New T14 Martin House

[D Little]

Steve,

Most advice I see on here is to provide alternative housing to get them away from your colony so it sounds like you are on the right track in that regard.

Donnie

[Wetterdale]

Thanks Donnie. No I'm not anywhere close to giving up!

Steve, I've tried the TS house 50' away. I've also moved it progressively further away using two shepherds hooks. They still guard the airspace. One year when I had the TS settled in their own box, a second pair tried to move into the T14. I had to introduce a second TS box. In the past I kept the Martin house closed until the last week of May when the SYs arrived. Then the TS moved in immediately. So I gave them their own box and that worked, but the martins arrived within a week of the TSs settling in their box so they were still very aggressive. I've heard that TS gradually protect a smaller airspace as the year progresses. So this year I plan to get the TS box out at least a month before the martins so hopefully they will settle down by then.

As far as eliminating the TS boxes entirely, this may not work. Like I said as soon as I opened the T14 they were there. I also have the problem with having nested TS in past years. They have site fidelity too so they return. In fact, my TS took a box out in the field and built a nest but abandoned it to move back to the yard when I opened the T14 up. Sigh.

My nemesis.

[Dave Reynolds]

Wetterdale --- I feel your pain about the tree swallows, (notice I didn't capitalize there name). They were my worst enemy. (My Martin's worst enemy). I had a Martin pair that tried to build a nest for over 10 days, but the tree swallows would not allow the Martins to set up house. I even moved the tree swallow's gourd as far away as 50 to 60 yards. And they still were relentless.. Finally the Martins gave up trying. I'm not even going to open my houses or gourds up early this year. (In hopes to catch a Martin passing through). I'm going to wait until at least eight to ten weeks after the first reports, before I open them up. Wishing you good luck this year.

Dave

[wnieman]

Steve,
My name is Wayne and I am a new member. I just completed a T-14 cedar house and wrapped it in white aluminum. Your 22 unit T-14 house looks awesome. I was hoping that I could get some plans or overall dimensions of your T-22 house so I could build something similar. Please let me know.
Thanks, Wayne

[SteveJ]

Hi Wayne,
I don't have a set of plans for this house. It was mainly done in my head but I do have a floor plan, that i kinda went by that I drafted up. I can send you that if you like. It will at least give you some dimensions I used to figure things out.
The big thing is to know what diameter your steel pipe is and getting another plastic pipe to fit over it. ( I used CPVC pipe used for gassing furnaces & hot water tanks)
Let me know if you want what I have.

[David W]

Steve, I had a homemade T14 that I made and the martins would look at it but would not go in. That was for 10 years. I finally put four gourds underneath it in 2013 and had 4 pair use it.
Last year took down the T14 and put up 12 gourds and had 7 pair nesting and 32 fledged. This year I am putting 12 more gourds up.

In this part of eastern Pennsylvania they don't seem to like the T14.

[wnieman]

Steve,
That would be great to just get a plan yiew. If you can please send it to my e-mail address: [email protected]
Thanks, Wayne

[SteveJ]

Hi Wayne,
I sent the drawings to you this morning. I hope they help.

If anyone else would like a copy of the plans I made, I have no problem giving them out.

[SteveJ]

David W,
I put 4 natural gourds up last year as well as the T14 but only got starlings. I'm going to put them up again this year hoping to have the same luck as you did. Anything to get a least one pair to stay. keeping my fingers crossed.

[Wetterdale]

Hey Steve. I just wrote you a note and will pop it in mail tomorrow with my contact info. Apparently private messaging is turned off on the forum.

Just curious, over the last several years, how many visitors per year did you actually observe. Judging by your comments you only saw visitors one year?

[skw159]

Oh...my...goodness! It's beautiful!

[SteveJ]

Hi Dale,
I have a couple of visitors per year but the first year a pair stayed for a couple of days, then left. Usually mid June I see them.