Tentative Plans For The 2006 Purple Martin Season
In my new purple martin colony in northwest Louisiana this season, I used a combination of aluminum houses, natural gourds and super gourds comprised of 130 cavities and attracted 81 pairs in 2005. This equals an occupancy level of 62%. Though aluminum housing is the most common type used in this area and gourds are rarely deployed, my natural gourds had the highest occupancy level of all cavity types in my colony. The gourds that maximize vertical/horizontal depth were the most popular of all.
For 2006, I will be greatly expanding my martin colony and hope to erect over 200 cavities, both natural gourds and aluminum houses. In my past colonies in north Florida, I would often double or even quadruple my colony size the second season. So, I believe I can attract around 150 + pairs of martins in 2006; it all depends on how many cavities I provide. I have my work cut out for me and I am already planning on the housing composition for next year. Fortunately, I have plenty of open space in my yard and there are NO home owner?s associations dictating how I live my life on my private property! My only close neighbor is my good friend, Bob, who is martin crazy too! So we both can have as many martins as we want and there are THOUSANDS of martins in this area.
Here are my tentative plans for 2006?
I will probably add at least three modified Trio castles each with 12 double nesting chambers which are very popular with martins in this area. I like this concept, too, because the nesting chamber is isolated from the entrance hole and creates considerable seclusion and protection for the martins. I am also considering erecting a multi-purpose pole with 2 16 room Coates houses modified into 8 compartments apiece with double nesting chambers. This pole will also have 4 of my horizontally deep funnel natural gourds. I will add another level to my 12 room Lone Star Goliad to create 16 compartments. All this housing will add 60 more cavities to my current 130 for a total of 190.
I will probably add more natural gourds that maximize vertical/horizontal depth, but I have not determined the quantity yet. I am thinking about 24 of these type gourds. I would like to have 8 vertically deep woodpecker gourds, 8 horizontals with offset holes in the neck, and 8 horizontal funnels. It is sometimes difficult to find natural gourds that are elongated with thick long necks. These make excellent vertically/horizontally deep nest cavities for martins.
With the addition of 24 naturals, that would bring me to 214 cavities. Again this total can change either up or down depending on what I finally do. This is a good number to strive for and would possibly provide sufficient cavities to achieve the 150 + martin pair total for 2006. So between Bob and me, we could have in excess of 300 pairs of martins next year in our yards. This will not include the 100 + pairs of martins in Bob?s various satellite colonies.
I wanted to gradually phase out my artificial plastic gourds for more naturals and also convert my standard naturals with holes cut on the fronts to gourds that maximize vertical/horizontal depth. But this will take some time to accomplish. However in the meantime, I believe I will still use my super gourds but may give some a face lift: transform them into horizontally deep funnel gourds. I cut the neck off one of them and discovered I may be able to add a PVC coupler/connector either angled or straight to it and create the same kind of funnel gourd I have done with some of my naturals. (I have posted pictures of these natural gourds on the Forum several times.) These couplers are about 3 inches long and around 2 and half inches in diameter and are used to connect two pieces of PVC pipe. The angled ones are 45 degrees. This will result in a super gourd that has some of the same qualities as the Troyer horizontal. Such a super gourd will have horizontal depth of around 15 inches from the entrance to the back. The funnel area will start off with a PVC tunnel and then widen prior to reaching the beginning of the nesting chamber. I will need to plug the regular entrance and drainage holes and create hanging wire holes in the top area. New drainage holes will be drilled in the appropriate area. These modified super gourds will look somewhat like my naturals with the PVC pipe connectors added to the necks. I will also attach wire perches to each PVC connector like I did on the natural gourd modifications. These perches make it easier for martins to enter the PVC. The insides of the PVC will be roughed up and adhesive smeared all over to create a ?coarser? surface to make it easy for the martins to climb. I did this with my naturals and it worked perfectly. Also, any of these modified super gourds will have one of my well constructed pre-built nests of pine straw and oak leaves. As soon as I modify some of my super gourds, I will post photos of them.
In conjunction with expanding my current colony site, Bob and I plan to make changes to several of his satellite martin colonies around this area and Shreveport. I have already ordered some multi-purpose poles and we plan to install ?stacked? modified Trios on them. We also have 20 super gourds available. Bob often achieves 75 to 100 % occupancy levels at his satellite colonies. As mentioned previously, this area of northwest Louisiana must have some of the largest concentrations of martins in the country.
Martineering can be a year round hobby and I never tire of planning for future enhancements. In fact this planning and buying/building/erecting new housing can be almost as much fun as watching the martins! At my new home in northwest Louisiana, I have found purple martin heaven and there are so many martins that are desperate for housing. I have never seen anything like it. By providing good housing and protecting the martins from predators and competitors, the martin population will continue to thrive in this area and expand. Many of the young martins that survive in our colonies will disperse and colonize new sites possibly hundreds of miles away. And eventually I hope that someday many of the nestlings in my colony can be banded so we may be able to track the dispersal patterns of their migratory/nesting behavior.
Steve
Tentative Plans For The 2006 Purple Martin Season
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Steve Kroenke
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Last edited by Steve Kroenke on Fri Aug 12, 2005 7:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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John Miller
- Posts: 4866
- Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2004 9:11 pm
- Location: St. Louis, MO
Steve
Whew...wore me out.
Question: You are helping renovate old Trio houses. There's a perennial question about whether to leave the divider wall in. Your opinion?
Suggestion: I don't know how securely the multipurpose pole attaches to the base of houses, but I have found it's a good idea to reinforce the floor a bit when making three-story stacked Trios. This would not be needed on one that the pole slides up and through. But on the basic models intended for telescoping poles, the whole house flexes a bit in the wind on the base aluminum floor mounting plate -- more so with three levels. One can run a narrow piece of rigid aluminum -- you can get pieces in the shape of a yard stick from home centers -- across the floor underside, drilling holes to incorporate it into the base plate screws. This really shores things up.
Let me know about your divider wall opinion.
John Miller,
St. Louis, Mo
Whew...wore me out.
Question: You are helping renovate old Trio houses. There's a perennial question about whether to leave the divider wall in. Your opinion?
Suggestion: I don't know how securely the multipurpose pole attaches to the base of houses, but I have found it's a good idea to reinforce the floor a bit when making three-story stacked Trios. This would not be needed on one that the pole slides up and through. But on the basic models intended for telescoping poles, the whole house flexes a bit in the wind on the base aluminum floor mounting plate -- more so with three levels. One can run a narrow piece of rigid aluminum -- you can get pieces in the shape of a yard stick from home centers -- across the floor underside, drilling holes to incorporate it into the base plate screws. This really shores things up.
Let me know about your divider wall opinion.
John Miller,
St. Louis, Mo
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Steve Kroenke
- Posts: 4342
- Joined: Fri Nov 28, 2003 6:49 pm
- Location: Louisiana/Logansport
Hey John,
Thanks for the information about stacking Trios. Yes, the more floors you add on these houses the greater the possible wind problem. I will use your suggestion to ?beef up? the stacked Trios and provide more structural strength. Thanks.
Now your question about the divider wall in Trio houses?here is my opinion on the subject.
Purple martins don?t need gigantic house compartment dimensions to successfully breed. Martins never had them with woodpecker cavities which are narrow inside and vertically deep. Martins need cavities which protect themselves and their young from predators and provide an incubating or brooding female with seclusion not visibility. The more isolated the actual nesting chamber is from the entrance hole the better for the martins. A wide open compartment does not necessarily provide the same protection/seclusion as a cavity that separates the actual nest site from the open foyer area around the entrance hole.
In Trio and similar houses, I prefer to leave the divider wall intact, cut a hole in it, and the martins will have a secluded nest site. I will take this approach on the Coates houses I am planning to use. The martins enter the open foyer area and then disappear through a hole in the wall divider to reach the secluded nesting chamber. The inside dimensions of this nest chamber in Trio houses are 6? x 6? and this works fine for a family of martins, particularly when you use the double compartment approach. The single compartment concept using the 6? x 6? dimensions with entrance holes only one inch above the floor subjects the martins to greater vulnerability to owls, hawks and crows. This is a major problem with such compartments. Martins can still nest in these cavities successfully and I have had them do so many times! Martins don?t necessarily sleep like humans by stretching out on their backs or their stomachs. Martins may press up against the sides of their cavity. When they do this, perhaps half their bodies are positioned upward, leaving the other half in a more prone posture. This sleeping arrangement may take up less space in a cavity. Remember: martins evolved in natural woodpecker cavities and their nesting behavior is influenced by this. A flicker is 12 to 14 inches in length and the inside of its nesting chamber is often oval and MUCH SMALLER than the size of its builder! I have measured the insides of such cavities and they may be 7 inches in diameter at the largest point and perhaps 6 inches in width. Yet, a male flicker (which roosts with the family at night) can sleep with his young that may number as many as 7 in a cavity that is vertically deep but not that large in girth. Martins can do the same thing.
So I will use the double compartment approach in all my Trio and similar houses by leaving the divider wall intact to create an isolated nesting chamber. This approach provides more seclusion, privacy and protection to the martins inside the nesting chamber. I have used this approach for years and the martins thrived in these compartments. I have seen no difference in attractiveness or clutch sizes between my Lone Star houses which use the wide open 6? x 12? rooms and my modified Trio houses with double compartments where the nesting chamber is 6? x 6?. Both houses do well, but neither does better than the other.
Just my opinion on the subject.
Steve
Thanks for the information about stacking Trios. Yes, the more floors you add on these houses the greater the possible wind problem. I will use your suggestion to ?beef up? the stacked Trios and provide more structural strength. Thanks.
Now your question about the divider wall in Trio houses?here is my opinion on the subject.
Purple martins don?t need gigantic house compartment dimensions to successfully breed. Martins never had them with woodpecker cavities which are narrow inside and vertically deep. Martins need cavities which protect themselves and their young from predators and provide an incubating or brooding female with seclusion not visibility. The more isolated the actual nesting chamber is from the entrance hole the better for the martins. A wide open compartment does not necessarily provide the same protection/seclusion as a cavity that separates the actual nest site from the open foyer area around the entrance hole.
In Trio and similar houses, I prefer to leave the divider wall intact, cut a hole in it, and the martins will have a secluded nest site. I will take this approach on the Coates houses I am planning to use. The martins enter the open foyer area and then disappear through a hole in the wall divider to reach the secluded nesting chamber. The inside dimensions of this nest chamber in Trio houses are 6? x 6? and this works fine for a family of martins, particularly when you use the double compartment approach. The single compartment concept using the 6? x 6? dimensions with entrance holes only one inch above the floor subjects the martins to greater vulnerability to owls, hawks and crows. This is a major problem with such compartments. Martins can still nest in these cavities successfully and I have had them do so many times! Martins don?t necessarily sleep like humans by stretching out on their backs or their stomachs. Martins may press up against the sides of their cavity. When they do this, perhaps half their bodies are positioned upward, leaving the other half in a more prone posture. This sleeping arrangement may take up less space in a cavity. Remember: martins evolved in natural woodpecker cavities and their nesting behavior is influenced by this. A flicker is 12 to 14 inches in length and the inside of its nesting chamber is often oval and MUCH SMALLER than the size of its builder! I have measured the insides of such cavities and they may be 7 inches in diameter at the largest point and perhaps 6 inches in width. Yet, a male flicker (which roosts with the family at night) can sleep with his young that may number as many as 7 in a cavity that is vertically deep but not that large in girth. Martins can do the same thing.
So I will use the double compartment approach in all my Trio and similar houses by leaving the divider wall intact to create an isolated nesting chamber. This approach provides more seclusion, privacy and protection to the martins inside the nesting chamber. I have used this approach for years and the martins thrived in these compartments. I have seen no difference in attractiveness or clutch sizes between my Lone Star houses which use the wide open 6? x 12? rooms and my modified Trio houses with double compartments where the nesting chamber is 6? x 6?. Both houses do well, but neither does better than the other.
Just my opinion on the subject.
Steve
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abernathys
- Posts: 220
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- Location: maxwell/texas
Hey Steve-sounds like you are going to be busy. I can't wait to see the pictures of your modified supergourds. Adding the tunnels sounds like a great idea. Take Care!
Sandy
Sandy
PM lover
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oneidalaker
- Posts: 254
- Joined: Sun May 22, 2005 6:39 pm
- Location: New York/Cicero
Steve, regarding beefing up stacked Trios. Something you may want to consider for added strength is to 3/16th inch add threaded rod secured with nuts top and bottom (and at each floor if you like) to the corners of the houses. This would help hold the house together in high wind.
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John Atteberry
What do you mean add the aluminum strips, where? On the bottom on each floor level? I thought about adding more bolts and nuts too, to each level to bolt to each floor! Now Oneidalaker said to add threaded rods and add the nuts to each floor or from top to bottom, Where do you get those? I'm going to put two trio grandma 8 hole houses together to make 16 holes, so I need alittle advice and help! Thanks John!
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Steve Kroenke
- Posts: 4342
- Joined: Fri Nov 28, 2003 6:49 pm
- Location: Louisiana/Logansport
Hey Sandy,
I have so much work to do for the next martin season! As soon as I complete one of those super gourd conversions I will post a photo of it. Thanks.
Steve
Hey Oneiadalaker,
Thank you for sharing that tip to strengthen the stacked Trios! I always appreciate learning new ways to improve my martin housing. My storage building is partially full of old Trios that Bob has accumulated over the years. I got my three multi-purpose poles today, so we will soon be able to start working on the houses. Thanks again.
Steve
I have so much work to do for the next martin season! As soon as I complete one of those super gourd conversions I will post a photo of it. Thanks.
Steve
Hey Oneiadalaker,
Thank you for sharing that tip to strengthen the stacked Trios! I always appreciate learning new ways to improve my martin housing. My storage building is partially full of old Trios that Bob has accumulated over the years. I got my three multi-purpose poles today, so we will soon be able to start working on the houses. Thanks again.
Steve
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oneidalaker
- Posts: 254
- Joined: Sun May 22, 2005 6:39 pm
- Location: New York/Cicero
John, you can get small gauge threaded rod at Home Depot or Lowes. By drilling holes through each inside corner of the house and passing the rod through the holes you can secure each floor top to bottom so that it will never come apart. I'd place washers under each nut to give the floor further strength.
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John Atteberry
Thanks for the information! I will be getting those rods and nuts with washers! Thanks again John1
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apundt-TX
- Posts: 986
- Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2004 7:34 pm
- Location: Pflugerville, Texas
- Martin Colony History: :
2022-1 pair
1 pair 2021
2020- Didn't get setup fast enough in Pflugerville
2019- Apartment
2018 Divorce lost Colony in Dripping Springs
19 pair 2017
17 pair 2015
12 pair 2014
8 pair 2013
5 pair 2012
2 pair 2011
Steve,
Just a question here. Why would you buy 2 16 room Coates houses and modify them into 8 compartments apiece with double nesting chambers. I think 2 8 room Coates Watersedge would cost the same amount and save you save building time.
A.P.
Just a question here. Why would you buy 2 16 room Coates houses and modify them into 8 compartments apiece with double nesting chambers. I think 2 8 room Coates Watersedge would cost the same amount and save you save building time.
A.P.
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Steve Kroenke
- Posts: 4342
- Joined: Fri Nov 28, 2003 6:49 pm
- Location: Louisiana/Logansport
Hey AP,
I use round holes in my martin colony and, unfortunately, the Coates Watersedge only comes with crescents. I would gladly buy the Watersedge if these houses offered round holes, too. Most commercial martin houses give folks a choice. However, I guess I could get the Watersedge model and then modfiy the sreh by drilling out the front and attaching a plate with a round hole. That might be a possibility. This may be less work than modifying the other Coastes houses. Thanks for the suggestion.
Steve
I use round holes in my martin colony and, unfortunately, the Coates Watersedge only comes with crescents. I would gladly buy the Watersedge if these houses offered round holes, too. Most commercial martin houses give folks a choice. However, I guess I could get the Watersedge model and then modfiy the sreh by drilling out the front and attaching a plate with a round hole. That might be a possibility. This may be less work than modifying the other Coastes houses. Thanks for the suggestion.
Steve
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Guest
Steve,
Let me run a thought past you that I'm thinking of trying on a few Big Bo plastic gourds. If it sounds reasonable, might be possible to try on your super gourds.....not sure.
I've been wanting to try glueing 1/8" sheets of cork on the inside of a plastic gourd. Should be good insulation (for sound and temperature), should be similar to the darkness offered in a natural gourd, and it's a natural wood product and should offer great traction (maybe better than a natural gourd since cork is softer). Cork is very waterproof.......it's used for wine corks, fishing bobbers, fishing rod handles, and to line steam boxes used to steam wood boards so it can be bent.
I think the key is to find and use the correct glue/contact cement suitable for outdoor use. I'm considering using it inside the gourd, inside the tunnels Sandy Bunn made for my big Bo gourds (on the bottom for traction), and on top of the tunnel (on the outside) so the tunnel can be used as a perch.
A plastic exterior for low maintenance combined with a natural wood interior and it's positive qualities is, at least in theory, an appealing combination.
What I don't know about cork is how well it holds up in direct sunlight. Also, I'm still debating the ideal contact cement/glue to use for bonding cork to plastic. I don't want the glue to "absorb" into the cork where it hardens all the way through (I want it soft and pliable on the inside for good traction). I'll look at Titebond II, PPCA, etc. I should probably call 3M and ask for their recommendation.
Thoughts? Can you can think of a "gotcha" before I start? appreciate any feedback.
Darryl Young
Springdale, AR
Let me run a thought past you that I'm thinking of trying on a few Big Bo plastic gourds. If it sounds reasonable, might be possible to try on your super gourds.....not sure.
I've been wanting to try glueing 1/8" sheets of cork on the inside of a plastic gourd. Should be good insulation (for sound and temperature), should be similar to the darkness offered in a natural gourd, and it's a natural wood product and should offer great traction (maybe better than a natural gourd since cork is softer). Cork is very waterproof.......it's used for wine corks, fishing bobbers, fishing rod handles, and to line steam boxes used to steam wood boards so it can be bent.
I think the key is to find and use the correct glue/contact cement suitable for outdoor use. I'm considering using it inside the gourd, inside the tunnels Sandy Bunn made for my big Bo gourds (on the bottom for traction), and on top of the tunnel (on the outside) so the tunnel can be used as a perch.
A plastic exterior for low maintenance combined with a natural wood interior and it's positive qualities is, at least in theory, an appealing combination.
What I don't know about cork is how well it holds up in direct sunlight. Also, I'm still debating the ideal contact cement/glue to use for bonding cork to plastic. I don't want the glue to "absorb" into the cork where it hardens all the way through (I want it soft and pliable on the inside for good traction). I'll look at Titebond II, PPCA, etc. I should probably call 3M and ask for their recommendation.
Thoughts? Can you can think of a "gotcha" before I start? appreciate any feedback.
Darryl Young
Springdale, AR
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yvesquad
Hi all,
Hogwild, construction glue would be the best for the cork.
It's sold in tubes and a regular corking gun is very fine for it.
Has this glue is good for wood and also styrofoam.
I have use it before to glue cork on wood for a peck board !!!
Have a nice day........
Yves
Hogwild, construction glue would be the best for the cork.
It's sold in tubes and a regular corking gun is very fine for it.
Has this glue is good for wood and also styrofoam.
I have use it before to glue cork on wood for a peck board !!!
Have a nice day........
Yves
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Steve Kroenke
- Posts: 4342
- Joined: Fri Nov 28, 2003 6:49 pm
- Location: Louisiana/Logansport
Hey Darryl,
I have never thought about using cork as an inside/outside substrate coating for plastic gourds. Cork is a natural product and is a type of oak found in the Mediterranean area, particularly Portugal.
Cork is impacted by sunlight from a ?fading? perspective I believe. Sunlight may cause the cork to fade, but I am not sure if constant sun exposure would eventually cause the cork to deteriorate or crack in some way like unpainted wood can at times.
Since cork is a natural product, it can be affected by humidity and may expand and contract as humidity significantly decreases or increases. This may impact its bonding to plastic.
One issue with cork could be the impact of the martins? toenails on the surface. Perhaps the constant climbing or scratching on the cork by the martins could possibly damage the substrate some. Cork is a soft material. I know that pet nails can scratch cork flooring. I don?t know if this could cause the cork to gradually break up some and began to crumble over time. Also the nesting material brought in by the martins would have direct contact with the cork. Whether this would adversely impact cork over a period of time, I don?t know.
You will be bonding a natural substrate, cork, to an artificial surface, plastic. I believe you will probably need to test some various bonding agents and see how they hold up. I have bonded plastic PVC couplers to my natural gourd necks to create my funnels using a white adhesive called White Lightning, 3006. It has held up for two years in a row and the PVC couplers are still firmly bonded to the necks. I use the adhesive to create a ?rustic? surface inside the PVC couplers (after cleaning and sanding them) and the martins easily climb in and out. I use the same adhesive to attach metal rain canopies and plastic access lids to natural gourds. But I don?t know if it would work with cork.
So those are some of my thoughts on the use of cork and other folks may have ideas, too. Good luck.
Steve
I have never thought about using cork as an inside/outside substrate coating for plastic gourds. Cork is a natural product and is a type of oak found in the Mediterranean area, particularly Portugal.
Cork is impacted by sunlight from a ?fading? perspective I believe. Sunlight may cause the cork to fade, but I am not sure if constant sun exposure would eventually cause the cork to deteriorate or crack in some way like unpainted wood can at times.
Since cork is a natural product, it can be affected by humidity and may expand and contract as humidity significantly decreases or increases. This may impact its bonding to plastic.
One issue with cork could be the impact of the martins? toenails on the surface. Perhaps the constant climbing or scratching on the cork by the martins could possibly damage the substrate some. Cork is a soft material. I know that pet nails can scratch cork flooring. I don?t know if this could cause the cork to gradually break up some and began to crumble over time. Also the nesting material brought in by the martins would have direct contact with the cork. Whether this would adversely impact cork over a period of time, I don?t know.
You will be bonding a natural substrate, cork, to an artificial surface, plastic. I believe you will probably need to test some various bonding agents and see how they hold up. I have bonded plastic PVC couplers to my natural gourd necks to create my funnels using a white adhesive called White Lightning, 3006. It has held up for two years in a row and the PVC couplers are still firmly bonded to the necks. I use the adhesive to create a ?rustic? surface inside the PVC couplers (after cleaning and sanding them) and the martins easily climb in and out. I use the same adhesive to attach metal rain canopies and plastic access lids to natural gourds. But I don?t know if it would work with cork.
So those are some of my thoughts on the use of cork and other folks may have ideas, too. Good luck.
Steve