Mystery I can't explain?

[~Ray~Gingerich]

I have a mystery I can’t explain, about 7 years ago I built this T-14 and placed it in my back yard with two other racks. I didn’t get any nesting pairs so I added 4 bo11 gourds underneath, over the years I was never able to get more than 2 nests in the gourds only and many years with nothing at all. I finally took the tunnels/pegs off and repainted the house, that didn’t help, I moved it out front where most of my gourd racks stand, that didn’t help, I added 4 more gourds at the top to make it look more like a gourd rack and last year I did get a nest in one of those. This year there was barely any interest in the house at all. I put up a new round rack between this t-14 and my other racks, well guess what? Within 2 days martins were moving into the new rack round rack and it’s already half full. I do have another t-14 nearby that gets nesting pairs every year. It just seems so strange??? Any ideas why?

Here's the original version


Picture of house at new location with changes completed. The round rack to the left is the one they moved into really fast this year. They totally ignore the T-14 house.

[Thais G]

Maybe they are not comfortable with the entrances on the side like that? It does seem "less open/more crowded" the way the entrances kind of face each other (even with the alternating levels)... Just a thought...

[Thais G]

Oh, sorry, I see now that you have already re-positioned entrances, right? Ignore comment.

[~Ray~Gingerich]

Yes I only had the tunnels on for 2 years I believe, then put the regular doors back, next steps were to paint it all white and then moved it last year and added another row of gourds, nothing helps, they just don't like it.

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

My guess is that it is related to the entrances. I know that this sort of thing happened to me. Martins will not use gourds if it is hard for them to enter...OR...hard for them to exit. Porches that are nearly flush both inside and outside is a big draw for martins.

I had some natural gourds where I had the entrance about 4 inches from the bottom of the gourds, and the tunnels were slanted so that the inside was against the side of the gourd (I did this so the martins were hidden from owls). The martins would not use them. I put some ramps into those gourds, made it easy to exit, and now they are among the first chosen.

The problem had to be this: the martins could not walk up the slanting side of the gourd, so it was hard to exit, so they did not use those natural gourds.

[Matt F.]

Ray,
Are the entrances the same as they are on your other T-14?
I would expect your "gourd Martins" to stay with gourds, and now that your second T-14 matches (entrance type, position, etc.) your first, I would think the "T-14 Martins" would spill over into the second T-14.
Is your first T-14 full?

[~Ray~Gingerich]

Here's a close up picture, it's a 50-50 mix of round holes and Conley plates, as far as entry distance it's about the same as my other T-14. The only difference is the porches are a little longer and the Conley plates. My other T-14 has nesting martins every year and fills up pretty good.It has nesting trays inside just like the other one

[Matt F.]

That is a puzzler Ray.
Maybe you could perform intra-site, forced dispersal project next season.
Remove some of the gourds from the racks next to that T-14, to force them to use it.
Once you get some committing to that T-14, you could put all of the gourds back.
Just a thought.

[tonyg]

If possible, place the T-14's close to each other..just my 2 cents worth on this one..

[~Ray~Gingerich]

Tony, I was thinking of moving it next to the other one but that thing is a bear to move! I will give it another year and try making the porches exactly level with the floors like Emil suggested.