Between Cresent/Clinger entrances which is best & why?

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ky395
Posts: 26
Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2004 7:44 am
Location: Waddy, KY

If Cresent and Clinger entrances were your ONLY choices, which would you use and why? I have both and want to use the one that will provide the most protection. _ Thanks
Bill -Waddy, KY
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Emil Pampell-Tx
Posts: 6743
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 1:26 pm
Location: Tx, Richmond (SW of Houston)
Martin Colony History: First started in Gretna, La in 1969 with a small homemade house, have had martins ever since at 2 different homes in Texas

They provide the same amount of protection from starlings. The clinger may be slightly better to stop wing entrapment, but I urge everyone to put some wing entrapment guards on their entrances. The only difference in those two entrances that you mention is the corners on each end of the entrance. I do for an unknown reason prefer the clinger, just like the looks better.

The very best protection is the entrances that have wing entrapment guards already built into them, such as the Ultimate tunnel by S&K. I think that Troyer also has a tunnel made like that but I have not seen it.

The thing that helps a lot for starling protection is to raise the porch either flush or nearly flush. The starling does not like to squat that low to enter, and usually cannot enter.
PMCA Member, 250 gourds, 6 poles, 2traps
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klcretired
Posts: 2174
Joined: Tue Nov 18, 2003 3:06 am
Location: Grand Prairie,Tx

to me the crescents entrance can be a little to small for some of the Larger Male Martins, I have seen many many times where the larger male martins could not get in after struggleing and struggleing, that is why it is good to Offer a variety of entrances including the round hole entrances if you can and if you Have your S & S's under Control.
Pictures Taken with Canon Rebel XT Digital using a Sigma 50-500 Long Lens.

Wishing everyone a Great Martin Year
Happy Martining for 2022 to everyone,

K.C.

[email protected]
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DornCounty
Posts: 2169
Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2012 3:58 pm
Location: Rural SE Kansas
Martin Colony History: .
.
Trio-Jedi

crescents around here are easily breeched unless within 1/4 inch of a porch.
2017 - Home & Public Colonies - 300 Cavities
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chickadee
Posts: 1128
Joined: Fri Mar 25, 2011 3:02 pm
Location: ohio

The clinger. I have a few. Wish I could switch to all clinger. From what I see here with my martins is they get into them with ease and seem to like them. I do find some big martins can't get into creasents. Last year I had to switch one out with a clinger. And he got right in. It's like the creasents was hitting the top of his back. I have never seen a starling get in my clingers or my creasents. But they don't live long enough to keep trying. But anything is better then round. Round should be outlawed.
2008 1 pair
2009 3 pair
2010 7 pair
2011 20 pair
2012 44 pair 280 eggs 210 fledged
2013 67 pair.
2014 67pair
2015-2022 67 pair
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Keith
Posts: 435
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2009 2:45 pm
Location: Missouri/Ava
Martin Colony History: 85 pair in 2020. Seems fairly consistent the last few years.

Hello Bill,
I started out with crescents but am now about all clinger and this is why. When I watched the same starling able to breach my crescents and not able to get in the clinger sold me on the clinger entrance. I do have wing guards on all my entrances and also have porches. The Martins at my place have no trouble at all with either entrance. The Ultimate Clinger tunnel with built in wing entrapment that Emil mentioned is excellent in my opinion.
Keith
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gwarnerjr
Posts: 153
Joined: Sun Jan 08, 2006 9:36 am
Location: Virginia/Northern Neck

I have porchless clinger entrances on my T-14 and 30+ natural gourds. No problems with starlings and the martins zip right in! They also hang right on the bottom of the entrance for feeding young with no problems.
First pair in 2005
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4th Gen Martin Fan
Posts: 1498
Joined: Thu Jul 04, 2013 1:19 pm
Location: TN/Collierville
Martin Colony History: I have been exposed to purple martin sounds in utero when my mother went out to get my father away from his martin colony.
I played around the martin colony every summer and watched as my father maintained his colony. In the late 50's until the 70's he did not notice European Starlings in south Texas.
When old enough, I helped maintain his colony. My primary task was eliminating English House Sparrows with a 1956 Benjamin 317 .177 air rifle.
When I settled into my own home, I started my first colony with an original Trio Castle and Trio Grandpa. When I moved again, I did not put up any martin houses. Frustration with European Starlings in the Southeast US was overwhelming.
Found PMCA Forum and learned about modern enlarged compartments and SREHs.
Inherited my father's last martin house, a Trio Grandma, modified it to modern specifications and have had good results since then.

I know that all of the regular Forum members know the dimensions of the Clinger SREH, but I had to search for it.
This PMCA Forum link gives the measurements to go with this topic.

http://www.purplemartin.org/forum/viewt ... e7b4f98277

At least it helped me with the dimensions of the Clinger entrance.
Now I understand why the wing entrapment protectors available from the PMCA store will work with the Clinger entrance and the Crescent entrance.
Mark.
Mark.
Firm believer in HOSP/EUST Control, Enlarged Compartments, SREHs, Pole Predator Guards, Owl/Hawk Guards, Mite/Parasite Control, Housing Insulation, and Vents for Compartment Cooling.
PMCA Member.
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