Martin Colony History: 2014 - first year, zero activity 2015 - Nothing 2016 - SY male visited and stayed a few weeks, unable to attract a mate 2017 - SY pair arrived June 6 - 3 eggs laid, 2 hatched, 1 fledged. 2018 - ASY male, SY female - 5 eggs, 5 hatched, lost all 5 prematurely 2019 - SY male hungout for a month, no mate, several visitors 2020 - SY Pair - 4 eggs, 4 fledged 2021 - ASY male returned 4/26
Appears 2018 is over for me, except maybe some visitors, so I'm eyeing upgrades for next year.
I currently have a Watersedge 4 room house mounted on a 12' telescoping pole. I think its the "birds choice heavy duty". It has thumbscrews, which are starting to become unreliable. I rigged it so I could mount two gourds underneath using some threaded rod. See attached pic.
martinhouse.jpg (146.41 KiB) Viewed 2788 times
I'd like to get something that is 15 feet and telescoping. I want to keep the Watersedge house, and possibly add a couple more gourds. I don't mind if there is some work involved to modify a pole. Maybe a flagpole?
Why not buy a multipurpose pole from PMCA. It would hold two of those nice looking Watersedge houses and four gourds under them. I have two Musselman houses on my three inch multipurpose pole with four excluder gourds under them. I'm using a winch instead of a rope system. The birds really like the setup and I like the setup. Being a square pole the orientation is always the same . On a round pole you have got to make sure the orientation is right every time you lower and raise back up. Don't want to confuse the birds. I got rid of all my telescopic poles years ago because of several reasons. If they get slightly bent in a storm they don't telescope anymore and they always took skin off my fingers when lowering and having my fingers on the joints. Man that hurts. Allmy systems are on winches and would never go back to telescopic poles.
Martin Colony History: I have been exposed to purple martin sounds in utero when my mother went out to get my father away from his martin colony. I played around the martin colony every summer and watched as my father maintained his colony. In the late 50's until the 70's he did not notice European Starlings in south Texas. When old enough, I helped maintain his colony. My primary task was eliminating English House Sparrows with a 1956 Benjamin 317 .177 air rifle. When I settled into my own home, I started my first colony with an original Trio Castle and Trio Grandpa. When I moved again, I did not put up any martin houses. Frustration with European Starlings in the Southeast US was overwhelming. Found PMCA Forum and learned about modern enlarged compartments and SREHs. Inherited my father's last martin house, a Trio Grandma, modified it to modern specifications and have had good results since then.
Dave is correct. A square pole with winch system is far superior to any round pole. I mentor a few colonies with telescoping poles and they are a pain.
I worry each time raising and lowering a house or gourd rack on telescoping pole. I worry for the martins and for me.
Your colony site is so pretty and looks like an open area. Ideal for martins but please get a pole predator guard up.
Mark.
Firm believer in HOSP/EUST Control, Enlarged Compartments, SREHs, Pole Predator Guards, Owl/Hawk Guards, Mite/Parasite Control, Housing Insulation, and Vents for Compartment Cooling.
PMCA Member.
I've never seen that specific pole, but I have never seen a telescoping pole that is made specifically for Martin housing that I would trust. I have one that only has a perching station and two decoys on the top ( less then 2 pounds) and over the year it now leans probably 15-20 degrees from the wind, that is without a house on it.
