Will this work for an entrance/front porch?

[WI/MI Border]

I'm working on entrances for my eight unit PM house. I've read something about the porch/entrance design but I'm not sure how to interpret it. Will the PMs be able to enter with the porch floor at the bottom of the entrance? Should there be a quarter inch step up to the entrance? I just made one of these so far and can redesign it before I make the rest.

Thanks for your advice. Tim

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[John Miller]

If the distance from the top of the porch to the top of the crescent is less than 1 3/6 inches, martins cannot enter. Flush is the most restrictive to starlings and martins learn to enter but struggle with it. A porch at 1/8 inch below the bottom edge of the crescent blocks starlings well, but gives martins some wiggle help entering. One fourth is okay, but beyond one-fourth inch starlings sometimes can then get leverage with their legs to enter. ...difficult to measure crescent height with ruler. Make what I call a "no-go" gauge out of plastic, aluminum or even poster board. It's just a wedge, flat at bottom and tapered at top. Insert and should stop at the line. Measure the line on it carefully -- eyes under age 50 or calipers.

[WI/MI Border]

Thanks John. I will try a "step" of about 7/32" (bottom of entrance to porch floor).

I'm not sure what size the ideal porch is. The pictured one is about 6" wide by 2 3/4" deep. It looks like the PMCA aluminum porches are that deep. I also thought that I'd attach a simple round dowel to the front edge to act as a perch. I might experiment with porches with no dowel and some with the dowel perch.

[WI/MI Border]

Modified the porch with a step. I think that will work. I wonder if the PMs will like the natural cedar or if I should paint them white like everything else.

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I attached a photo of my thoughts for a porch perch. I don't know if they are a good addition or not. Two lengths I'm thinking about. Whatdayathink?

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[John Miller]

I've always thought a perch is a good idea. It helps a martin landing to grasp. I'd be concerned about this one resting directly on the wood as moisture would gather next to it; warp. But if raised, needs to be enough gap under to not create a toenail trap. Regarding white...that's primarily to reduce heat. Martins will nest in unpainted wooden boxes, but most usually are white. As for porch width, I dislike narrow ones. If a martin lands on it, it should be able to bend forward and look in, not hitting its head.

[WI/MI Border]

Thanks again John! I think I'm not too concerned about heat at my latitude. The house is 1/2" XPS sheathed with canvas and white paint. I watched a video about PMs in Escanaba, about an hour east of me on Lake Michigan (Little Bay de Noc) and Joe Kaplan mentions that houses he replaced years ago made of aluminum or plastic did not work well because of our common spring snow storms and low temperatures. Those houses didn't provide much protection for the PMs during cold snaps. Joe recommends wood structures for insulation.

The house is coming along. A neighbor just mentioned she saw Bluebirds in her yard. I better get a move on!

The latest iteration of the entrance porch with perch. I hope my future PM friends will like it. 3/8" perch dowel. Porch is 6" wide by about 2 7/8".

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[Martintown33]

Your modifications on the porch look great.. 1/8 of an inch is perfect.. I’d, personally paint them all white.. martins are accustomed to White House’s and gourds.. great job and good luck!
Rob