2011 Purple Martin Notes 4

As I walked under the first gourd rack I looked up to see a SY (second year) male looking down at me. I then looked at the ground below the gourds to see more pipped eggs. Checking on the ground below your martin housing can reveal all sorts of goings on. Today I find bad goings on.

Early in the day I had observed a male and female English sparrow entering one of the gourds where before contained a purple martin nest with two eggs, which were missing and could be included in the destroyed eggs I found on the ground. English sparrows will pip eggs as they usurp the nest of other birds. I decided to set up a gourd insert trap in that particular gourd to see if I could catch one of them, particularly the male. You see capturing and killing the female will not stop this mayhem, because the male will only find another mate. Kill the male and the female will abandon the nest and it’s over. Now I know many of you reading this (whom probably are not purple martin landlords) may object, but you must understand that this invasive, non-native species (along with the European starling) are very destructive to not only purple martins, but many other native songbirds in this country. And to allow them access to your purple martin housing will only cause your martin’s lives to become a living hell. In a nutshell- unless you control these pests you have no business putting up martin housing, because you’re doing more harm than good. Unfortunately I was unable to catch it…… today anyway.

There was some good news though….I found a total of eleven new little nestlings. In one gourd I found four young and one unhatched egg that had been pushed near the entrance. This egg was either infertile or addled. It is amazing how the adult female can tell if an egg is “no good”.

I’ve been told by folks at PMCA that they theorize that they do it by feel. This is not the first time I’ve seen this. Several years back I took an egg that had been pushed from the nest and marked it with a pencil. I then placed the egg back in the clutch with the others. Five days later when I performed the next nest check I found that the marked egg had once again been pushed out. Amazing….

NOTE: NEVER REMOVE UNHATCHED EGGS FROM A PURPLE MARTIN NEST UNTIL THE END OF BREEDING SEASON, UNLESS THEY ARE OBVIOUSLY ROTTEN, BROKEN, OR LEAKING.

Other suggested reading:

House Sparrow Revenge

House Sparrows and Starlings Are Super Competitors

Why Landlords Should Conduct Weekly Nest Checks

Don't Throw the Eggs Out!

Purple Martin Colony Notes 2010

May, 10 2010

On or around the first of May I was outdoors and began hearing the mobbing calls of several species of birds. Looking towards my martin colony I spotted two Cooper’s hawks flying overhead, one with a bird in its talons. These are probably the same two hawks that have frequented this residential area for many years. Several male grackles, a blue jay and three purple martins banded together to mob the hawks, eventually driving them away. All this happened so quickly I was unable to identify the unfortunate bird that had been captured. It very well could’ve been a purple martin since it occurred over my colony. Moments before the incident I recall hearing their song overhead. It’s sad and not something a purple martin landlord wants to witness, but I guess everything’s gotta eat. I remember years ago watching a hawk snatch a European starling on the wing, and what an incredible sight that was. European starlings and English sparrows are not native to this country and both are vicious nest site competitors of purple martins as well as other songbirds. In my opinion (and I’m certain most martin landlords will agree) they can eat all of the European starlings and English sparrows they want. I normally do a nest check every 5-7 days, but I was busy and allowed 7 extra days to go by before checking again. On April 27th I had only 4 eggs and today I had a total of 81 eggs counted in 21 gourds. This confirms that so far I have 21 pair of purple martins, which is about average for my site. There are seven other gourds though that have nests in them, but no eggs, and I hope at least some of these will have eggs the next time I check.

A friend of mine recently established his own martin colony after several years of disappointment. It got to the point that he was about to give up, but I encouraged him to keep trying. It eventually paid off and he now has an established colony consisting of two pair. The only thing is he’s reluctant to manage it. He’s afraid that if he so much as talks near his housing they will leave and never return. This, of course, is totally untrue.

One of the main responsibilities is the conducting of weekly nest checks in order to prevent this. Purple martins will abandon a nest or entire colony if the wrong situations occur. These are listed the PMCA’s (Purple Martin Conservation Association) article entitled “Twelve Reasons Why People Lose Their Purple Martins”.

May 18, 2010


Today’s nest check presented not only an increase in egg numbers (94 eggs), but also 9 brand new nestlings.


I always tap on the pole that supports my gourd racks before I lower them just to let any incubating adults inside know that I’m present. No sense in surprising them. They’ll exit the gourds and along with the adults that were perched on the racks will fly to a nearby sweet gum tree or to a perch that I provide where they watch and wait for me to finish my landlord duties.

Today one lone female decided that she wasn’t going to leave her eggs. She eventually left the gourd, which enabled me to count her five glistening eggs.

By the way, the reason the egg’s shell begins to “shine” is due to the rotation of the eggs by the adults as they’re incubated so that they are warmed evenly. The eggs rub against the nesting material (leaves, pine straw, and small twigs) as they’re turned polishing them.

Bluebird and Purple Martin Updates

Bluebird Notes- This past Monday I discovered three bluebird eggs in the nestbox I set up near the camp house. This will be my third year to have this box up and so far nesting has been successful each year.

Purple Martin Colony Notes- Last week I had an disturbing observation and for the most part wished I hadn’t been paying attention. I was near my purple martin colony and begin hearing the vocalization that they emit when a predator is in their midst.

It’s funny how after so many years of having this colony that I have learned the various calls and what they mean. So when I heard this it got my immediate attention. At first I thought they were responding to the presence of our tom cat who was in the vicinity, but then I looked up to see what looked like a cooper's hawk gliding about ten foot off the ground very near the gourd racks. This is the first time I've witnessed a hawk in such close proximity to the housing. Hopefully this will not become a habit, especially during the time the adults are rearing their young. They exert an extreme amount of energy keeping the nestlings fed and cared for and the last thing they need is to be wasting most of that energy combating a predator. Immediately a conglomeration of purple martins, grackles, and blue jays began mobbing the hawk in order to get it to leave. This is one time that you’ll see all types of birds band together to attack and drive away a natural predator, whether it be a predatory bird (hawk, owl) or mammal (cat, fox, raccoon). As the hawk flew away I noticed a few martins continued to harass it even after it was well away from the colony. Suddenly the hawk plunged like a stone and when it ascended in its talons was a purple martin. Needless to say this hit me like a sucker punch. There was nothing I could do but watch and accept this very disturbing fact of nature with the thought that this bird did the honorable thing and put its life on the line and lost it to protect the rest of the colony.

Approaching Purple Martin Season

The new purple martin season is upon us. Here in Southeast Texas (at least at my colony) they begin showing up around the first few weeks of February. If you have not done scheduled maintanence, repairs, etc. on your housing you best get busy they'll be here before you know it!
If you are not a member of the PMCA (Purple Martin Conservation Association), I would highly advise joining. They publish a great quarterly magazine, The Purple Martin Update, that has great articles and photographs, and will help further your knowledge of this beautiful swallow and how to maintain your colony. I built and maintain an index to this magazine that is located on their website for an easy search of articles.

If you have a colony or are interested in beginning one and have questions, you can email me and/or check out the PMCA's website which contains tons of info on purple martins.

Purple Martin Season 2012

Purple martin season is upon us and like last year I waited until the last minute to get my gourds cleaned, repaired, and ready for the new season. Getting ready involves quite a bit of work so waiting like I did put me in a bit of a rush, and I don't like to rush. I have promised myself that at the close of this season I would make sure that everything is done in a timely matter for the 2013 season.

While inspecting the racks that hold my gourds I found a rotten spot on one of the arms that needed fixing. What I need to do is remove that damaged arm and replace it, but I decided to strengthened it with some metal strapping until I can replace it at the end of this season. The repair job actually turned out pretty good.



I checked the PMCA website and saw that they’re arriving along the Florida, Louisiana, and Texas coasts. As a matter of fact some were sighted today in Orange, TX, which is not very far from where I live. Each year the PMCA asks purple martin landlords to submit their sightings of purple martin “scouts” during their migration back to the United States and Canada.

Even though they're showing up right down the road in Orange, I'm pretty sure they won't be over at my colony for another three weeks. If you look below at the list of their arrival dates here over the last 14 years, you'll see that on average they start showing up around the third week of February.

2011 Feb. 21
2010 Feb. 28
2009 Feb. 21
2008 Feb. 4
2007 Feb. 21
2005 Feb. 12
2006 Feb. 22
2004 Feb. 20
2003 Feb. 19
2002 Feb. 22
2001 Feb. 15
2000 (not recorded)
1999 Feb. 24
1998 Feb. 24

It seems that last season just ended not so long ago and here we are with about 3 weeks to go before they're here again. I just hope that we have a better season this year than we did last year. The drought really took it's toll not only my colony, but also on most others in Texas. Lots of nestlings were lost, more than any other season since I began.

Another Purple Martin Season Nears

It's almost that time again.....Purple martin season! In about 3 weeks I should begin seeing them in the area. They've arrived at my colony during the second week of February every year for the past 10 years. This will be my 14th year as a martin landlord and hopefully it will be a productive season and provide lots of stuff to write about. I finally cleaned all of my SuperGourds, which I should've done months ago. One of them had its entrance hole enlarged by the maw of a gray squirrel. That's what I get for not taking them down soon after the season ended last year.


I ordered a replacement gourd and also some black cap liners for the access caps which will help make the interior of each gourd darker like a natural cavity. I also have a few minor repairs to perform on the gourd racks and should be ready just in time for their arrival. They've been spotted already in parts of Texas- Port O'Connor and Hempstead as of today and the reports should steadily begin to increase in the upcoming weeks. If you are a purple martin enthusiast (or thinking of starting a colony) and not a member of the PMCA I highly recommmend that you become a member. As stated on their website they are the "only organization devoted exclusively to the scientific study of Purple Martins (Progne subis), their biology and habitat requirements".

Purple Martin Colony Update

Purple Martins are beginning to show up in force, and so far I've counted about 7 pair that have arrived. I've averaged around 23 pair over the last several years so there are more to come. English sparrows are (as usual) trying to take over atleast 3 of my 32 gourds and I continue to remove their trash filled nests to deter them. This along with an increased number of martins as the season progresses will in time cause them to just give up. Good riddance. These nest site competitors are vicious in that they will kill martin nestlings and destroy martin eggs if not kept under strict control. European starlings, another aggressive non-native nest site competitor has become less and less of a problem ever since I went to mainly gourd housing. There are some nice martin houses out there, but I strongly suggest anyone considering starting a martin colony or wanting to change or replace housing to use gourds. The SuperGourd, sold by the Purple Martin Conservation, is made of thick, tough, high-density polyethylene plastic that will, in my opinion, last forever. As the season progresses I will keep everyone informed on the goings on at my colony.

Nest Site Competition

The season begins as always with the competition for nest sites. Both European starlings and English sparrows (both non-native species) try and take over martin nest sites for themselves before and after the purple martins arrive. Not much so with starlings at my colony as I’ve noticed over the last five years. Whether it’s because of the use of gourds as housing or because of martin numbers, I just don’t have as much problem with them anymore. Thank goodness. But with the English sparrow it’s a different story.
Their nests were found in four of my gourds that have a crescent entrance, which primary purpose is to prevent the European starling from having access to them, but not the sparrow. Since I began using the crescent-holed gourds the English sparrows have gravitated to them mainly due to the presence of a porch which is needed by the martins in order to give them leverage to enter. As a matter of fact there’s no way to keep these sparrows out of your martin housing because they’re smaller than martins and a reduced entrance does no good.
Knowlegable and experienced landlords are aware of the devastation the English sparrow can have on a martin colony and will go to any lengths, including trapping and shooting to prevent them from taking over. If this isn’t done you and your martins will regret it. They will pip martin eggs allowing bacteria to enter killing the embryos and have been known to peck martin nestlings to death.

There is a trapping device that can be obtained from the PMCA which attaches itself inside the gourd. A small wire inside on the device acts as a perch and triggering mechanism that shuts the metal door trapping the sparrow inside which can then be disposed of.
Unmanaged housing does more harm than good to the purple martin, so if you can’t be responsible and keep your housing clean of this pest then you have no business putting up martin housing in the first place.

To read more on this aggressive pest check out these sites:

http://www.whazsup.com/sscontrol.shtml
http://www.abirdshome.com/pm/pests.htm http://purplemartin.org/forumarchives/archive/Supercompet.htm http://purplemartin.org/forumarchives/archive/HSrevenge.htm http://www.wtc.ab.ca/northernskys/sparrow.htm

If you think the English sparrow is bad, the European starling is ten times worse. More on this bird in a future post.

2008 Purple Martin Colony Update Part 2

The season is going along quite well except for a few lost nestlings. So far my records indicate that I have 8 nestlings that are missing. This could be the result of several different factors.

Infanticide- It is believed that unmated SY (second year) male martins perform this act because of limited nesting sites, mates, and food which then is intensified by the urge to mate. By removing and/or killing purple martin young or destroying eggs it causes the mated martin pair to "divorce" so to speak due to supposed reproductive failure. This gives the SY male a chance to take advantage of the situation and possibly mate with the now "free" female.

Fallouts- caused by overcrowding leading to a nestling being pushed from the housing by one of its siblings during the rush to the entrance to be fed. The SuperGourds I use are really roomy so I don't think this was the cause, but then again it could still happen.

Ectoparasites- massive infestations of nest mites could cause nestlings to jump from the housing. Don't think this was the cause either due to the fact that I watch for this when I perform nest checks. If I find a large amount of mites I remove the nestlings, wash out and dry the gourd and then add fresh nest material in the form of pine straw and leaves.

Predators- crows, hawks, owls, snakes, etc. To my knowledge I've never had a problem with predators, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen.

Nest site competitors- such as the larger European starling or English sparrow could be responsible for their removal.

Since I didn't find any bodies on the ground below the colony it's difficult to say exactly what happened. This is just one of those things martin landlords go through each season.

Note in the photo below the “formation” that the 2-day old nestlings are in. When temperatures are cool outside nestlings will huddle up together to share each others body heat, but when it is hot out they will get into this type of spread out formation in order to stay cool. The two eggs that are remaining are past the hatching date and assumed infertile.

These three older nestlings below are due to fledge any day now. I’m betting that when I check again in 5 days they’ll be gone. Fledged nestlings usually remain with the parents for several weeks after fledging. I’ve seen fledglings being fed by adults while on the wing and when perched in treetops. In the evenings the fledglings return to the gourd they were born in to roost for the night and will continue to do this until they’re independent which usually happens before they migrate with the adults back to South America.
As you can see here this gourd is being used by a persistent pair of English sparrows. The more I tear out the more they build- as if by some act of defiance they continue their quest to procreate, to advance their species no matter how long it takes. That my friends is the way of the English sparrow. As much as I despise them I must give credit for their unbridled determination. I've been too busy to insert a trapping device. When one is installed you must under no circumstances leave it unattended. A martin or other bird could enter, become trapped and possibly die.

Early Purple Martin Return

I received an email from an acquaintance of a post on the TEXBIRDS listserv about the early arrival of a purple martin on January 3rd in Eagle Lake, TX. I forwarded this post to a couple of people associated with the PMCA (Purple Martin Conservation Association) and was told of another sighting reported on Dec. 31st in Houston, TX. This would not be a good thing since we're about to get slammed with some weather that is cooler than normal for our area. It is believed though that these birds are anomalies and not indicitive of "the" return of the majority of these birds.

Intraspecific Fighting Among Female Purple Martins

In 2006 I had an article published in the 15(4) issue of the Purple Martin Update- (the quarterly publication of the Purple Martin Conservation Association) that detailed an experience I had while performing a nest check. Thought some of you might like to read it so I've posted it below along with photos. Hope you enjoy......


Sometimes I will sit and observe my colony for hours on end and not see anything out of the ordinary. Other days when I’m not particularly watching for anything something falls right in my lap. This happened back in 2003 when I observed a SY male committing infanticide (see my article- 13(3) p. 27 PM Update). Had I blinked I would’ve missed the entire event.
Recently I had dropped my gourd racks to see if nest building had been initiated, when again, something fell in my lap. As I lowered one of the racks I began hearing muffled chatter coming from one of the gourds. I looked up and could see feathers protruding from an entrance hole, so I rapped on the pole hoping to get the martin’s attention but it would not leave the gourd. I then began to hear a rustling noise and then determined that there was more than one martin inside. I began lowering the rack thinking that would cause them to fly, but still they remained inside the gourd. No loud squawking, just a low chortle while they “wrestled”. As I slowly removed the access cap there inside was an ASY female atop another ASY female. Most times I’ve seen fighting among martins it had been between males, usually territorial battles. I have read though that females also get involved in these types of altercations or “Intra-specific fighting”. Once the male selects the territory with which to nest he then goes about the intricate ritual of attracting a female. Once that is accomplished and the female bonds with him and selects a nest site in his established territory, she will then, along with the male, defend this territory. What I was witnessing was the female defending her selected gourd or nesting area from another intruding female. The dominant female peered at me intensely as if in a trance, while the submissive one assumed a posture with its head tucked and wings folded. Neither seemed afraid of my presence or the noise I was making. I was able to take photo after photo, fully expecting them to bolt from the access hole any second. The dominant female had her wings slightly apart and had small feathers in her beak that had apparently come from the ruffled area at the base of the submissive ones neck. Minutes later the submissive female freed herself and escaped out of the entrance hole leaving the dominant one behind, standing her ground, and panting obviously tired from the scuffle. Observations such as this are what make managing a colony so worthwhile, as it allows you to delve into their lives and see nature in action. Do a little observing yourself…..you never know what might land in your lap.

Purple Martin Colony Success

I was going through my Project Martinwatch nest records and in the 11 years that my colony has been in existence I have had a total of 957 eggs laid, of those 803 hatched and 726 fledged. Here are the percentages:

Hatch Rate 83.9 %
Young That Fledged Rate 90.4 %
Overall Success Rate 75.9 %

This success has not come without a price. Having a successful colony requires work, diligence, and responsibility. I've listed below several informative articles on the PMCA website that explain what is required to have a successful colony. Remember, it's a lot more than just sticking a birdhouse in the air.

Click on to go to article:

Helpful Hints for Martin Landlords
PMCA's Best Martin Management Tips
Attracting and Managing Purple Martins
Top 10 Reasons Why People Fail to Attract Martins
12 Reasons Why People Lose Their Martins
Standards for Purple Martin Housing

2014 Purple Martin Colony Preparations

Purple martins are starting to show up in various parts of Texas.  Seems like they just left on their long migration to South America.  I usually begin seeing them showing up at my colony around the second or third week of February, which isn't far away.

This year will mark the 20th year that I have had a martin colony and over the last few days I've began making the usual preparations for their arrival.  I cleaned out and washed the gourds in a mixture of bleach and dish washing liquid and repainted the wooden rack's arms.  Each year I also change out the ropes used to raise and lower the racks.  A rope that has been out in the elements for a year can weaken and the last thing I need in the middle of the nesting season is for a rope to break, which could be disastrous.

I also had to re-caulk several of the PVC elbows that I installed on each gourd that help with ventilation during those hot Texas summer days.  

I've began to replenish my leaf pile that I've had near the racks for years.  This allows the martins to collect nesting material near the colony so as to not waste precious energy looking for it otherwise.

Once I got the gourds attached to the racks arms I placed caps in the entrance holes until I begin to see martins in the area, otherwise English house sparrows and European starlings would try and take over.  Hopefully this will be a productive season.

Read my previous purple martin posts here.

Purple Martin Dawnsong

As a member of the PMCA (Purple Martin Conservation Association) I at times serve as a mentor offering my experiences with purple martins to others who have colonies, but mostly to those who are trying to establish one, and what I always suggest is the use of a dawnsong recording.

The dawnsong is a series of vocalizations performed by adult (ASY- After Second Year) male martins in the predawn hours above established colonies, with the purpose of attracting other martins who have not yet found breeding sites. I have witnessed this many times above my own colony. Using the dawnsong recording is a way of "advertising" your new site. In the early 90's the PMCA recorded these vocalizations and began selling the recordings in order to help new landlords in establishing their martin colony. Since its inception it has helped many who would have probably otherwise given up.

It's how I established my colony. Believe it or not the day I recieved it in the mail I went into my backyard popped it into the player, turned it on, and within minutes I had martins circling overhead! It's that good. To hear the dawnsong click here.

In the past it was offered on tape and you would have to re-record it onto a continuous loop tape in order to play it over and over again. Now the PMCA offers it on cd and you can set a cd player on continuous play or repeat so it will play constantly.

Since the dawnsong is performed early in the morning, it is advisable that you set up your recording beneath your housing to play during the hours of 4:30 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. This can be accomplished by plugging your cd player into a timer that can be set to come on and shut off during the prescribed hours. There is even a way to use your computer to play the dawnsong. Find out how here.

So if you're a new landlord or one that has tried unsuccessfully year after year to start a colony, try using the dawnsong. It just might be the thing you need. To order go here.

First Nest Check of the Season

I lowered the gourd racks at my purple martin colony to see if egg laying has begun. They tend to bury their eggs deep in the confines of the leaves that make up most of their nest to hide them from predators. I gently poked my fingers into the nest “bowl” of each nest and counted by feel. I come up with a total of 58 eggs from 17 nests, but I expect the number to come close to doubling in the next week. There were several full blown nests in four other gourds that had no eggs in them, but very well could have some on my next check.

Many people that I have introduced to purple martins are awe struck at how the adults seem so at ease while I examine their nests. In one photo you’ll note how a few of the adults landed in the top of a nearby sweet gum tree waiting for me to finish. Most believe the old wives’ tale that if you touch a bird’s eggs, nest or nestlings the adults will abandon the nest. This is totally untrue. The parents have invested a lot of time and energy in this task and won’t just turn and waste it. Now there have been times when I’ve been strafed by adults while examining their nests, coming so close that I could feel the rush of air created by their wings as they grazed my face. I just ignore their advances and continue with my work. Actually purple martins are very tolerant of humans around their colony and in fact prefer nesting near us because it lessens the chance of a predation. More importantly they are completely dependent upon humans for nesting sites, especially since the introduction of two non-native species of birds in the 1800's, the English house sparrow and the European starling, which compete savagely for nesting sites. If not for myself and thousands of other landlords taking responsibility and managing their colonies the purple martin population would without doubt become decimated.

Purple Martins Are Back!!

This evening close to dusk I heard a familiar chortle coming from above. I looked up and immediatley spotted about a dozen purple martins. These are the first I've seen this season, which puts them pretty much on time. I have been reporting my "first" or scout sightings each season to the PMCA (Purple Martin Conservation Society) since 1998. I took a look at those 8 years and found out that on average they begin arriving at my colony around the 20th of February. Pretty close I'd say. At the beginning of the season I keep the holes of my gourds plugged until martins are in the area to keep the English house sparrows and European starlings from entering them, so I immediately dropped each rack and removed the plugs. While I was doing this the ones I spotted began flying overhead. You know what's amazing???? If they've had succsessful proir nesting seasons and have survived the long flight back from South America the same martins return to the same colony site year after year. This has been proven through banding studies. So my 12th season as a purple martin landlord has begun. As it progresses I will post colony observations, photographs, and any other interesting information that presents itself. Wish me luck on hopefully another successful season!

Return of the Purple Martin

The return of North America's largest swallow, the purple martin has begun. Sightings have been reported in Florida and Louisiana. Over the last 12 years that I've had a colony, their average return date here is around the second or third week of February. My 32 Supergourds are up and ready, but I'll keep them plugged until I begin seeing them in the area, otherwise their two main nest site competitors, the European starling and the English sparrow, would try to move in. If you have any experience with a martin colony you know how much a pain in the *** these two birds can be so it's best to keep them in check by any means. As the season progresses I hope to post any and all things interesting that I come across. Hopefully this season will be one of many new fledglings.

Purple Martin Colony Update

As I dropped the gourd racks my grand-daughter waited patiently for me to begin today's nest check.I perform these checks every five days to see how things are going.  As I have stated before, having a martin colony allows one to have an up close and personal relationship with these beautiful swallows.  Which is truly a blessing.  We  recorded 79 eggs and 12 newborn nestlings and while doing this came across an interesting find.

We found one nestling that had just hatched, with a portion of the eggshell still attached to it.  I removed the eggshell so that it wouldn't "cap" one of the other eggs that had not hatched yet.   If one or more eggshell hemispheres remain in the nest after a nestling hatches chances are a half could end up attached to the end of any remaining unhatched eggs.

If this happens the nestling inside the egg may have difficulty hatching.  Usually the adult martins with either remove the eggshell or consume it for its calcium content, but sometimes its overlooked and capping occurs.  One of the many duties of the purple martin landlord.

Purple Martin Arrival 2009

I'ts that time of the season again.....for purple martins! They began arriving on February 21st at my colony site. This will be my 15th year as a purple martin landlord and I'm looking forward to another great year.

I'm sure there will be lots of interesting things for me to tell everyone about. Stay tuned!

Purple Martin Notes 2

Yesterday I found the first purple martin eggs of the season nestled in a nest’s bowl. So far I've got nests in 22 of my 32 Supergourds and hopefully each will be filled with eggs in the days to come. I'll know more in about four more days when I check them again. One of the local cooper’s hawks has been busy. I watched the other day as a male grackle mobbed it while it flew away with a nestling in its clutches. Hope they steers clear of my colony…