Damned if you do and Damned if you don't!

[birdman in buckhead]

Hi folks. Due to the heat I put up shade on the gourd racks using some thin, rigid and reflective insulation. It's like bubble wrap between 2 sheets of aluminum foil. It worked good until a "cool" front came through and brought some high winds. I use a homemade pulley system to lower and raise the racks for nest checks. Now the insulation is acting like a sail and whipping the racks around, and up and down - throwing one hatchling on the ground that was on the front porch. I don't want to take the insulation off because it's still very hot. The cool front only lowered the humidity a little. The only thing I could think to do was to lower the racks. They're now about 8 feet off the ground but the parent birds don't seem to care that much. Plus it's not as far to fall for the early wannabe fledglings!

[Martintown33]

Yes, lowering your houses or gourds won’t affect the martins at all.. especially after they’ve nested and have young..
Good luck,
Rob

[Dave Duit]

Hi Birdman,
At the end of the season start thinking about strengthening the roofing / shading material. Do whatever it takes to make a permanent, solid and strong shading system. People who visit my colony usually respond with their jaws dropping after the realize the lengths I go to ensure safety and quality of their housing. I have three large gourd racks, each equip with 10 foot circular shape corrugated roofing, 4 X 4 inch grid goat fencing around each rack system to keep out owls and every gourd and or metal housing unit has either elbow vents of aluminum round vents. For early spring arrivals I have a pull out heating box with ceramic heaters for cold weather. I went a little overboard in details, but it is all fun for me.
So, back to answering your question. Just beef up the shading for the next season. Something that can also stop hail storms and brutal heat waves.

[TexasMatt]

Hi Birdman,
At the end of the season start thinking about strengthening the roofing / shading material. Do whatever it takes to make a permanent, solid and strong shading system. People who visit my colony usually respond with their jaws dropping after the realize the lengths I go to ensure safety and quality of their housing. I have three large gourd racks, each equip with 10 foot circular shape corrugated roofing, 4 X 4 inch grid goat fencing around each rack system to keep out owls and every gourd and or metal housing unit has either elbow vents of aluminum round vents. For early spring arrivals I have a pull out heating box with ceramic heaters for cold weather. I went a little overboard in details, but it is all fun for me.
So, back to answering your question. Just beef up the shading for the next season. Something that can also stop hail storms and brutal heat waves.

Hi Dave
I don't want to off the poster'd subject for long but ounds like you have locked on heavy duty system and shelters in place and take it very serious. Would you happen to have a couple photos you can paste so we can take a look at it? Corrugated roofing is permanent and the wind can do nothing less its a Tornado or something of that rare order.

[birdman in buckhead]

2 pics of my shade design. Do you also want to see my pulley system?

[Dave Duit]

Hi TexasMatt,
I will take a few pics and post them soon .Sorry, it took me so long to respond. Thanks..

[CTMartins]

Do you have top vents and or cap vents? Also have you tried putting in a wireless thermometer in a unused gourd to see what the temp actually is? If all the gourds are used put one under a gourd and see what the temp is. Convection and wind maybe providing more cooling then thought.

[C.C.Martins]

Terry those gourds are screaming "vent me", drill a 1 inch hole upper back of the gourd, position the PVC elbow vent downward so rain cant get in and calk it in.
It will do wonders getting air flow through there. Imagine sitting in a hot car with the windows up.
I like the sunshades, much needed now.

[Dave Duit]

As promised about two weeks ago. Here are some pics of my martin set up. Complete with perches, owl fencing, fencing tail props, pvc tubing circular perching, sun roof of corrugated roofing, floor that stops owls from entering from below. The rack and floor all raise and lower with a 1,000 pound wench. The square rack system is made up of modified grandpa and old style metal housing on a four grid welded metal frame. The fencing is called goat fence; it has 4"" X 4"" mesh openings. The metal four plex also has open areas behind the units so I can slid in a ceramic heating box with open sides. All gourds and metal housing are equip with either 2 inch PVC elbows or soffit aluminum 2 inch louvered vents for heat reduction. Anyway, it's a hobby. lol

[brent]

Dave, is the owl cage attached to the housing or the post? Does it raise and lower with the housing? Great set up! Brent

[C.C.Martins]

Dave,
Gasp!!! My gosh, what a set up. Looks like you took each problem and put the fixes all together. That is amazing. Good lord, I was proud when I put a winch on a trio mini castle haha.
Amazing. Bit more than a hobby sir.....more like a lifestyle done right.
Good pictures,
Tom

[Dave Duit]

Thanks for the kind words. The owl cage is connected to a 31 foot steel band attaches about 10 inches down from the top of the cage. The roof sits inside the metal band. The metal band is welded to 8 heavy duty metal arm rods that then are welded to a center hub. The hub slides up and down the 4 by 6 inch 1/2 inch thick walled steel pole; cemented in a cubic yard of cement in the ground. I guess you could call it a system on steroids. lol. Yes, you are correct it is a hobby that went to extremes. The smaller platform feeder in the background is an experimental design in the works, which keeps out starlings and robins from eating the expensive crickets,.

[Dave Duit]

The owl cage is a fixed structure to the pole and does not lower. The gourds and bottom floor raise and lower. The floor is attached to the rack itself via metal wire. When raised the floor will touch the bottom of the cage. The cage has pvc tubing on the top for perching and the bottom for a good seal to the floor for the martins protection.

[MY FYN 79]

Amazing setup Dave! Did it take any getting used to for the Martins to go through the fencing to get to the gourds?

[Dave Duit]

The martins adapted quickly to the owl cages. Now there are benefits to having the cages. Other than keeping the owl out, the martins use the 4 x 4 inch mesh openings as perches. The tail props also enable martins to perch and take turns when it comes to feeding the youngsters. One will wait on the fencing while the other exits the gourd, They just quickly take turns.

[Martintown33]

Wow! What a setup ! That’s not a hobby, that’s a military strength purple Martin bomb shelter! Great job!
Rob

[C.C.Martins]

Wow! What a setup ! That’s not a hobby, that’s a military strength purple Martin bomb shelter! Great job!
Rob

Rob, id say! DoD would be proud!