Porch or no porch

[williamn]

I have 2 pair of subadults having trouble putting nest material in the gourds
because the gourds don't have porches. Will it matter if I install porches
onthe next nest check?

[Caroline94535-ND]

My birds love porches and I love providing them.

This year I have several unporched gourds up, but if the weather warms up I'm swapping them out, one at a time, and adding porches to all of them.

[Anthony Neira]

Mike , do your gourds have Clinger porches ? They look like someone bent a porch straight down so the Martins can put the claws on the entrance opening & push against the Clinger "plate" with their tail feathers, like Barn/ Cliff Swallows ! Most manufacturers of gourds have that option. If you're in a pinch, you can make one out of any hard surface material , even from political signs ! That's why they have trouble getting in the gourds. Good luck, Anthony

[williamn]

Thanks Caroline & Anthony for your information. I did a nest check and put
porches on the other 2 gourds now all 6 have porches. Here are nest check results.

Gourd 1- nest almost complete with green leaves.
Gourd 2- 5 eggs with moma sitting, should hatch May 16th or 17th.
Gourd 3- 4 eggs
Gourd 4- nest almost complete added straw, put on porch.
Gourd 5- 5 eggs with moma sitting, should hatch May 23rd or 24th.
Gourd 6- nest almost complete with green leaves,put on porch.

[art]

I have two Super Gourds and could not get the birds interested until this year when I installed porches. The porches are homemade of sheet metal and a 3x3" square of asphalt shingle glued on the porch for grip and traction. I also sprayed painted the insides dark brown. I think they are bringing in nesting material in addition to the pine needles I placed in the bottoms.

[Ed Rolfingsmeyer]

One of my purple martin friends has porches on the inside of the gourds does any body else have that. He has no Martins going in there only sparrows. He said they came like that. Does anybody else have that type of gourd.