Finally! SY-M at my site near Joplin MO! (and Starling drama)

[MamaBruff]

SY-M here around noonish!! Confirmed with binoculars and by his call. But Ol' Rooster Starling kept running him off. This is the same big male starling that outwits, triggers, and disables all of my traps. I have watched him in action. GRRR! (He needs a nice Ozark welcome to my hubby's 12 ga Remington.) So I closed the entrances to the 4 unmodified TVG's, as they were just starling bait. Like Cinderella's petite glass slipper all the big ugly girls kept trying on. UGH. Anyways, that slowed down the Starling traffic enough that Mr SY could keep coming back and checking things out! I hope that now while he is out feeding, he will be recruiting and come back home to my place. My 4 THGs have the WEPs installed. No breaches there that I can tell. Slick Porch plates on their way, more WEPs ordered, and I will soon have all the parts installed to make my gourds all Lewis Mods, and the Starlings will lose interest. Sweet Sixteen may be my year, and an answer to years of prayers and hard work. Oh, I know the work will continue, but I will at least have more motivation and reward! Four years of trying, spending money, effort, fretting, and time have dampened the enthusiasm and dreams a bit. I am a realist, and a Missourian. SHOW ME, Mr Martin!

[taxidermy lady]

Oh my that is some wonderful news. This is just a long time coming! Goodluck Mary!

[Gauxt]

Great news indeed! Pulling for ya. Do keep us posted.

[Okie]

Could it be that your starling is related to the female sparrow I had that figured out the Blaine sparrow trap & jumped over the elevator onto the feeding tray. Think I got her in a NBT because the feeding tray is not longer being emptied. So maybe someday this guy will make a misstep & wamm the door will shut & you got him.
Speaking of NBT today caught a male & female sparrow in the same trap at the same time! That is the 2nd time that has happened. Can't figure out how.
You could try Melcher NBT [if you are flush it is pricey] Had mine up for 2 weeks before starling found it today. First one I caught for over a month. Just another option
Okie

[Mitch Booth]

Congrats Mary!! Keep us posted!!!

Mitch

[Carlton]

Did you cover the entire porch with the slick material Mary or just a section up near the entrance? Did you just bring the porch up to the bottom of the dip in the entrance and add the Anti Wing Entrapment U over the entrance or did you bring the porch up to the bottom of the horizontal entrance and file out a dip in your floor for the dip in the entrance?

Carl

[MichaelH]

Yes that is good news hope he brings more in at your site and your s and s problem doesn't hamper progress good luck
Mick

[Insectivore Villa]

Shine up that twenty gauge, take the plug out ,load It up with six #7's and let them have it...we all know you are gonna. Make some room for those beautiful South American dependants and get er done.
This is your year Mama Bruff, we know you can.

[pmartinlover2]

I'm rooting for you Mary! Isn't it wonderful just to see them on your gourds? Good luck!
_____
Jody

[4th Gen Martin Fan]

Did you cover the entire porch with the slick material Mary or just a section up near the entrance? Did you just bring the porch up to the bottom of the dip in the entrance and add the Anti Wing Entrapment U over the entrance or did you bring the porch up to the bottom of the horizontal entrance and file out a dip in your floor for the dip in the entrance?

Carl

Carl,
Mary's porch elevators cover the entire porch. The 1/8" porch elevators almost reach the horizontal part of the Conley II entrance but not quite. A trough is sanded down with a electric rotary tool (Black & Decker RTX or Dremel) to ensure that it is just below the dip in the Conley II entrance.
These 1/8" porch elevators with trough to accommodate the dip are exactly what Lewis designed from the beginning. Credit for this simple and ingenious modification goes to Lewis.

Mary has proven that the expanded PVC does not hold up to extended UV light exposure. Subsequent porch elevators are made from high density polyethylene (HDPE) 1/8" sheet stock. Polymax (HDPE) was Lewis' suggestion from the beginning. He got it right the first time and Mary's field testing has proven HDPE is a superior material to expanded PVC.
The PMCA wing entrapment protectors are made of HDPE and they have been holding up for over 5 years when mounted on the outside of the entrances.
Mark.

[avesrun]

Great news MB! Sure hope he sticks! If nothing else, fire that 12 Guage in the starlings vicinity; safely of course. Use of my shotgun the last 2 seasons has the s&s deathly afraid to enter my property. They keep their distance from my home and Martin poles for the most part.
I,too, had an unmistakable blotchy sy male join my pair for most of the late afternoon and right up to dark. Right before dark the asy pair went into a gourd together and the sy flew off somewhere. It was so close to dark. Wonder if he'll stay in a tree and be back tomorrow. Do they do that?
Anyway, praying your way and best of season to you.
TimG

[Tim Mangan-Kansas]

Good luck Mary. You have a lot of people pulling for you.

[tor]

Great news. Get on top of that starling!

[Lewis]

Good News Mary. Your husband needs to get ole rooster starling. May have to go hunting for him they usually set in a nearby tree . Do you have the Nest Box Trap advertised on PMCA Market Place. It is the one that looks like a big bluebird house with an access door on one side. Hang it on the East side where it catches the morning sun. Starlings can't resist it. It also catches sparrows so you will have to monitor it for bluebirds. If the male starling can't get a female because the females can no longer get in your gourds, he will move on but it would help if you could shoot or catch him sooner.

Lewis

[mike2656]

The only real option for an animal that has grown smart, is to kill it.

A good pellet gun that can remove pests is a 'must' for a landlord. I shoot every pest bird that comes to my yard.

[MamaBruff]

Thank you everyone for your encouragement and help! I haven't seen Mr SYM today, but have not given up hope! In years past, I didn't see SYs at my site until mid-late May. More reinforcements are surely on their way!

Lewis, Yes I have the S&S nestbox trap from PMCA. Probably one of the first and best things I bought from PMCA! It has paid for itself many times over in the battle with S&S. It faces east, and is in a place I can easily observe from my kitchen/dining window. Love it... Rooster Starling has only been back to taunt me off and on since I closed the unmodified TVGs. He flushes as soon as I crack the back door open even the tiniest bit. He hunts for bugs on the ground just out of shooting range, even when I sneak around my house to a spot he doesn't expect me. That's why I thought I could park my hubby's truck or tractor w/cab in a spot where I can shoot him flying from house to tree. But gee that takes a LOT of time and patience! And I don't want to hit a "good" bird in the process. Maybe Hubby to get him for me this weekend... That Starling needs to be Terminated.

Mark, Thanks again for your help and expertise. Thanks for explaining the porch elevators to Carlton. Maybe you should go into the porch elevator business as a sideline, just a thought...

Carl, see the thread on the Lewis modification here in the forum; it has a link to the actual article that came out in the PM Update Magazine. I am so grateful to Lewis for coming up with this Modification, and for Mark, who has been so helpful to me, as well as many others here at PMCA.https://www.purplemartin.org/forum/view ... =2&t=31761

Mike, I had a pellet gun, but I never was able to hit a little bird as well as I was a big gourd or house! I will have to stick to a shotgun for best results. More antics to entertain the neighbors out here.

Okie, I also on occasion have caught 2 HOSP in the NB trap, for whatever reason. (an unexpected blessing)... Get long stiff green Zip Tie and stash it near the trap so you can poke out any laggers. Starlings will do this; sitting tight to pretend the trap is empty. I use a big plastic 3# coffee can with the bottom cut off and a clear 2 gal ziplock bag taped in place. The can has little grooves to hold it up to the side door easily. The trapped bird "goes to the light" (the clear bag) when you flip open the side door. No escapees. (FYI Bluebirds won't fly out either, so you have to lift the can a bit an peek to see who is inside sometimes.)

Eyes to the skies.

[Okie]

Thanks Mary That makes sense. That is kind of what I do with the Universal Sparrow NBT. I accidentally released one of the first ones caught as I turned the cage to see the neck for ID of male [duh maroon stripe on side of head does that trick ] Anyway gravity opened the shutter & in a nano second he was gone Now I put the cage in a plastic grocery sack & turn the cage to open the shutter, bird flies out & it is easy to catch inside the bag.
Rooting for your success this year. You are so knowledgable. Those martins should be flocking to your site.
Okie

[Mitch Booth]

Tim,

That is amazing to me you got 7 pair your first year in 2014? Were they Sy's, ASY's or a combination?

Are you in Martin rich area? We have so many active colonies in my area that it is extremely difficult getting birds to stick around. Heck even if I do get a nesting pair I have no confidence they will return. This will be the second time in 3 years birds have not returned as adults.

Tim are you able to provide any contacts in Ohio to begin the process to become a licensed bander?

Mitch

[Tim Mangan-Kansas]

Mitch:
The seven pair I got my first year here in SE Kansas consisted of 11 ASY and 3 SY. I would say we are average for number of martins in the area.

As far as obtaining a banding permit, I always refer people to either their local or state Audubon chapters. If none of them are aware of a licensed bander then contact your larger state universities and ask if they have a licensed bander on their staff. Finding a licensed bander is much easier than finding a licensed bander who would be willing to commit to the time to either band your martins and/or mentor you to get a sub-permit off of his banding permit. Most states require you to have a state banding permit to band in their state. Likewise, most states require you to first have a federal banding permit before they will issue you a state permit. Hope this helps.

[Mitch Booth]

Tim,

Thank you for the response. I guess there is some preliminary training involved. It appears it's not as simple as filling out an application. I'll keep sending emails and calling until I get somewhere.

Doesn't appear I will have any birds to band anyhow. This would be for down the road if I ever do get a colony started.

Mitch