Owl cage pays off during a sharp shinned hawk visit

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

[quote="Lewis" I use Troyer horizontal gourds with Tunnels and Conley II srehs that I have modified by raising the floor and adding the PMCA wing guard over the entrance. The gourds are attached to the gourd rack so they will not move with "No rocker".

Lewis[/quote]
Lewis, another friend has such equipment on her gourd rack. She lives in the heart of owl country, and she attributes her success to the Troyer Horizontal gourds, she said that she does not have an owl problem using those gourds. She said that she monitors the gourds, and the owls have not hurt her. As is always the case, I just report what she says.

[Lewis]

Emil, I purchased the Troyer Horizontal gourds because Andy Troyer advertized them as owl resistant.I got them after what I believed to be owl predation on my Trio which at the time had 6 inch chambers with round holes , easy pickings for the owl of young fledglings. I think predation of all kinds,owl, hawk, snake, racoon increases after the young are hatched. Somehow they know. Fledglings are most vulnerable when they are outside the house or gourds sitting on porch or railing. I have been lucky in that my fledglings do not come out before they fledge. The design of the THG may help with long neck, tunnel and small modified sreh. My Safe Haven Houses have narrow porches with no railings and the fledglings do not sit on these porches. IMO if an owl can only catch 1 or 2 adults he may not be around very often as he has more and larger prey to hunt, but if he can fill up on young fat fledglings he'll be back every night. I have had the THGS for 8 years and got the idea from you and Tim from Arkansas now of Kansas to make them stationary.Thanks.

Lewis