It's that time of year again...

Since I was gone for 2+ weeks, I had no idea what I would find when I got home to peek inside the PMs' gourds.

I just finished a thorough nest check.

There are 15 gourds hanging on the 14' tall rack.

There are 15 pairs of martins with 15 nests.

Each and every gourd has a nest. There are no bachelor pads this year! (Bachelor pads are where one male claims two gourds; one for his mate and her eggs, the other for himself.)

Each and every nest has eggses!

There are a total of ... 78 Eggs!

I don't know what day(s) they started laying or incubating, so I don't know if there will be more eggs or not. I will do another nest check Monday.

Gourd 6 has the most elaborate nest. There is a mud dam; sticks and straw stems are laid neatly in order, a foil lining is behind the eggs, and a thick pad of green leaves cushions and hydrates the six eggs.