I'm struck by how some of the best ideas for managing martins come from dedicated landlords and how these ideas get disseminated.
I was reading back issues of Update online recently and ran across "Andrew Troyer, Landlord of Year in 1993." The article said Mr. Troyer came up with the idea for access caps on natural gourds, and for nest trays in deep housing such as T-14s. Wow. Here I am sitting in my little basement workshop in the middle of metro St. Louis caulking access caps onto gourds --and even making a few homemade nest trays -- ideas that spread throughout the martin world because one dedicated landlord devised better methods, and the information got shared.
Sometimes I feel bleak about the future of martins. So many people are oblivious to the natural world in general. There are folks who are born and live and die in metro areas and never notice chimney swifts overhead every summer. But if I never heard of an "access port" until recently, and now I've installed a dozen, maybe there's hope.
If anybody else out there has an idea...post it here!
John Miller
Power of an idea
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floridasunshinegoddess
John,
You're right. It's thanks to these dedicated landlords that we are making the progress we are with Martins now.
Years agao, a 6X6 compartment was considered the standard.... and the only concern was to have an access for cleaning the houses out at the end of the season. If you had a telescoping pole, you were really progressive as most just mounted them on wooden poles.
Owl guards and predator guards were unheard of! No one prenested and parasites had a field day as nest replacements/Sevin wasn't used.
My dad and I started back in the 80's and all I can say is "We've come a long way baby!"
You're right. It's thanks to these dedicated landlords that we are making the progress we are with Martins now.
Years agao, a 6X6 compartment was considered the standard.... and the only concern was to have an access for cleaning the houses out at the end of the season. If you had a telescoping pole, you were really progressive as most just mounted them on wooden poles.
Owl guards and predator guards were unheard of! No one prenested and parasites had a field day as nest replacements/Sevin wasn't used.
My dad and I started back in the 80's and all I can say is "We've come a long way baby!"