Bed and breakfast feeding...any ideas??

[brent]

Hi everyone,
Just doing some preliminary planning and want to be ready this season should the weather be so bad as it was last year. Any thoughts on feeding platforms. I see that there are some for purchase in the PMCA site but was wondering if anyone built their own or used the individual trays sold here and attached them to the house. I have trendsetter aluminum houses. Has anyone mounted a tray to an aluminum house. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks, Brent.

[C.C.Martins]

Brent, like the thinking. I like the ones PMCA sells, I even toyed with the idea of putting a platform in the v between gourd arms where they meet at the hub (made it too) but it would also mean putting up the house and lowering it to add more crickets or meal worms. Be too disruptive in my view. But heck what do I know, just got the birds accepting last season!

In the long run its about sustaining the birds for a few weeks initially during the cold and assisting them when little food is to be found during drout.

My answer is to flip crickets, is it enough? I don't know, I fear not but I'm ready to flip alot, a whole lot. i just don't have the space for a platform, or I'd get one.

One ps: be easy enough to make though, all u need is an old pole, something like a trio pole with rope and pulley. PMCA sells the feeder platforms and arms. I had two PMCA 4 gourd poles with hubs, retired them from service and attached two bird houses (with van ert traps)to the hub i turned into sparrow traps. Once you have the hub, just attach the arms and trey.

[Martintown33]

Hi Brent, I’m located in Laplace about 50 miles from you. I have noticed a large decrease in birds of all varieties, in my and surrounding areas, following the destruction and downed trees, after hurricane Ida. Have you noticed the same thing in Houma, or no?
Rob

[Kegger]

last season was the 1st for this B&B I made. I have not seen Martins eating off it except
for eggshells and for bedding material.

[brent]

Hi everyone and thanks for the replies. I decided to buy 2 trays and will use a 10 foot 2x4 attaced a metal t post to secure them on. All this in the event I get them to take flipped insects and it's a prolonged weather event. Just want to be prepared.

Hey Martintown33, I did notice fewer birds after hurricane Ida. Right after the storm there were literally none. Still now I see fewer birds but it looks like as time passes I see more. I keep a daily log and for several days, weeks I did not see any Bluebirds. Recently I've recorded seeing some. Yesterday a pair visited. Getting back to normal.

[Dave Reynolds]

... Sounds like a feeding tray is a great idea.. I may have to build one.. last year was the first year that I had more then 1 pair at home.. So I got to get busy before March gets here ..

Dave

[Martintown33]

Hi Brent. Glad your bird numbers are increasing,! Still not seeing many at all here. Before Ida, I had many birds of all varieties.. cardinals, blue jays, mockingbirds, finches, wrens, sparrows , starlings , and hawks. After Ida, no cardinals at all, some blue jays, a mockingbird or 2, no finches, hardly any wrens, no starlings (not sorry about that), and not even any diehard sparrows, and no hawks. I think their habitat changed so much after Ida, that they left. So many trees down, means less trees to live and hide in, and less insects . I hope it doesnt affect the martins when they arrive. Thanks and good luck!
Rob

[Rick B]

Ice and snow will make it impossible to lower the house in spring. Depending on your location I would place it on it own pole.

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[John Barrow]

Brent, I have been supplemental feeding in So. Texas for about 20 years. There is a wonderful collection of articles on the topic found on the index page to this forum that lists topics of most recent posts, and above that has "Topics" posted by PMCA administrators. It is helpful for all of us to utilize those articles.
Supplemental Feeding & Purple Martins:
http://purplemartin.org/forum/viewtopic ... 4833f743ce
At the top of that page, on the left hand side is a search button. Searching for "feeding trays" brought up many prior articles which provide additional advice. Link to search page follows:
http://purplemartin.org/forum/search.ph ... 4833f743ce

You have received some great suggestions to your post. I would add a few other considerations and comments:
1. Many successful feeding stations are on stationary platforms safely (free from ground predators) five feet or more above ground. They are visible to the purple martin systems and easily accessible. Many incorporate a roosting structure above the food source that allow martins to land and look down into the tray. They are also used to provide nesting material early in the season, egg shells or pullet size oyster shell preceding egg laying, often along with live and thawed insects as desired. Last season's vortex freeze in mid Feb had a serious impact on insect numbers and supplemental feeding was beneficial for weeks afterward. It was also nearly impossible to secure insects during that period; a reminder to have a supply of insects on hand before the need arises.
2. I would not recommend attaching a food tray to the martin system. As Tom has stated, it will cause disruption. In So. Texas we have 3 primary species that would compete with martins for food *at the housing*-- mockingbirds, woodpeckers and loggerhead shrikes. All will bully the martins. In addition, Eastern Bluebirds, common in your area, will compete for the food and might need to be encouraged to feed at a separate location (as our primary three are).
3. Flipping live food is the best way to acclimate birds to a feed station. It is best accomplished by flinging insects toward the feeder with some landing, or pre-staged, in the feeder that are observed in the process. Flinging on your rooftop or neighboring high spot might kick off the feeding process too. There are two downsides to flipping insects. First, when martins are actively feeding air born collisions are possible and can hurt involved birds. Secondly, actively engaged martins loose awareness for avian predators. You become a safety valve. Stop the feeding if an alarm call is given, or if you detect the presence of a hawk.
4. I use the rope and pulley feeders that PMCA sells and find them well made and easy to use. They also sell a "quad feeder" which is a 6 foot tall heavier stationary model for the same four panel feeder.
5. Success with martins involves skill and luck. Of the two I would rather be lucky. I wish it for all landlords!

[brent]

Great suggestions and replies! I did order 2 trays and plan to mount them on an 8 foot 2x4 that will be attached to a t-post. I'll put a perch for them above the feeding trays as suggested. I collected and froze a lot of June Beetles and have frozen crickets too. I plan to order meal worms and more crickets as the season nears. Keeping fingers crossed. Thanks again. Brent