venting gourds

[richard pate]

my 4 year old , 50 plus gourd colony , is located at the southern most tip of texas .
all gourds with ultimate tunnels and clinger entrances .
this far south the martins are fledging mid June and by then it's already 95/day 80/ night
i cut off the tops and added heat caps this year , but want to do more .
i'm trying something new ( individual wind turbines) ,for next season , but would consider other options .
should i consider , building in some shade , insulating the gourds ?
so far , the birds are doing well . i appear to have managed snakes , owls , sparrows and mites .
heat, might limit further expansion , as we can have triple digits temps almost anytime , before fledging
.
richard

[Louise Chambers]

Adding shade and ventilation are good steps to take - that will keep the birds cooler all day long. Shade panels have been used on bluebird houses for years in Texas and it makes sense to add them to nestboxes for other species too.

[richard pate]

it's been suggested that as my colony grows , owl predation will be a bigger and bigger problem .(i'll fledge 150 plus for 2014 )
i had thought , that while building a defensive grid ( for owls ) around my 6 poles , i could design in some shade cloth above the colony
richard
i am an avid gardener and have built and run many a green house , so understand the idea of shading .
richard .

[BuddyS]

I bet someone smarter than me could come up with a method using a laptop cooling fan powered by a small solar power source. Place the fan in the neck of the gourd just below the vent hood to draw out the hot air.

Send a cut of the royalties!

[Louise Chambers]

Richard,

I think you are on track to a good way to protect and cool your housing & martins -

i had thought , that while building a defensive grid ( for owls ) around my 6 poles , i could design in some shade cloth above the colony

I hope you'll share your results!