Will martins use small compartment with SREH ?
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Guest
Also, this particular house that I'm referring to was at a new site that I started, so no PMs had ever been there before, there was no PM house at the location. I started it from the very beginning with with excluders, and had 3 nesting pairs that raised young the first year, and I had absolutely no starling problems. I bet a 100 starlings landed on it the first 4 weeks and investigated it, only to get discouraged and left. Then for the rest of the season the starlings hardly ever landed on it. I guess all of them in the area had learned to ignore it. I only had to deal with sparrows the whole season. So from my experience, you don't have to necesarilly rule out excluder SREHs just because it's a new site, the PMs will figure it out if they like the house well enough.
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Laverne
- Posts: 2216
- Joined: Thu Jan 08, 2004 1:58 pm
- Location: TX/Alvin
- Martin Colony History: Erected 1st house in 1997. Birds were checking it out before Mike got down from the ladder. Six cavities had a little colony 1st year. Grown to 88 cavities all gourds with near 100% occupancy. Most important factor for success is rain = bugs.
Ben, it only happened to us once. That house was up for three seasons and usually had 8 - 10 nests in it. I was simply passing on an experience that might save the lives of a nest of PM young some day in the future.
I'm sure you've heard many times, "Don't do nest checks on your near fledging age compartments." If a landlord knows when the nest is supposed to fledge and it goes too many days past that expected fledging date - then, maybe that landlord ought to check.
The excluder entrances on this "homemade" T-14 style house were too close to the floor. There were nest boxes inside the cavities and everything was usually wonderful. I'm thankful I made the decision to check and found the entrance partially blocked from the inside. I believe an interior porch might have prevented this problem.
EDIT - I agree, in an area where there are many PMs, we can do a lot of experimenting and we will "still" have PMs. There are places in this country where the population of Purple Martins is sparse and the birds can be very picky about the type of housing they choose.
I have absolutely nothing against Excluders. I think they work much better than crescents.
I'm sure you've heard many times, "Don't do nest checks on your near fledging age compartments." If a landlord knows when the nest is supposed to fledge and it goes too many days past that expected fledging date - then, maybe that landlord ought to check.
The excluder entrances on this "homemade" T-14 style house were too close to the floor. There were nest boxes inside the cavities and everything was usually wonderful. I'm thankful I made the decision to check and found the entrance partially blocked from the inside. I believe an interior porch might have prevented this problem.
EDIT - I agree, in an area where there are many PMs, we can do a lot of experimenting and we will "still" have PMs. There are places in this country where the population of Purple Martins is sparse and the birds can be very picky about the type of housing they choose.
I have absolutely nothing against Excluders. I think they work much better than crescents.
Sincerely,
Laverne
Laverne
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Dave Duit
- Posts: 2145
- Joined: Tue Nov 25, 2003 2:02 pm
- Location: Iowa / Nevada
- Martin Colony History: In 2024, 82 pair with 350 fledged youngsters. 110 total cavities available, 82 Troyer Horizontal gourds and a homemade PVC / metal 28 compartment unit, 1 fallout shelter. Hawk and owl guards included. Martin educator and speaker. President and founder of the Iowa Purple Martin Organization. Please visit Iowa Purple Martin Organization on Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1627283871068161 Emails send to [email protected]. Subject line include Iowa Purple Martin.
The responses have been great. I do appreciate all the advice, the funny thing about it is that I have literally tried every suggestion posted so far with no luck. It's ok, I think I have found a solution. I will keep the house up as is, but I have added another manufactured 12 compartment about 25 feet from my big homemade PM house. I'm also adding a long wire strung between two poles right next to the lake and about 30 feet from the houses. This will encourage the martins. Thanks again.
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John Miller
- Posts: 4866
- Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2004 9:11 pm
- Location: St. Louis, MO
Dave
After 5 years and having tried all the basic techniques, I guess you have to start working on hunches. I think you may be right about the house being too large. I've seen large houses that had no martins -- or only a few -- so I'm a little leery about very very large houses. I think are are right to add a second, smaller house.
Along with "hunches" I have doubts about the value of wires. Certainly martins like to perch on them, but there are many well occupied houses out in very open sites, without utility wires, which actually add perches for sparrows and starlings.
John Miller,
St. Louis, Mo
After 5 years and having tried all the basic techniques, I guess you have to start working on hunches. I think you may be right about the house being too large. I've seen large houses that had no martins -- or only a few -- so I'm a little leery about very very large houses. I think are are right to add a second, smaller house.
Along with "hunches" I have doubts about the value of wires. Certainly martins like to perch on them, but there are many well occupied houses out in very open sites, without utility wires, which actually add perches for sparrows and starlings.
John Miller,
St. Louis, Mo
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Dave Duit
- Posts: 2145
- Joined: Tue Nov 25, 2003 2:02 pm
- Location: Iowa / Nevada
- Martin Colony History: In 2024, 82 pair with 350 fledged youngsters. 110 total cavities available, 82 Troyer Horizontal gourds and a homemade PVC / metal 28 compartment unit, 1 fallout shelter. Hawk and owl guards included. Martin educator and speaker. President and founder of the Iowa Purple Martin Organization. Please visit Iowa Purple Martin Organization on Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1627283871068161 Emails send to [email protected]. Subject line include Iowa Purple Martin.
I will leave the big house up for a while, even when the new 12 compartment is put up. The reasoning is; even though the martins would visit the big house it could also serve as a friendly reminder to where they are, printing in on the location. If and when martins take up residence in the other house and when they are established, and if they still chose not to use the big house, I will replace it with a regular manufactured house.