Off Season Purple Martin Projects

[Steve Kroenke]

Off Season Purple Martin Projects

Though all our purple martins have gone south to South America and the houses/gourds are now empty, there is still PLENTY to do to get ready for the 2016 season. And now is a good time to start!

For my colony, I do have a few projects to complete before the 2016 season begins. First, I will be replacing many if not all of my current DL brake winches with another brand, a Fulton K650 brake winch that was recommended by John Barrow. I really appreciate John’s advice as the brand he recommended has proven to be a smoother operating winch than my current DL winches. I tested one of the Fulton winches and it is better than the previous DL winch. I dreaded lowering some of my systems with the DL winch because houses/gourds bounced and jerked so much; smoother with the Fulton winch. I ordered a bunch of the new winches through the AmazonSmile program where I named the PMCA as my organization to receive a donation and I will start converting winches over the next few months!

Second, I am placing inside/outside porches on all my Super Gourds using the new Super Gourd porch offered by the PMCA. I ordered a bunch of these porches from the PMCA and I am now attaching them to Super Gourds. I have between 40 and 50 Super Gourds to modify though I may not use all of them in 2016. Though porches are not necessary on gourds with round holes and I use round holes, I have observed that porches on gourds do help parent martins better feed their large young when clustering around the entrance hole. Plus the martins seem to like sitting in front of their cavities where the martins can guard their territory and look for approaching avian predators.

Third, I will be collecting many bags of pine needles to build pre-nests as necessary in all my gourds and house nest trays prior to the 2016 martin season. I usually do this in November and December and try to have all my pre-nests built by the end of January.

Fourth, I have started my early starling trapping program at my neighbor Bob’s colony and mine and I usually start catching starlings in nest box and cavity traps beginning in October or November. I have several traps in two of Bob’s Goliads and in one of my Trendsetters; all non-trap rooms are closed off. I also hang four PMCA nest box traps from one of my Trendsetters and these traps are irresistible to starlings. So far three “early” starlings have met the Grim Reaper! Some years I will trap 30 + starlings before the first martins return and this reduces starling issues later on. In our area starlings will start looking over cavities in the fall and early winter and these starlings will be in their winter plumage and their beaks will be dark rather than yellow. But by late December some of these starlings will already be showing some yellowing in their beaks and their plumage starts changing to the breeding attire. I continue with my early trapping program through January and then stop when more martins begin to arrive in February. Then any later starlings that show up at our colonies are shot.

Here are several photos showing what I have done so far.

This photo shows 15 Super Gourds with porches. I still have a bunch to go but I am making good progress. I try to do a few each day and that way I don’t get tired of doing them!



This photo shows ten boxes of new Fulton 650 brake winches that I will eventually install! I still need to buy some more! I have only replaced one DL winch with a Fulton so far. My goal is to replace ALL my DL winches with the Fulton brand. This will be a gradual work project over the next several months.



This photo shows a starling on Death Row and waiting inside a metal cavity trap to meet the Grim Reaper! I caught this starling during the morning October 30, 2015 in one of Bob’s Goliads. The starling is in his/her winter plumage and has a dark beak at this time. After the starling’s beak turns yellow, the males have a light blue or bluish gray base and the females a pinkish and some females have a cream colored one. Remember: boys blue and girls pink! The best cavity trap I have ever used to catch starlings has been this one I bought from the PMCA several years ago. I place these metal traps inside Bob’s Goliads and these traps are lethal!



Steve

[tlragsdale]

But, Steve, you never did mention what you're going to do in your spare time . The projects you mentioned should keep you plenty busy….nice work.

Hope you and your family have a safe & happy holiday season.

[James Strickland FL]

Steve is the Fulton 650 a 0101 or 0301 model?

Jim Strickland

[Steve Kroenke]

Hey Terry,

I will have to divide time between my martin stuff and some deer hunting but I think I can pull it off!

I hope you will happy holiday season, too! And try to stay warm up there in the cold north!

Steve

Hey James,

The winch is the Fulton K650 0101 Brake Winch. I should have given that additional information and thanks for mentioning this!

Steve

[James Strickland FL]

Thanks Steve for the info. I like you am going to change my winches, because I do not like the same ones that you have. I did not like do nest check due to the jerking of the gourds and houses when they came down. I did not wish to break eggs and maybe cause fledglings to jump out from the jerking that went on when I tried to lowering the houses.

[terriergal]

I haven't seen too many HOSP's around but I try to keep up with that all year round. I did collect some pine straw from around my trees this year for nest changes next year.

[tonyg]

Steve do those new winches come with all the necessary hardware for a smooth conversion? The DL on my Super 24 rack is the only one I'm having problems with right now, so might try the Fulton...Thanks, Tony.

[Steve Kroenke]

Hey Paula,

I start "early trapping" of house sparrows at one of our nearby satellite martin colonies about this time and will catch sparrows before the martins return. Last year I trapped about a dozen sparrows and this reduced sparrow problems later on. I raise maybe one or two houses, close off non-trap rooms, and in others place cavity traps or use the Trio spar-o-door traps to catch sparrows. Like starlings, house sparrows in our area may check out martin housing during the fall/early winter and that is a great time to catch these pests.

Steve

Hey Tony,

Right now I am having issues with multiple DL winches relative to jerking/bouncing houses/gourd racks. Some of the DL winches are OK but I would rather just replace them all at this time.

I was worried about possible conversion problems, but there were none for me. The brackets on the old DL winches which are used to attach the winches to the three inch square poles work with the new Fulton winches. So you don't have to drill any holes in the poles or buy additional bolts/brackets. Just take off the DL winch and replace it with the Fulton using the existing brackets/bolts. Now I always had some issues with inserting the end of the cable into the side of the DL to hold the cable in place and I did have the same issue with the Fulton. Those thick galvanized cables are a little difficult to bend at the end. So you may have to “work with the cable”! Probably just me!

Here are two photos showing a Fulton winch that replaced an older DL winch on one of my three inch square aluminum poles for a Trendsetter/gourd system. I left the wheel that guides the cable close to the pole in place but it is higher up. I may lower it later on. I also moved the new Fulton lower down on the pole and you can see where the "old" markings for the DL winch were located. You can see the how the old DL winch hardware for attaching the winch to the pole works for the new Fulton:





Steve

[John Barrow]

Hi Steve,
My first post on the new forum, if it works. My Fulton winches survived another season and feel almost like new. I think you will like them a lot. That's a bunch of money and work to change out for new and better winches on a colony of your size. You are one heckuva landlord who always does what it takes to protect and upgrade his colony, and have outstanding knowledge about martins in general that you freely share. I appreciate all that you do and wish you the best.

[M.Stephens]

My first time posting on the new forum! If the Fulton winches work fine for you two I may try them in the future.

[Steve Kroenke]

Hey John,

I really appreciate your kind remarks and also appreciate what you have done for purple martins and then shared your knowledge with others. Your dedication to purple martins and your banding studies, observations on martin coastal arrivals and geo-locator research with purple martins have been most appreciated by the purple martin community!

I am pleased that the Fulton winches you use are still going strong! I'll be converting all my DL winches very soon to the Fultons. Yesterday, I lowered and raised one of my systems with a new Fulton winch and it was so good to watch the smooth operation without all the jerking/bouncing I had with the old DL winch!

Thanks again for all you do for the purple martins and we all will be looking forward to your martin migration updates in 2016!

Steve

Hey Malcom,

I am looking forwarding to using my Fulton winches. Some of my DL winches were so bad that I wouldn't lower the housing systems and used my tall step ladder to check on martin nests!

Steve

[John Barrow]

Hey Steve,
Reading your response to my statement that the Fulton winches are still performing flawlessly, and the problems you have had with the DL winches, brings back memories of my own. I do nest checks weekly throughout the season until the last nestling fledges. Using the DL winch was a nightmare, as I anticipated the jerking, stalling motions almost guaranteeing broken eggs, or premature fledging of young. Now, those problems are gone using the Fulton. However, the nightmares still remain. Nearly every time I lower a system with the Fulton winch I expect the system to bounce, stick and jerk as it did before. It has not happened. These are well designed and well made winches that I anticipate will hold up for my lifetime. I hope we can convince manufacturers to switch to the better winch.
I, too, appreciate your kind comments. I'm sure I will offer some migration reports next year. Right now I am working on another Second Brood article that will publish in the next Update. I had 12 second broods this year --4 at my Corpus Christi colony that included a banded male and female. In addition, I will report the two geolocator-tagged females that fledged two broods in 2013-the third year we deployed geolocators from Corpus Christi. Unfortunately, neither returned in 2014 or 2015, which our team hoped to also report with a migratory map.
I had 8 second broods at my smaller colony in Sandia this season, including another geo-tagged female--the first female to be recaptured in 2014. It is noteworthy that ages of all banded second brood martins (that includes those that carried a geolocator) range in age from 4 to 8 years old. This age range also includes the 3 males (4,5 and 6 yoa) reported in 2009.

PS Nice to see Malcolm posting also. My best to you both.

[tonyg]

Appreciate the photos Steve! Looks like it would be a smooth conversion. Thanks again.

[Steve Kroenke]

Hey John,

I would cringe when I would lower some of my systems using the DL winches as I honestly thought some of the martin eggs would be damaged because of the jerking/bouncing motions of the housing. Though I didn't find any damage, I still had that fear! But your observations/experience with the Fulton winch is so reassuring. As I mentioned in my response to Malcom, I would use my tall step ladder to check some martin nests because I simply didn't trust several of my DL winches.

I have really enjoyed your research and postings about martin second broods. You are a leader in this field of martin research and your detailed observations and banded martins have proven that some martin pairs will raise second broods. I have always suspected that some martin pairs in my colonies have raised second broods, but I never had any banded martins. I will be looking forward to reading your second article on martin second broods in the Update.

Steve

Hey Tony,

I am glad the photos helped. I am looking forward to using Fulton winches when checking martin nests.

Steve

[~Ray~Gingerich]

Steve, I didn't like the DL Brake winches right from the start, I used them one season and replaced them with regular winches, at the time I didn't know about the Fulton winches.

[Rodger Drye]

Hey Steve,

Great info on what you're doing to improve your martin menagerie these winter months. I will also be changing out some of my winches. I use DL brake winches on 2" x 2" (10-40 cold rolled) steel poles and raising & lowering is as smooth as a baby's bottom. The one aluminum 2" x 2" pole I had a DL brake winch on jerked so much I took it down.
Next year I will be using DL Worm Gear winches with Hex drive. While using it up or down - when you stop it stops. Plus, I've figured out a way to use the Hex drive and not stand under the gourd rack.
I had a serious back injury in Viet-Nam and I certainly don't want to get injured again by a gourd rack falling on my back.
Also, my grandchildren help me do nest checks when they visit, and I wouldn't want them to be hurt either.
My eight year old granddaughter can raise and or lower the rack very easily using a cordless drill. Hopefully no more cranking for me. If I can make something easier - I'm all for it.!

On your starling trap photo, do they make one that will fit in a gourd? I have two aluminum houses but my birds don't seem to like them, plus they're so hot and less roomy. I would like to sell them, one is a brand new "Sunset Inn" 6 compartment and the other is a modified Coats 8 compartment, they both have cresent entrance holes.

Rodger

[Steve Kroenke]

Hey Ray,

I have two of my Trendsetters on two inch square aluminum poles that use a regular winch and that winch works just fine. I will be replacing 14 DL brake winches with 14 Fulton brake winches. I prefer brake winches with larger/heavier housing systems. Those two Trendsetters are not heavy and easy to raise/lower with a regular winch. But a Fulton winch will work with those Trendsetters because the Fulton does not have a minimum weight requirement; the DL brake winch I believe has about a 50 pound minimum weight for the winch to work properly.

Steve

Hey Rodger,

I am glad you are having success with your DL brake winches on steel poles. Some of my DL brake winches worked OK, but others did not and I was concerned that the "good" ones would eventually start causing problem.

I have read about folks using cordless drills to raise/lower systems with winches. The Worm Gear winch with Hex drive sounds like an easy and safe one to operate.

The PMCA sells several gourd traps. These traps are attached to the entrances I believe and trip when a starling/sparrow enters the holes. Here is a link to those traps:

https://www.purplemartin.org/shop/48/traps-for-gourds/

I have used the Troyer Trap several times to trap "early starlings" in Troyer Horizontals. These traps do work. But now I just trap starlings in houses or in nest box traps.

I can appreciate your concerns about raising/lowering gourd racks/houses while you are directly under the systems. One year Bob's ex-girl friend was lowering one of Bob's heavy wooden T-14s when the winch failed and the T-14 came crashing down. She just managed to get out of the way! If that T-14 had hit her in the head, she could have been seriously injured or even killed. Bob no longer uses any wooden T-14s and replaced all of them with Trio Castles and Lone Star Goliads.

We have great success with aluminum houses in our personal and satellite colonies. But martins can be "choosy" at times! Many years ago at one of my martin colonies in north Florida, martins completely shunned all my aluminum houses and only nested in natural gourds for several years. Finally after the gourds were about full, then martins started using aluminum houses and continued to do so.

I wish you great success with all your martin projects!

Steve

[avesrun]

Hey Steve. I'd like to say I hope your offseason projects are winding down; however I know that would be an unintelligible sentiment; martin tasks are never-ending.

Just wanted to add that I have been using the worm gear winches and they work great. They are smooth and the main advantage is being able to have the winch at a low position on the pole but yet landlord can raise and lower with a drill WHILE STANDING AND BE COMPLETELY AWAY AND OUT FROM UNDER HOUSING SETUP. For public sites, the worm gear winch is nice by eliminating the crank arm which eliminates vandals from tampering with the winch and not having to remove the handle every time between nest checks; I do place a lock and chain on the winch too when not in use. With the worm gear winch you can fashion a rod that slips inside a cordless drill (mine is about 4ft. in length) and the other end of the rod slips onto winch. You can than adjust how fast/slow you raise/lower with the variable speed capability of the drill. It's worked great for me at my public site with a wooden T-14 with gourds setup. I will be purchasing additional worm gear winches for my home setup once I get martins to nest there.

I can raise/lower several times on a fully charged battery; however, in your case you would probably need to have more than a couple charged batteries on hand when doing nest checks. Sounds like you're committed on the Fulton's so moot point. But I can definitely see where worm gear winches would be a huge benefit to those with super colonies; no cranking and being able to stand upright for all setup raising and lowering.

The only drawback I see to the worm gear winch is $$$. They are sold in the PMCA shop for around $80

Here is a photo of yours truly using my worm gear winch last season: (1st photo attempt on new forum so hope it works....)

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h136/ ... 5apavn.jpg

Here is a photo of the rod that I use in the drill for raising and lowering. Also shown in the photo is universal joint which some use with worm gear winches; I don't use a the universal joint; only the rod. the worm gear winch comes with a loop piece that mounts on the winch that the looped part of the drill rod hooks onto.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h136/ ... igeocm.jpg

Happy off-season everyone!
TimG

[Rodger Drye]

Hey Steve,

Just purchased a Troyer Tunnel Trap today from PMCA. I do have a NBT, but have only caught a sparrow in it. Maybe need to fine tune it. I have a repeating Sparrow Trap from Blain Johnson that works quite well. Also purchased a Tomahawk Starling Trap which I have high hopes for whenever I can get it put up.

I don't know what a T-14 weighs, but I don't think I'd like it falling on me from 14' or 16'. One of my poles has 2 steel racks that weigh 100lbs. I,m having two other racks built out of Aluminum so I can divide the weight up on this rack. Glad to hear your friends (Bob) girlfriend didn't get hurt when that T-14 house came down. I guess I,m a little over kill, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Do you have any Aluminum housing at your home and if so do you think they get to hot in Summer? It gets plenty hot here in NC and I know it gets hot down In LA. I had a Multipurpose pole up with Aluminum houses on top, only thing that would nest is sparrows. Took the whole thing down and converted it so there will only be gourds on it next year.

I don't know why my Aluminum poles and DL winches jerk so much. The only difference that I can see is the glide buttoms. It looks like they would make the sliding action smoother but maybe they're sticking for some reason. If I can ever figure out how to post pictures, I'll send you some.
Rodger

[Rodger Drye]

Hey TimG,

Was surely glad to hear of someone else that had good things to say about DL Worm Gear winches with Hex Drive. Do you use the straight rod or the rod with the hook? If you use the rod with the hook, don't you have to purchase an adapter for it? All I have is a straight rod without the universal. I sit down on a stool and raise and lower to my hearts content.

I purchased mine (Model #DL 1101 WG1500) from E-Trailer which comes directly from Dutton-Lainson Co. It is rated at 1500lbs and cost $80.95 ea. I know I'm only lifting from 110lbs. to 150lbs. but that's O.K. Like I said a little over kill is alright as long as it's Safe and I think the price is more than reasonable for what you get. You can't really put a price on Peace Of Mind...

If I had a large Colony like Steve I would definately consider the Worm Gear winches with Hex drive just from the ability to use the drill alone. If you read this Steve, you could go ahead and use an Electric Drill with light weight extension cord if your poles are all close by and you are relatively close to a power source. Even if I had to use a couple 100' cords I think it would still be worth it. Again when I ever learn to posts pictures I'll send you some from my yard.

Love these Birds, Rodger