I just ordered the quick release stove pipe guard from here and already have some netting (but will add more). I too lost a bird and 6+ eggs last year. It was my first experience with a snake in the past 7 years of hosting Martins. Our face-to-face meeting during the nest check will not be forgotten ! This snake defeated some netting and a cone type guard.
Netting...........check
Guards...........check
Housing ready............check
Nesting material in place............check
Martins...........???????????
I have the S&K type houses protected with their seamless stovepipe guards. Now I am concerned that this may not offer full protection. I see all the references to bird netting but very little in the way of how to install it.
Can anyone provide bird netting installation procedures that have proven effective against snakes. Last year we lost a bluebird family due to a rat snake getting around a guard we thought was sufficient. We were just sick about it and do not want it to happen again to either the martins or the blue birds.
By the way we have a pair of bluebirds checking us out and another pair trying to horn into the territory. I put another nest box about 300' away and hopefully the second pair will move in there.
Still no Martins at our place about 14 miles from Georgetown.
Snakes are a real problem. They will destroy your colony. The colony that you worked and slaved and sweated bullets over....can be gone almost overnight.
Snakes are one of God's creatures, and they have just as much right to live their lives as any other creature.....BUT,.... WE will do Anything to protect our beloved Martins and Bluebirds.
Do NOT trust the standard stovepipe predator guard. Please use secondary protection by adding a big wad of birdnetting above any other guards that you have.
I use a 4ft. x 4" piece of pvc pipe with netting above it. This also kept the racoons & squirrels, etc. off. I wax the pvc once a week to keep it slippery. I installed the netting at the top edge of the pvc by using a hose clamp and 4 pieces of wire cut from wire hangers, pointing a piece out at north, south, east & west. I wrapped the netting 'round & 'round, inserting it on the wire each cycle. Then I turned the ends of each wire up (to keep the net from falling off) and fluffed up the netting.
I'm no expert, but from reading other's instructions last year, I think I did it right. Steve's the expert - maybe he'll reply too.
"Sometimes", said Pooh, "the smallest things take up the most room in your heart."
2023 - 82 pair
2022 - 80 pair
2021 - 75 pair
2020 - 78 pair
2019 - 80 pair http://kathyfreeze.blogspot.com
It's best to place the netting above the stovepipe, PVC, or cone guard. Otherwise you might end up catching snakes that might not have made it past the guard to begin with. When placed above the guard, the netting only catches snakes that make it past the guard.
Also, placing stovepipe or other type guards so the top is not less than 4 ft above the ground is important - though large snakes may still get past one, that height will stop raccoons and smaller snakes.
The net snake traps have to be watched like any type of trap, but for those in areas with large rat snakes, they may be necessary.
Sam, here is a pic of what did not work for me last year. My stovepipe was 4 feet off the ground with the netting on top. He negotiated each, but fortunately I saw him before he got to the top. This rat snake was the biggest I've ever seen--he was 6'2" long! This season I have 4 feet of 6 inch pvc with a hot wire connected to a charger on top. Good to hear of your bird showing up today. My first last year was on the same day as yours-Feb. 20. It won't be long for me now.
That is a big snake. The largest one i have caught is a little over 5'. The one that was in my house was 5' long....................... That is a sick feeling I've got to tell ya.
My martin house is what I meant! My wife would surely leave......HEY
Pmca is solely responsible for ending a ten year drought to start a colony. Many Many Thanks!!!
! This snake defeated some netting and a cone type guard.