekend was to do away with round hole gourds. I only had approx 10 or so and they were still plugged, but the way my martins have accepted the Conley II entries, I don't see any reason to offer round holes anymore. I have a couple dozen crescents and the rest of my 224 gourds are now Conley II's.

I also have a bed & breakfast in the rear of the gourd racks, and four flashing Nite Guard Lights mounted on one of my racks, with them facing north, east, south and west.

The weather has been great the past week or so and I have observed an upsurge in arriving ASY's. But my martin numbers are still down from a yer ago, or at least it seems that way.

I have had several hawk attacks, but as far as I know, the hawk was unsuccessful. Martin decoys have been found turned upside down, and this morning not only was one upside down, it was muddy! Guess the hawk got his feet muddy on his last meal.

Continuing blog

I got very busy during the NCAA Basketball Tourney that I neglected my blog. Not that anyone reads it, but it's good therapy for me. I can say what I want about anything I want.

Conley II's a Hit!

The Conley II's seem to be easily negotiated by martins, so easily that I am doing away with the few round holes I was planning. This will be the first year I have been 100% SREH.

Home, sweet home!

Yes, 7-9 days later than average, but martins are back home in central Kentucky.

Set-up complete

Here's the 2010 set-up for my colony. There are five Super System 24's, with four of them modified to hold 32 gourds. There are also three Premium 24 racks. There are a total of 224 gourds broke down like this:

64 Troyer Horizontals with Conley 2 Tunnels.
64 Troyer Verticals with Conley 2 tunnels.
63 Natural Gourds with Conley 2 Tunnels
11 Super Gourds modified with Conley 2 Tunnels.
11 Super Gourds with crescent entries and metal porches.
9 Super Gourds with round holes.
2 Excluder Gourds with Conley WDC entries.
4 Nite Guard lights on CUE Light Holder

I also have two perching rod poles, and a Deluxe 12 gourd rack modified into a 'bed & breakfast'.

Colony update

The work on the colony is basically finished, offering eight racks with a total of 224 gourds. I will post multiple photos of the complete site very soon, maybe today. I want to get some photos while the sun is out.

No martins have returned yet, but there some reports nearby. Tree swallows were observed today, so spring is here.

I also have exchanged nice emails with Louise Chambers of the PMCA. We have come to a resolution and I don't plan on airing any more grievances about the PMCA. I have conceded the argument and I am trying to see issues from both sides. I have taken the steps in proving my sincerity, and even became a member of the PMCA on a "Benefactor" level. We shall see if the PMCA will cross their half of the bridge and meet me in the middle and not leave me dangling in the wind. Time will tell. If they do, I look forward to a life long relationship. I have felt sort of exiled as I have lost touch with so many people. I realize now I was achieving nothing with my actions.

We are getting closer and hopefully that first ASY will return today!

Swarming martins

Last summer I was busy watching a baseball game on TV and wasn't paying attention to the weather. Right at dusk I heard the weather alarm going off on my PC alerting me of an oncoming severe thunderstorm.

I darted to the door to take a look outside and see if it was too late to lower my racks. Wow, it was a tough call, as my martins had already went into their gourds for the night, and it was almost dark and it would take me at least 7-8 minutes to lower them all. But I decided to do it.

When lowering the racks, my entire colony of martins left their gourds and were circling above waiting on me to finish. Once I did finish, I ran to the house to get out of the martins way so they could reenter their gourds. My entire colony of matins were flying in one swarm, seeming to following the leader. They kept making sweeps to the gourd racks getting closer with each swoop. I was getting nervous as I could barely see them. They darkened the sky around the racks when making their passes.

The huge swarm of martins moving as in one body started to slow in their passes as if to land, but it only took one or two martins to fly away and the entire swarm flew with them. Finally the huge dark swarm of martins swooped down and entered their gourds almost in one movement, appearing as if the swarm had merged with the gourd racks.

Wow, my nervousness subsided and I swore to myself that this would never happen again. I needed to pay better attention to the weather.

Starling vs Conley 2

Please excuse this bad photo, it was snapped through my patio door some distance from the site.

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I looked outside this morning and saw a bird enter one of my natural gourds with a Conley 2 entry & tunnel. I thought to myself, I may have my first scout returning.

But when I observed it leaving the gourd, I was dismayed that it was a starling that was squeezing in and out of the entry. I took a photo through my sliding patio door, and it's not of good quality.

I have many starlings checking out my site the past couple of weeks, and this is the first observation I have made that a starling has made it through a Conley 2. I am sure this is not the norm and I'll trap it today. But for some people who are wary of SREH's, if a small starling can get through, certainly a martin can.

Me, a Martin Hog? You betcha!

A "Martin Hog" in Black Gnat!


"Martin Hog,” a term describing martin colonies that attract more year old females than they produced the year before. Martin hogs make it very difficult for new local colonies to be started as young females prefer established colonies.

I have always provided much more housing than I needed each season, as I thought this would enable me to grow my colony as quickly as possible. In years past I was under the impression the reason for my success of growing my colony very quickly was due to providing more housing then I needed, thus having less competition for housing, so less fighting between males. Although this may be a contributing factor, it may not be the main reason for my colony's growth success.

It turns out the "martin hog theory", if true, may provide additonal reasons for my colony's growth. If year old females prefer established colonies, then my colony definately fits that bill. And I could not think of a better reason for a colony to grow remarkably fast then having a large influx of new females each year. A colony abundant with females will cause less competition by males looking for females as there are more females to go around. The colony would have less single subadult males causing problems including infanticide.

Unlike humans, female martins live shorter lives than males and this causes problems when the ratio of males to females hatched are relatively equal. So female martins of breeding age die earlier than males causing more males than females looking for mates! But "martin hog" sites would have less of this an issue if they are attracting more females in ratio than other nearby sites.

Last year I had 116 nesting pairs, and this year I am providing 224 gourds. Yes, I plan on continuing my colony's growth using the "martin hog" theory and keep providing much more housing than I need.

Southern landlord?

Lincoln betrayed the state he was born in...


On the Purple Martin Universe forum, a thread named "Southern Landlords?" was asking what southern martin landlord numbers were. It gave me pause, living in central Kentucky, am I a southern landlord? Kentucky stayed neutral during the Civil War because President Lincoln allowed our commonwealth to keep our slaves if we stayed neutral, the only state allowed to do so.

Even after the Civil War, Kentucky had slaves and did not give them up until Lincoln promised the Kentucky slave owners to make it worth their while if they freed them. Kentucky then freed their slaves, but Lincoln reneged on his promise. And although Lincoln was born in Hodgensville Kentucky just 40 miles from our hometown my grandfather, who heard stories from his grandfather, was still angry at Lincoln until the day my grandfather died.

Maybe Lincoln was killed before he could fulfill his promise to Kentucky and Andrew Johnson refused to honor the promise, who knows. But the question remains, living in Kentucky, am I a southern landlord?

It probably doesn't matter, I have no scouts that have returned yet. But I am now definitely in that window of time where they start to return.

Go Big Blue!

Still waiting on martins to return to my site any day also means it is time for March Madness. And I am one of the biggest fans of the best college basketball program in the history of the sport, the University of Kentucky Wildcats.

University of Kentucky, is the winningest program in the history of college basketball, both in all-time wins and all time winning percentage. Kentucky's all time record currently stands at 2017-637-1 (.760). Kentucky also leads the NCAA in NCAA tournament appearances, NCAA tournament games, ranks second to UCLA in NCAA championships with 7. But UCLA had two freaks playing for them in a short period named Lew Alcinder and Bill Walton. So UCLA's history was recorded in a mere eight years, hardly more than a short dynasty and not ongoing domination like Kentucky's. And if anyone thinks John Wooden could hold a candle to Adolph Rupp, they are insane!

Pictured is the actual official Kentucky license plate that is resgistered to me, and it says it all. UK WINS!

The Big Red Machine

Dan Driessen of the Cincinnati Reds



While sitting at my dining room table this morning having coffee, while watching starlings check out the gourds that they cannot enter because of SREH's, I was reminiscing about some of the places I have lived, and remembered an episode while living in Jacksonville Florida.

I grew up in Kentucky a huge Cincinnati Reds fan. I was 15 & 16 years old when the Big Red Machine won World Championships in 1975 & 1976. My family would go to a dozen to twenty games a year, or at least it seemed like that many, not bad for it being a three hour drive one way.

Jump to 1988, I was 28, and I was at a Greyhound race track in Jacksonville, FL. A guy was hanging out near where I was and after some time, we made eye contact and I recognized him immediately. It was Dan Driessen, a first/third baseman for the Reds back in the 1970's. I could tell from the look on his face that he recognized that I had recognized him.

Now Dan Driessen was no huge baseball star, although he did have a long career with 153 HR, .267 BA, and 763 career RBI's. So Driessen could go about his business without any or very little interference. I wanted to say something to him, but I didn't. I have never been star struck. While in the military I had pulled a security detail for President Jimmy Carter, a duty I tried to get out of so I could sleep late. True, Jimmy Carter was not an impressive man and a horrible president, but he was President of the United States. But I digress.

After a hour or so, Driessen sat down at a table that was in front of one of the many track closed circuit TV's, the same table I was sitting at. He attempted some small talk, but finally I asked if he was Dan Driessen. He acknowledged that he was and admitted that hardly anyone recognizes him outside the Cincinnati area. He introduced me to his brother, and during our conversation he talked about trying to sign with the San Francisco Giants, or maybe going to Japan to play ball. He was obviously late in his career and trying to prolong it.

After the last dog race, we walked together to the parking lot and he invited me to hang with him and his brother again the next night at the track. I responded I would try if I could find the free time. You bet I found the time!

Glorious Times

Who looks better to America?


Another cold, dark and dreary day here in central Kentucky, so instead of working on my colony site, I am left to bask in these glorious times of being a conservative, because the liberal experiment has failed.

Obama's disapproval rating is higher than his approval rating, the GOP is set to take back both the House and Senate, Charles Rangal has been forced to step down as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Harry Reid is going to go down in Nevada just as Tom Daschle flamed out a few years ago, and Obama, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi will complete the total destruction of the democratic party by pulling the "nuclear option" trigger on Obama-care with by-passing senate procedures and attempting to sneak it through by Congressional reconciliation.

Barry Obama, the worse president since Jimmy Carter, and surely will go down being worse than Carter is bringing the cream to the top in the Republican party, that is bringing real conservatives to the surface.

Another thing the GOP has going for it the next few election cycles is that the ignorant youth of America that helped elect Obama won't bother to vote again for at least a decade. By then, hopefully, a large percentage of them will have their own responsibilities and families to support and will be more conservative. Usually, the older and wiser one gets, the more conservative one gets.

I have to admit having a small school child like crush on Sarah Palin. Her old fashion, commonsense approach is like a breath of fresh air. I can't speak for anyone else, but the louder the shrill protests of the liberal media gets against Sarah Palin, the better Palin looks to me and I bet the better she looks to America.

Age-Old Question...

T'Pol or Hoshi?


Today is another dreary, cold, windy day in Kentucky and the weather is once again hindering me from continuing to prepare my colony site for the coming season. So with ample time on my hands, I am pondering an age-old question; T'Pol or Hoshi?

As a child I enjoyed watching the series 'Star Trek'. As a young adult, I enjoyed 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'. There have been other spin offs, but I assumed that these series were not as good as the first two. Recently, I found out that I was wrong.

I was channel surfing a few weeks ago, and run across 'Star Trek: Enterprise'. This series premiered in 2001 as a prequel to all the other Star Trek series. The Enterprise is commanded by Capt. Jonathan Archer (played by Scott Bakula, formerly the lead actor of the sci-fi TV show "Quantum Leap". Other characters include Dr. Phlox (John Billingsley), the Vulcan Subcommander T'Pol (Jolene Blalok), Lieutenant Malcolm Reed (Dominic Keating), Ensign Travis Mayweather (Anthony Montgomery), Ensign Hoshi Sato (Linda Park) and Commander Charles 'Trip' Tucker III (Connor Trinneer). As a member of Netflix, I watched the entire series (four seasons) on DVD in just a few weeks and thoroughly enjoyed it.

But concerning this series, the question is, T'Pol or Hoshi? Most guys may choose T'Pol the Vulcan Subcommander as their favorite female character, but I would choose Hoshi the Communications Officer. I admit, I do have a thing for Asian women.

Suicide Watch...

Survivor: The seven-month-old baby girl is recovering in hospital after she was shot by her parents








Suicide Watch

My family now has me on a suicide watch. I am so depressed about Global Warming, it is consuming me. Why go on? We are all going to die anyway, probably drowning when all the glaciers melt.

I don't know if I want to continue the misery of my purple martins as they will only continue to struggle and suffer from climate change. And to watch the polar bears and penguins die is more than I can take.

I can see that I am not alone. Below is a story about parents shooting their own children before turning the gun on themselves, all because of global warming.

And it's all Geore Bush's fault, just ask Barry Obama.

Seven-month-old baby survives shot to chest in parents' murder-suicide pact blamed on global warming
BY Ethan Sacks
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Monday, March 1st 2010, 10:03 AM

Seven-month-old girl miraculously survived alone for three days after one of her parents shot her in the chest - apparently as part of a bizarre murder-suicide pact blamed on global warming.

The baby was discovered with a bullet casing in her chest and covered with blood by police in the Argentinean city of Goya, near the bodies of her parents and 2-year-old brother, the Latin American Herald reported Saturday.

Police broke into the home after neighbors complained of a stench coming from the house. The boy was found with a gunshot wound in his back, while his parents died from gunshot wounds to the chest.

The parents, 56-year-old Francisco Lotero and 23-year-old Miriam Coletti, are believed to have been spurred by their fears about global climate change, London's Telegraph reported.

A letter was found on a table expressing the couple's anger at the government for not responding to the environmental crisis.

Doctors said the baby's condition has been improving every day, the Herald Tribune reported.

With News Wire Services

Grounded...

I am getting my last ground stake of my new racks implanted in concrete today. And the weather is supposed to turn for the better later in the week, so I am hoping to get all my racks up this week.

The weather has set me behind somewhat. But then the same bad weather should also delay my returning martins.

I am getting a few more hard thick natural gourds from my source in Georgia, and I will choose from them a very nice large gourd to install a nest cam. But I need to figure out how to handle the wiring as the site is located approximately 140 feet from my house. I may also investigate to see if there are any wireless options.

Concerns...

From the early reports in the deep south, the numbers of purple martins are down. Some believe the unusually cold weather in the south has hit the martins especially hard, and may have a big impact on the surviving population this season.

I am hoping this is simply an early trend, and the usual numbers of returning martins will pick up. If not, I am going to have quite a few empty gourds this year, even more then I originally expected. But moreover, this will be a huge blow to the genus family of swallows, particularly the purple martin as a species.

Loudest is weakest...

On a forum I often visit, a guy goes on and on about his wife & marriage. It reminded me of something that actually happened late last year.

I underwent a series of ablation procedures on my heart in a six week span. After the first procedure I was in the recovery room waking up from the anesthesia. When I was conscious enough to understand what was going on, I heard a lady going on and on about her husband. I mean she wouldn't stop. At first I thought this was another patient out of her living mind. But no, this was a nurse, a nurse named Julie.

Julie would not shut up, telling the staff how good her husband treated her, how in love they were, what they did the night before, what she was going to buy him for Christmas and pondering what he was going to buy her. According to this nurse called Julie, she had found the perfect husband. I soon asked another nurse that was watching me, to give me a bucket so I could throw up.

A couple of weeks later I had another ablation, and when I started to wake up in the recovery room I mentioned to my nurse that I hoped Julie wasn't on duty as I didn't want to listen to her bragging about her perfect marriage. The nurse smiled and whispered, "Don't worry about that, Julie's husband ran off with another nurse."

Two in the hand...

I really like my purple martins, but I wouldn't trade a pair of bluebirds for two dozen martins. During the summer afternoons when martins leave for a few hours to hunt, my bluebirds are still in the yard, guarding the grass for invading insects. Bluebirds are usually the first to sound the alarm on approaching hawks. And when the martins run off for their winter home in late July & August, bluebirds stay content with the Kentucky climate.

A couple of years ago, I was fortunate enough to have two pair of bluebirds in my yard. One pair in the front yard, and one in the back. That was a memorable year. It hasn't happened before or since, but I can always be hopeful it may happen again. And if not, I'll be happy with just the single pair each year.

One of the most rewarding events I enjoy bird watching is observing bluebird parents feeding their fledglings who may be in 3-4 different locations. Then later in the summer in a second brood, the siblings from the first brood may help out. Usually, they are doing more hanging out then helping, but it's nice to watch.

I was just watching a pair of bluebirds hanging around on my mailbox, and it motivated me to write this.

Photo by E.J. Peiker.

Don't touch, wet paint...

I am often asked by people outside of this area, where or what is "Black Gnat"? Black Gnat is a small rural community between Greensburg & Campbellsville Kentucky.

The story goes that over a hundred years ago, the people in this community got together on a hot summer day to paint the local one room school house. After getting a fresh coat of white paint on the building, the legend goes that a huge swarm of black gnats engulfed the building, sticking in the wet paint.

Ever since that fateful day, this community has been known as "Black Gnat".

Super size it!

I was just thinking that with my expansion, I will have double the gourds up this year than I had actual pairs of martins last year. And after last year's season, I remember posting on the Purple Martin Research Forum that I would never expand again, because taking care of these birds was too much work. But I think most of us landlords are both happy to see our martins return, and then happy to see them go.

At least the way I am revamping my site, it will lessen the impact of male domination. The Super System's are probably the best rack there is to stop male domination when gourds are correctly positioned. That was my motivation when I ordered four of them this season, plus they are expandable up to 32 gourds. These racks are available from Creative Universe Enterprises in Fairview, PA.

Yea, I over did my expansion somewhat. But I did the same in the past and have learned more gourds equals more martins. Martins by their nature are not communal birds by choice, but by necessity. If you don't believe this, watch a couple males fighting over not one gourd, but two or three in the same proximity. Man created the necessity for purple martins and even tree swallows and bluebirds to rely on human provided housing. Man destroyed their ability to breed in natural habitat when European starlings and house sparrows were introduced from Europe.

So if you are a purple martin landlord wanting to grow your colony, and you are waiting until you are at 100% capacity to consider adding cavities, maybe you should rethink that position.

Second guessing...

I'm the type of guy who will think about something all day, go to bed smiling that I had a plan figured out, then wake up and start a new plan. I am always second guessing myself, and in my opinion an obvious character flaw.

I remember in college, I had a twenty six page research paper due, with dozens of documented references required, etc. The morning it was due, I had it all hand typed out (no PC's or word processors allowed back in that day) and on the way to school, I tore it up. I told my professor what I had done and I was going to start from scratch, accepting the one full letter grade that would be docked for each day it was late.

The next morning, I did turn in my paper and I received a C+, meaning it was a B+ paper, not bad for completing a six week project in one day. In retrospect, I am sure I would have received a better grade on my original paper, but I was more satisfied with the second writing. My professor consoled me by saying what I had done was a sign of a genius. I lost quite a bit of respect for that professor that day, comparing my actions to something a genius might do.

What I am now second guessing myself about on my colony is my plan to change each and every gourd to a SREH Conley II entry. I always have been stubborn about having a few round holes available for subbies (sub-adult martins) when they arrive. So I have decided to offer an additional 12 gourds on top of the 221 I had originally had planned. These will be on a telescoping pole on the outskirts of my colony, and will be twelve round hole gourds.

That is unless I second guess myself yet again.

Don't even think about it...

If you ever consider preparing natural gourds for martins, go bang your head against the wall and knock some sense in yourself. I used to enjoy it, but it's got too darn expensive and is no longer cost efficient. In my opinion, manufactured gourds such as Troyers or Supergourds are the only way to go.

The straw that broke the camel's back with me in regards to naturals this year was receiving access ports that no longer have inner lids in the caps. Some may think, what's the big deal, it doesn't take long to cut out a circle from something appropriate and glue it on the cap. But try it for more than 50 gourds! No more for me, I have better things to do!

Getting close...

This morning with help from my son-in-law, I finally got five deep holes dug to erect four new Super System 24's and one more Premium Rack 24. We had to use a tractor operated post hole digger due to the huge rocks we were encountering. We also sawed down three old telescoping poles I am no longer going to use.

With revamping my colony, my new capacity will be 224 gourds. I ordered 64 Troyer Horizontals with tunnels and have received them. I have prepared over 50 new natural gourds with Troyer Tunnels and they are ready to mount, along with modified naturals and modfied supergourds I was already using. Each and every gourd of mine will have the Troyer Tunnels with Conley entrances. I am replacing quite a few old gourds that I no longer will use. The old gourds will make a nice fire in the cool, early spring.

My martins will start to arrive in two to three weeks, and this work should be complete within a week. I'll post photos of my colony's setup once we are done.

Weekend Plans?

So what are you doing this weekend? I have big plans! I will be taking these 20 nice, thick martin gourds and preparing them from start to finish. The Daytona 500 is on Sunday, after Mass of course. And I suppose I will have to fit in taking my wife out to dinner for Valentine's Day.

The kool thing about Valentine's Day on a Sunday is you don't have to send flowers to your wife at work. We husbands all know if you send flowers, it had better be to your wife's workplace so your wife's colleagues can see her getting them. But not this year as she wouldn't give a hoot about receiving them at home.

Next year I bet it's on a Monday.

J.D. has arrived...

Yesterday morning at 9:45 AM EST, Jacob Daniel Richerson was born, my third grandson. Baby and father are healthy and doing fine. But mom is still suffering from nausea, as we Richerson men have that affect on women.

J.D. weighed in at 8 lbs, 15 ounces.

Busy, busy...

I have been busy preparing natural gourds for my colony's expansion. This morning I received a box of gourds in the mail that were very disappointing, as they are too thin for me to use. But I have a good source for gourds and will deal with them exclusively now.

After acquiring some thick gourds, I drill them with two types of hole saws (3 7/8" & 4 1/4") for the entrance port and access port, I drill drainage holes, and also a vent hole. They are then soaked in copper sulfate (root killer) for 30 minutes to kill any fungus that will cause the gourds to rot. After drying, I caulk in the Troyer entrance and the access port. I then paint with primer and a semi-gloss white paint, with two coats. I then screw in the vent elbow. The gourd is then ready for my colony and I expect these gourds to last longer than I will live. They may need painting and new caulk down the line, but the gourds will last.

About that...

Above is a photo of a bumper sticker I just received in the mail and going to put on my Dodge Durango 8 cyl. SUV.

And "that's all I have to say about that", except they are expecting up to 30" of snow in the DC area.

Troyer Tunnels

I recently purchased fifty Troyer Tunnels to install on my newly obtained natural gourds, and also to put on my crescent shaped Supergourds. The only reason I am modifying the Supergourds is that to trap predators, you must remove the metal porch. This often spooks the predator, sending them to another gourd.

Modifying the Supergourd wasn't as difficult as I thought, but you have to be careful as the hole saw will "walk" on you. When applying the caulk, don't skimp on quantity or quality. I used to put only a thin, aesthetically pleasing layer of caulk, but soon learned I had to patch it up almost yearly. After applying liberal amounts of caulk, I then take my finger and reinforce it in circular motions. This seems to last season after season, it just takes a little longer to dry. Of course, I will eventually paint the natural gourds white once the caulk dries.

You can purchase these tunnels at Ceative Universe Enterprises at a special low February price of $5.25 each (minimum 12) with free shipping. Or you could buy them from the PMCA at $7.00 each plus huge S&H fees.

The gourds are pictured in my basement where I have my "man cave".

Happy Birthday to me!

I turned fifty years old today, but it doesn't phase me a bit. It certainly is better than the alternative.

A few days ago I placed an order (several orders actually over several days) with Creative Universe Enterprises (CUENT). I ordered the Premium 24 unit Gourd Rack (my third), the Super System 24 Gourd Rack, 24 Troyer Horizontal Gourds with Tunnels, 50 Troyer Tunnels and various odd & ends. I originally thought with adding the two mentioned racks, I would be expanding my colony by 48 gourds. But I was wrong! I found instructions on CUENT's website how the SS-24 can easily be modified into a 32 gourd unit. How's that for a birthday gift? I am expanding another 8 gourds and I don't even have to dig a hole!

My kids and grand-kids are coming over later today for my birthday and my oldest son and son-in-law are going to help me dig two holes for the ground stakes for the above mentioned racks. I am also putting the finishing touches on a few natural gourds I recently ordered and modifying for purple martins. I will post photos when I have them completed.

Groundhog Day 2010

My first post on my 2010 purple martin blog. My name is Robert Richerson and live in central Kentucky.

Yesterday was Groundhog Day, February 2, 2010. I look forward to Groundhog Day as I start to anticipate spring and the upcoming purple martin season.

I am particularly looking forward to this year as I was in very bad health last year, and I was unable to enjoy and maintain my colony as I normally do. One day last year during the season, I started to experience very tightness of chest and felt like an elephant was standing on me. I was rushed to the emergency room and it was discovered that I was in ventricular tachycardia (VT) with my heart beat over 300 beats a minute. After a hour without responding to medication, I was 'shocked' back into sinus rhythm.

I was medevaced to Louisville where I was diagnosed with "Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD)". I then had a cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implanted in my chest. After months with several shocks and many more episodes of VT where my pacemaker brought my heart rate down, I underwent three days of ablations. Remarkably, this was not entirely effective and I was sent to Chicago where another ablation procedure was performed at the Loyola Medical Center by one of the nation's leading physicians in treating ARVD. I have had no issues since.

With a new lease on life and no longer thinking my death is eminent, I am looking very forward to this martin season and plan on expanding my colony by several dozen gourds. Last year I had approx 130 gourds with 116 occupied by purple martins. I have ordered from Creative Universe Enterprises two additional 24 unit gourd racks, 24 Troyer Horizontal Gourds with tunnels, and buying a couple dozen of natural gourds and installing Troyer Tunnels on those. I may also attempt to install Troyer Tunnels on a few Supergourd crescents. Presently there is no easy way to trap predators in the crescents, although the round hole Supergourds are quite easy to trap.

I plan on blogging this martin year with daily updates once the martins arrive in early March. Until March, I will not post everyday, but will post often. I will comment on my colony, purple martin products and organizations. I have strong opinions.

I have no idea if any-one's eyes will ever see this blog but my own. But if anyone stumbles across it, I invite you to keep up with my year and I will be glad to answer any questions or respond to comments. I promise to be controversial, and I hope to be entertaining.

I originally had 'Super Colony' in my blogs title, but I sort of thought that may be presumptuous as I am concerned my colony may fall below the hundred pair threshold. Last year, due to my health, I could not pay as much attention to my colony as I normally do. I also had a few hawk attacks, and even had a pre-dawn owl attack that took down a natural gourd. I actually watched the owl fly away. As far as the title is concerned, I settled on 'Black Gnat Purple Martins' as Black Gnat is the small community I reside in central Kentucky.

Regardless of the kind of year I will have, I invite one and all to keep up with my colony.


Photo credit: Jason Cohn/REUTERS