Perches for inside natural gourds

Guest · Thu Jan 19, 2006 7:01 pm

For those of you who have had or have natural gourds, is it necessary to put something on the inside to help the martins get out or is the inside of the naturals with the more rough inside enough. I ordered the outside porches that fit right under the round hole. I don't have sparrows or starlings at the lake..

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Lanell

Emil Pampell-Tx · Thu Jan 19, 2006 7:48 pm

What kind of entrance hole or plate are you using? Normally on a natural gourd, they offer enough traction to get to the hole easily...It would help to know what kind of entrance you have to be sure.

Guest · Thu Jan 19, 2006 8:30 pm

Emil, I have round entrances and I am putting the S&K porches that fit right under the round hole. I just don't know what to do w/the inside, if anything.

Thanks

Lanell

John & Linda - KY · Thu Jan 19, 2006 9:00 pm

With round holes properly sized (I use 2 1/4", but some folks use 2"), you don't need porches inside or outside the entrance. -- John

Guest · Thu Jan 19, 2006 9:13 pm

Thanks, John. I guess I want to put the porches on the outside so hopefully they will sit on them and I can see more of them and listen to them.

Thanks for the info.

Hope you 2 have a great martin season!

Lanell

Craig Haddox · Fri Jan 20, 2006 12:31 am

Lanell, if you fill the gourd with nesting material to just under the entrance hole that is all they need to get out. Good luck this year.

Guest · Fri Jan 20, 2006 10:56 am

Thanks Craig. After thinking about it, I thought that would be OK.

Good luck with your martins

Lanell

Guest · Fri Jan 20, 2006 7:16 pm

Sandy Bunn uses a 2 1/8" hole and says no interior porch or cling plate is needed.

Guest · Fri Jan 20, 2006 11:31 pm

Hogwild - the entrance holes on these natural gourds are exactly 2". I think putting in a good amount of nesting material will be ok unless an 1/8" is really important.

Oh and by the way, you are correct on the S&K access ports. They are exactly 4.25 inches. Mine got cut at 4" ( the hubby

) I think that 1/4 inch difference is too much to rasp. Guess we'll have to cut out another 1/4. Hope it works because if it doesn't, there go my gourds

Lanell

Guest · Fri Jan 20, 2006 11:56 pm

If you can trace a 4 1/4" circle, you can cut just inside the line with a jigsaw then rasp up to the line.

Did you use a hole saw to cut the hole the first time? If you have a 4 1/4" hole saw you could glue the original plug back in the hole with PPCA and recut the hole with the 4 1/4" hole saw (either cut in the same spot or move the access port to the other side of the gourd, rear of the gourd, etc.)