Wire cages

[daveh]

This fall I plan on designing a full cage around each of my houses and gourds below but was wondering if 4x4 wire would be sufficient for barred and great horn owls. Probably wouldn't slow down a screech owl but will they be a problem down the road? I've never seen one.

I have 2x4 inch wire around four of the five houses now. The T-14 has the bars I bought from PMCA. I think the wire and T-14 owl gaurds have worked pretty well but owls still nab 8-12 birds, I think mostly fledged hatchlings every year. Probably not enough distance between wire or guard and entrances so owl can catch them as he spooks them out.

My gourds are mostly all tunneled but no wire around them. It's pretty easy for owls to hang on the front, flush the martins out grabbing as they come thru the entrances.

I'm going to tie the cages to the houses and gourds so that it comes down with them. I think it will be a real pain to do nest checks but the 4x4 wire might make it a little easier. I'm thinking 8-10 inches between entrances and cages. I drop my houses a lot before storms come in at night so if I install cages on top of poles mr owl would be able to feast all night long, a disaster. Nest checks would be a whole lot easier but don't believe I want to go that route.

Any comments on the mesh size of the wire or anything people want to comment on?

dave

[art]

Dave,

Go to YouTube and type Bidenger Purple Martin. You will see video of massive gourd racks surrounded with wire. I hope it gives you some ideas.[/i]

[Dick Sherry]

Dave, I think the mesh size you are talking about and the 8 to 10" distance from the cage to the entrance should do very well to protect your birds. I think more and more landlords are going to have to start adding cages because of the increase in the population of Coopers and sharpshinned hawks, plus the threat of the large owls. We now have fish crows to deal with in northeastern Oklahoma, so the list of predators keeps getting bigger.

[JL Murray]

Any comments on the mesh size of the wire or anything people want to comment on?

You could always still use the 2"x 4" wire and just make 4"x 4" hole's directly in front of the cavities entrance hole's, I believe i saw pictures on here were someone did that to their cages.

[Mike1624]

The 2x4 galvanized wire works well for me. I put 4x4 holes on each side, but they don't need them. They will fly right through the 2x4 holes with a little practice. The first year I had to attach the cages directly to the houses, but it made nest checks very difficult. The next year I attached them to the top of the pole and that works a lot better for me.
I understand your concern about lowering for storms. I installed four of the solar red flashers between the houses and so far haven't had any attacks when the houses were lowered. I've only had to lower them 2 times this year.
I've attached a picture of the cages under construction before installing on top of the pole.

[avesrun]

Does anyone have any thoughts about these owl cages for wannabe landlords? Would it be better to take chances first year of getting martins without owl cage and then install cages second season? Or maybe wait to install cage until a couple few weeks after eggs hatch? Just wondering if having the cage around the martin house might make a setup less attractive for getting first martins.

Anyone out there ever started a colony with a setup equipped with an owl cage?

Right now I have a T-14 with gourds underneath. I'll put a cage on it prior to next spring if the thought is that it shouldn't have any bearing on attracting first pair. Barred Owls proliferate in my area. I do have Troyer tunnels on T-14 and Troyer HG's which do provide a degrees of owl defense.
Thanks.
Tim