Plastic Gourd Interior Question

[art]

I have two plastic Super Gourds. The entrances are about 4" above the round bottom. The interior surface is smooth up to the entrance. How difficult is it for adults and young to reach the exit without any rough surface to gain traction? Should I fill the basin with enough material to "raise" the nesting surface with pie needles etc.? Should I add some sort of ramp? I've had these gourd up the last three summers and my martins have never used them. I do add needles but not enough perhaps? Would sure like to see them get used. Help!

[Louise Chambers]

Art, when we had cameras in various types of gourds, martins, young and adult, would use a bit of a wing flap to hop themselves up to the entrance. I don't think a ramp is needed, but you can always use more pine straw or nest material. Are the gourds mixed in with the rest of your housing? Photo?

[art]

Yes Louise, they are hanging below my wood housing. I would try and send a photo but don't know how to reduce pixel numbers accepible to the forum.

[Jerry Parent]

Hi Art,

You mention that no Martins occupied your plastic gourds last year. I assume these gourds have white interiors. I had the same problem until I darken the interior with some spray paint designed for plastics. Try some dark colors like black, dark browns, dark green, etc. I believe the Martins will take them quickly after that. The Martin like other cavity birds like dark interior for privacy from the outside. Next time you see a woodpecker hole, look in and tell me what you see. Try it and let me know how it turns out.

Jerry Parent

[John Miller]

Are you using crescent entrances without porch entries?

The lack of a porch makes the entry more starling resistant, but sometimes martins take some time to learn to enter. They will use them, and it can make a good simple entry without a porch, but you want to measure your crescents. Standard height is 1 3/16 inches. Without a porch, you can open 1/32 of an inch and make it a little easier for the martins to catapult in and in my experience -- without a porch -- still be starling resistant.

You must measure carefully and not over open. the best way is measure is to insert a "no-go" gauge which you can make using an old credit card or aluminum, or rigid poster-board -- but measure carefully and draw thin lines. The gauge shown here has a line marked at 1 3/16 and one at 1 7/32.



http://www.purplemartin.org/forum/download.php?id=11023


The alternate approach to encourage martins to use would be to add porches, outside and inside, but these must be positioned correctly...no more than one-fourth inch below the crescent and about one-eighth inch may be ideal for starling restriction and ease of martin entry.
John

[Archer]

Hi Art, you couldn't go wrong by taking a sharp utility knife and scoring the inside of the gourd, underneath the entrance, giving them some traction.

[Craig Dyer]

Art, I have four supergourds hanging under my metal housing. All four have exterior porches only (no interior porches). The martins nest in them and seem to love them. They do struggle a little upon exiting without the interior porch, but they manage. I place a good three to four inch layer of pine straw in each gourd early in the season. I assume this helps them exit the gourd.

[art]

Thank you everyone for you helpful suggestions. Last night I cut some scrap sheet metal and bolted porches (3"x3") to the gourds. I then cut and glued like sized pieces of asphalt shingle on the porch for traction. Today I will get spray paint and darken the insides. Will also add more pine straw. I can't wait to get these up!
I am up to 14-16 birds and most appear to be ASY males. Despite the prolonged drought and lack of water I am hoping to increase the 13 nesting attempts of 2014 out here in the western High Plains of Kansas.

[Craig Dyer]

I don't mean to dis Jerry's suggestion about darkening the gourd interior, however, painting the interior a dark color will make nest checks more difficult. I painted the interior of a pair of supergourds once. It made seeing inside those gourds really difficult especially on sunny days. I'm not convinced it makes that much difference to the martins.

[Jerry Parent]

Hi Art,

My suggestion of darkening the interior does make it harder to see in the gourd as Craig indicated. However it is a small price to pay to get Martin to accept these plastic gourds. I found that if you shield you eyes from the sun and get close to access entrance you can see in quite well. I also found that once the gourd interiors where darkened they became as popular as any other cavities that I offered.

Jerry Parent

2014 - fledged 324
2013 - fledged 335
2012 - fledged 389
2011 - fledged 347

[Craig Dyer]

I haven't used the painted super gourds in several years as my set-up is different today. However I do recall that those dark interior gourds were among the first occupied every season. You may be right on Jerry.