You may recall from last time that one pair of Purple Martins had built a nest in our house and laid eggs.
We spent many hours in June observing them and their brood. We had high hopes for their success, but unfortunately, sometimes there's not much that can be done to change the outcome.
HATCH DAY (6/3/16):
We were excited to find three hatchlings and one pipping egg. Baby martins aren't exactly cute—they are born featherless with eyes that are grown shut. It will be 26-32 days before they are ready to leave the nest.
DAY 7:
All four babies appear to be doing well. They have grown quite a bit, but still do not have feathers and their eyes are still shut. That little one poking its head out the entrance seems to be smiling at me.
DAY 14:
Finally, there is feather development and their eyes are open.
DAY 18:
Mama and Daddy Martin both take part in raising their brood. This pair seems experienced and are very good parents. Even with the two of them working together though, it's not easy to satisfy this hungry bunch. It looks like dragonflies are on the menu today.
DAY 20:
Feed me!
DAY 21:
Up until this point the baby martins seemed to be fine. However, on this nest check, the brood is split between two apartments and that makes me suspicious that something is wrong. It is very hot outside so perhaps it's cooler for them this way.
DAY 23:
The next day the babies are on the move and have free reign of the lower three apartments. Before we left for church one fell to the ground and we had to rescue it. When we got home there was another one on the ground. We could see no trace of mites or other parasites that might be making the babies jump ship early, but something is wrong. One of the babies stayed out on the birdhouse porch all day in the hot sun and the parents refused to feed it. By the end of the day, it had succumbed. The next morning, we had also lost a second one.
Day 24:
Once again there is a baby bird out of the nest. It can flap its wings and run, but cannot fly. I put it back, but I don't expect it will stay put.
DAY 25:
Sure enough, the very next day it was out again. When I tried to help, it ran away from me and hid under the storage shed. I knew this was a bad choice and hoped it would come out before nightfall. I went inside and watched from the window. After several hours of urging from its parents, it came out of it's hiding place, but changed it's mind and went back under. I never saw it again. This left only one baby bird and it didn't look well to me.
DAY 26:
This should have been fledging day or close to it, but the last remaining baby didn't make it. I have no idea what went wrong. The martin parents were diligent in feeding and defending their brood all the way through and we saw no sign of parasites.
Obviously this is not the story I hoped to share with you and I hate ending on such a sad note, so here's a photo of a successful fledge from July 2009—a reminder to me that sometimes things do go right.
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Today's post is my contribution to Wildlife Wednesday—a meme, hosted by Tina at My Gardener Says..., that celebrates wildlife in the garden on the first Wednesday of every month.
Maybe the martins benefit from a community to help keep the young safe and fed. I hope they have better success next year.
ReplyDeleteI hope so, too, Margene. I did notice other martins helping out, even though they aren't living in our house, and that really surprised me. Several showed up to help the parents when one of the nestlings was on the ground and our chickens were just a bit too curious and way too close. All the fussing from the martins alerted me and I put the chickens in their coop.
DeleteA terrific series of photos, Tracy and thanks for the story, though it did end sadly. I guess the Martins can't really have another brood this summer, either--just not enough time. With few exceptions, (ahem, I'm looking at YOU, White-wing Doves!), I'm always impressed with bird parents--they work so hard and there's so much that can go wrong. Thanks for posting--it was poignant and lovely.
ReplyDeleteI was very impressed with how well these parents cared for their brood, which is why I'm surprised that not even one nestling made it. We'll probably never know what went wrong, though we are researching it, just in case there is something we can do to prevent this from happening in the future.
DeleteIt's hard to understand why life is so difficult for wild animals.
ReplyDeleteGreat photo series.
Thanks, Nancy. I wish it could have had a happier ending.
DeleteTracy I'm so sad to read your story of the Martins, from reading could it be the heat? The one that went under the shed would it have been cooler there, a superb set of photos, the Martin parents worked so hard and you kept a good watch, Frances
ReplyDeleteIt very well could have been the heat, Frances. Yes, it was nice and cool under the shed, which is why my heart sank when that little one went under it. I knew it would be hard to get it to come out.
DeleteOh I am so sorry....it was amazing to see it all up close but that is the cruel hardship of nature we see too....hopefully they will have a successful brood in the future. Do they lay more than one clutch in a season?
ReplyDeleteNo, Donna, I don't think there's enough time for a second clutch. Typically they only raise one brood a year. I hope we have better luck next year.
DeleteI am so sorry...this is just so heartbreaking. I really don't know much about these birds but you guys really seemed to be quite informed, especially after having success with others. Sometimes, like you said, something is just wrong and only God knows what went wrong. You certainly were able to get some fantastic captures of their short little lives.
ReplyDeleteI actually hated to post this, because of the way it ended. Next time I promise a more uplifting post.
DeleteThank you, Sue. Since I saved this story for Wildlife Wednesday, I felt I had to share it even though the ending was sad.
ReplyDelete