1st time use of owl guards and excluder holes - observations

[CraigM]

This year I decided to start installing owl guards after I lost a few martins last year to a pair of Screech Owls. (Also, a buddy of mine lost his entire colony to some sort of owl.) I bought 4 Excluder Owl Guards and 6 Gourd Rack Owl Guards installed them plastic gourds, some with crescent holes and some with excluder holes.

So far, I have a total of 11 nesting pair in my 22 plastic gourds. (Also have 2 or 3 pair nesting in a Trio Mini Castle, but can't do nest checks on it)

I have zero activity in the 4 gourds with the Excluder Owl Guards and only 2 of the 6 gourds with the Gourd Rack Owl Guards installed.

Another observation....This year I bought 6 new gourds with the Excluder holes. I only have activity in 2 of those 6 gourds.

What I am guessing from these unscientific observations is this....my martins are accustomed to the plastic gourds with crescent holes without owl guards and (like me) they are not a big fan of change. I hope that as I add owl guards they will adapt. I'll probably go exclusively with the larger Gourd Rack Owl Guard style based on my observations this year.

[Hanover Bill]

Hi Craig;

Just some observations on my experiences with adding owl guards for the first time. I was very concerned about how the returning Martins would react to the changes. I used the 2x4 inch welded wire fence to enclose each tower on my T-14. The first ASY male that returned was hesitant to go through the fencing, but when the second ASY male showed up I guess the competitive juices started to flow and they both started to enter and exit with no hesitation, as have all of the others that followed.

I used the standard bent wire owl guards on my gourds and saw no hesitation at all with entering and exiting the gourds.

Hopefully yours will adapt quickly to the changes you have made

Best of luck;
Hanover Bill.

[John Miller]

I don't know for sure, but have been wondering if one places the porches at one inch below (not sure what you did) as indicated by the "Excluder Gourd" factory indents for all its porches, whether martins find it more difficult to enter the modified excluder opening and the excluder II opening. Most of us have begun placing porches higher to better in general restrict starlings, but again, I'm "wondering" whether this may be a factor for your martins having difficulty. Martins enter the crescent by dropping their shoulders down, but have to open their wings a bit to enter openings with pips, and I have to wonder if the lower porch at least slightly impedes them getting them into the right posture or position to enter.

How did you place the porches? If they are higher, disregard the ramblings of this guy.

John

[CraigM]

John, Those were my exact thoughts. I installed several porches this year as my old aluminum porches were blowing off with the wind. On the 4 gourds I used the Excluder Owl Guards, I installed where the factory indents where, otherwise I would have had to bend or alter the guards. The remaining 12 or 15 porches I installed as close to 1/8-1/4 as I could. Those gourds are being readily used. Next year I'll probably make some alterations and remount the 4 porches that are now at 3/4".

[John Miller]

Craig

I ran across the same issue yesterday on FB...landlord wasn't using the owl guards but he did place porches one inch below "modified excluder" entrances on excluder gourds, as the indents would indicate, and found martins did not use, but they did use placed at one inch with crescents.

I know the PMCA has been working with the vendor, but I'd suggest they re-double those efforts, maybe even post a notice because it may be that hundreds of people out there have this same situation and are wondering why martins are not entering.

John Miller

[daveh]

I've got 6 excluder gourds with the excluder entrance and with the original porch height, 1 inch below the entrance, and owl guards. I've checked my records for 5 years and the martins use them as often as they use my super gourds or Troyer verticals. They have no problem going thru them. I haven't had any starling problems either.

dave

[John Miller]

Dave...keep in mind you also have a large colony site with competition for units. That "may" encourage martins to learn to use all the entries. Craig's site if I understand is small, as was the one I referenced on FB. John