Predator guard question

[Guest]

I am not sure what to do about a predator guard for the round pole winch system that comes with the Trendsetter. I don't see any in the PMCA shop that would appear to be compatable. Any ideas anyone??? Thanks in advance for any help!!!

[Guest]

Hi Joan,
Not real sure as I don't have that set up. Hopefully one of the PMCA people will see this!
Good luck this year
Chuck

[geneinmurphy]

I would recommend either 3/4" wide aluminum "L" angle bar or 3/8" aluminum rod, both which can be normally found at your local welding supply place or Lowe's.....and place it vertically in front of the holes......

[Guest]

Joan,

I have a trio castle on a round pole. What I did last year was rub on axle grease (thick) on the pole. I used a rubber glove and put it on pretty heavy. I started at the bottom and went up about 4ft. Not sure if anyone else has tried this. Not sure if this is the best way...but nothing made it up the pole. Not really sure if anything even tried? Seem to stay on really good. I think I may have put it on again only a couple times. Just don't want to get it on your clothes I can just look at stuff like that and its on me.....

IMO, there probably is a better way. But I was short for time last year!

Good Luck!
Craig

[Matt F.]

Joan,
If I'm not mistaken, your Trendsetter pole is 1-1/4" in diameter.

The PMCA Adjustable Pole Predator Guard (model A), should be a perfect fit for your pole.

http://shop.purplemartin.org/shopsite/p ... uards.html

[John Miller]

If you want to go economical -- even though you have a beautiful premium house, ha -- you can get a two foot section of 7 inch diameter round duct. I like to paint them dark green. Drill a small hole on two sides near the top. Hang it by running a wire through the holes and through the pully guide on this pole. This way it hangs down over the winch and covers it nicely. It will wobble just enough. You can remove the wire to drop it down when lowering the house. You'll also want to maybe cut taps at the top and bend these over, perhaps inserting a piece of mesh wire underneath the tabs to keep snakes from going up and through the guard. A wad of removable bird netting above the guard adds further protection against snakes that might get past the guard.

John Miller

[Guest]

Awesome help!!! I'm going to the hardware store for the duct and will also use the grease. With both at work, I'll be more optimistic!! Thanks.----Joan

[CurtWelling]

If you are handy, you could make this predator guard.

http:///// ///.com/pm/polegard.htm

Chuck Abare has very good, clear insructions for many PM projects. I used his design to make my house and it's great.

[Guest]

Joan,

There's a comprehensive article on predator guards at www.purplemartin.org/update/13(1)PoleGuards.pdf .

Tony

[Tim Mangan-Kansas]

A few days ago there was a post with a picture of solar powered electrical wiring on poles. I have gone back several times and am unable to locate that post. Does someone remember the title that this post was under as I would like to further explore this arrangement.
Tim

[Fred Kaluza~MI]

Tim, what was being done with the solar power?

[Tim Mangan-Kansas]

Fred, I believe the intent was to ward off predators. It appeared the wiring was wrapped around the pole for a short distance emitting an electrical shock to any predator touching it. Sure wish I could find the post.
Tim

[DAKdude]

Hi Louisiana Joan,

I have the same question about the Trendsetter house. I was surprised when I put up a trendsetter house at work. I think what folks that don't have the house don't realize is that the winch fits at a pre-determined height on the pole and the cable that raises and lowers the pole runs through the middle of the house. If you put a predator guard above the winch you won't be able to lower the house enough to inspect it. If you put it below the winch it wouldn't be high enough to prevent predators. Something like the quick release predator guards that PMCA sells would be great but they are not made for round poles only 2" and 3" square poles. The only other solution would be to put a T-14 guard attached to the underside of the house itself like on the T-14s. The problem might be that as you lower the house the guard would cover the winch and you couldn't lower it far enough to inspect. My thought was that the developers of the trendsetter houses consider the wide smooth metal base of the house itself to be a form of baffle since it doesn't have any openings and the edge of the house extends quite far from the pole creating an ersatz baffle.

Not too many people have this house. It seems like a fairly good martin house except for the predator baffle issue and the doors to the compartments are a little annoying to open and close. It is a very attractive unit, but so far in my experienence not to the martins. I have seen them entering the Trendsetter once or twice but they greatly prefer the gourds and T-14s that I offer and nest in there. Anyone else out there with experience with this house and pole?
Sincerely
James

[Guest]

Tim,

This post may be similar to what you were thinking of for solar-powered fence charger wiring as a predator guard (there's no picture, though):

www.purplemartin.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=50752#50752

Tony

[John Miller]

James

I'm gaining experience with Trendsetter. I think it's the best house available from the PMCA (strickly my unpaid opinion) and plan to do a separate post soon discussing its attributes. For now, here's my experience on the predator guard.

I'm using a homemade guard made of two foot long round duct, seven inch diameter. (six inch is slightly too snug here;you want it to wobble some). You can drill two small holes at either side at the top (just below the crinkled part) and run a wire through these and through the little hole on your pully guide, just above the winch. The gaurd then hangs down over and acts as a cover for your winch. I used a piece of #10 wire from my gourd supply and just bent it up on the ends to hold the guard. I also slipped a round section of close-mesh chicken wire, cut in a circle with a cut out to slip around the pole, under the haning wire. Now, to lower the gaurd I just use my pliers to pull out the wire. I also painted the cylynder dark green. The cost is about $5.00. Until Trendsetter comes up with a factory guard for this pole, this works well.

John Miller

[DAKdude]

Hi John,

I saw the guard in the picture that you posted recently of one of your sites in Forest Park. I couldn't make out from the picture how it is hung. I tried to visualize it from your description but I am not that clever or imaginative. If the guard comes down over the winch, how do you lower the house? Do you remove it from the pole when you lower the house? Sorry if I am confused and didn't understand how it was attached. I have been concerned about the trendsetter house and predators. Fortunately, (or unfortunately) the martins have not nested in my Trendsetter yet so the predator issue has been moot.

Is your trendsetter crescent or excluder entrances? I have excluder entrances on mine. I have seen the birds enter it on a couple of occasions but no takers for nesting. Birds appear to be going to lay eggs in the gourd rack with all crescent holes next to my trendsetter. Not sure why they are not attracted to the house.

Thanks
James

[John Miller]

James said:

"If the guard comes down over the winch, how do you lower the house? "

Hi James

I don't actually take the guard off. I just pull out the hanging wire, grasping it with pliers to unbend a little hook at one end. It will then drop down to the ground, but still encircling the pole.

The worst aspect of installing "duct" pipe around any pole is getting it to snap in place securely. You have to use your thumbs to press the sides of the round duct together to snap into a little catch that runs along the edges, and it takes several attempts. After that, you might need tin snips to cut it off.

The guard on the pole you saw (photo attached) is setting up a little higher because the pole has been modified for my unique site. I replaced the lower pre-drilled section of pole because I have the whole unit setting in a 2 x 2 square stainless steel pipe. I needed the winch to be above this. The 2 x 2 has a hole drilled through the bottom and right through the round pipe, through which I installed a lock. I have a handy buddy who helps me with some of this. Surely there's one at DAK - ha.

Here's a photo from Forest Park, St. Louis. (hope to get better ones soon). Just look at these birds. I love 'um. These are crescent holes.

John Miller

[Fred Kaluza~MI]

Hi Tim. Oh, so that makes some sense. Actually, I have some old piece of "breadboard" thing I made from a Popular Electronics magazine many moons ago. It's basically a 555 timer with a capacitor and an ignition coil from a car. I used to run it from a power supply I used for CB radios so it doesn't draw anymore than 2.5 amps and probably much less than that. Yeah, I suppose with a large solar panel and a motorcycle battery you could set the 555 timer values to deliver a "poke" maybe every 5 seconds to a spirally wound conductor up the first few feet of the pole provided you kept the conductor about 1/4" off of the support pole. Charge/operate during the day and just operate during the night. Sounds kind of cool! Perhaps a better way to attach the "hot wire" because a spiral wrap would actually assist a critter in climbing the pole.

[DAKdude]

Hi John,

I think I have a better Idea of how your predator guard works now. I didn't realize that you dropped it to the ground before you lowered the house. I am curious why the manufacturer (Hilltop Manufacturing) hasn't come out with a predator guard made for the Trendsetter. I think it is the same manufacturer that makes the really great quick release pole guard that PMCA sells. That is a great product, you would think they would come up with something similar for their own brand of martin house. Unless they feel that the wide bottom of the house is sufficient as a baffle.

Thanks again
James

[Tim Mangan-Kansas]

Tony, thanks for the info. It wasn't the one I had seen earlier, but it told me what I needed to know.
Tim