Ne martins and heath martin houses
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Guest
Hi everybody. I've only seen 4 martins up here yet. My son thinks I'm crazy driving around to see if anybody else has martins in town, dosn't everybody know where ever martin house in town is. Now on to heath martin houses. I have found if converted these houses works really well. Just cut a sreh between two compartments and plug one of them [make sure the hole is twords the back]. Bend down the top of the lower level for ventilation above the plugged hole. I know that there is half as many holes but you well get three times as many martins using the house. My dad always told me " Use what you got, but make what you got right". This is a great forum and it's good to know there are people out there that love birds just like me.
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Dave S (Texas)
- Posts: 151
- Joined: Sat Jan 10, 2004 11:42 am
- Location: Round Rock, Tx
Hi Mike
The best conversion you can make to a heath house is to lay it on the ground, drive over it with your truck and recycle the aluminum. Even if you make double compartments, those compartments are still way too small. PMs are large birds and those little-bitty compartments keep the occupants cramped. I'd be surprised if more than 3 eggs are laid in a compartment. Heath housing is a bad choice. Gourds would be a better choice as would the Coates WatersEdge house. Neither is too expensive. BTW: R U in Nebraska? Good luck in your season!
The best conversion you can make to a heath house is to lay it on the ground, drive over it with your truck and recycle the aluminum. Even if you make double compartments, those compartments are still way too small. PMs are large birds and those little-bitty compartments keep the occupants cramped. I'd be surprised if more than 3 eggs are laid in a compartment. Heath housing is a bad choice. Gourds would be a better choice as would the Coates WatersEdge house. Neither is too expensive. BTW: R U in Nebraska? Good luck in your season!
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John Miller
- Posts: 4866
- Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2004 9:11 pm
- Location: St. Louis, MO
Michael,
If you can modify the Heath to double compartments with a single front entrance, it should be much improved. The back nesting chamber is a good concept. Like Dave, I sent one to the recycle bin, but I thought on it a long time.
You should take the roof off and install some mesh over the top level, as it's open into the attic and birds can go up and over into other compartments. Not sure how you are going to handle nest monitoring or clean outs. I considered adding hinged doors to the back compartments.
John Miller
If you can modify the Heath to double compartments with a single front entrance, it should be much improved. The back nesting chamber is a good concept. Like Dave, I sent one to the recycle bin, but I thought on it a long time.
You should take the roof off and install some mesh over the top level, as it's open into the attic and birds can go up and over into other compartments. Not sure how you are going to handle nest monitoring or clean outs. I considered adding hinged doors to the back compartments.
John Miller
Last edited by John Miller on Fri Apr 07, 2006 12:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Mike,
Heath houses can be good, if heavily modified, and it sounds like your off to a good start.
The 2 main issues with Heath houses that I know of, are the inability to easily and safely open them to do nest checks, and the compartment dividers not extending all the way up to the ceiling - creating a space that can allow for birds to jump from one compartment to another.
You've got the right idea by increasing the nesting space by providing double compartments per nest. One thing you may need check is using an SREH between the compartments. I'm assuming you mean that your using a starling resistant (crescent shaped) hole in the divider separating the 2 compartments. Typically, due the nest material (including mud) possibly building up pretty high in the compartment, a larger round hole (from 2" to 3") is safer to use in the divider. This prevents nest material from possibly blocking the passage, and even trapping birds in or out.
What would be great, would be replacing the main round hole that exits to the outside, with a starling resistant hole, and using a larger round hole in the internal divider.
Hope you have great season!
Heath houses can be good, if heavily modified, and it sounds like your off to a good start.
The 2 main issues with Heath houses that I know of, are the inability to easily and safely open them to do nest checks, and the compartment dividers not extending all the way up to the ceiling - creating a space that can allow for birds to jump from one compartment to another.
You've got the right idea by increasing the nesting space by providing double compartments per nest. One thing you may need check is using an SREH between the compartments. I'm assuming you mean that your using a starling resistant (crescent shaped) hole in the divider separating the 2 compartments. Typically, due the nest material (including mud) possibly building up pretty high in the compartment, a larger round hole (from 2" to 3") is safer to use in the divider. This prevents nest material from possibly blocking the passage, and even trapping birds in or out.
What would be great, would be replacing the main round hole that exits to the outside, with a starling resistant hole, and using a larger round hole in the internal divider.
Hope you have great season!
Last edited by Matt F. on Fri Apr 07, 2006 2:05 pm, edited 3 times in total.
IMO may have to make do with what we got sometimes. I also have had heath house and I found that the top compartment needs a ceiling. Or unwanted birds will go in one hole and jump across and nest in the plugged compartment. I also had to wire or bolt the bottom floors togather with small bolts or screws, IMO High winds or storms can blow the house apart.
There are alot of heath houses up an unattended and alot do fledge PM's, but, there are alot of Starlings and sparrows in them. They usually boot PM's out and take over the house if not properly monitored. Sounds like you got a good start, but go the extra mile when you get a chance and lock the bottom floors and screen in the ceiling of the upper cavities, I used zip ties and drilled 2 holes in every divider and front .
I didn't like mine do to no way to clean out the sparrow nests when they stuff it full of grass except with a piece of wire and not very durable in storms. Hopefully the srehs will keep the starlings out. Next to a T-14 Heath house are the starlings favorite IMO.
IMO a T-14 is the best PM house ever designed, you can make them for under $200 bucks, and the modifications are endless to protect the birds.
There are alot of heath houses up an unattended and alot do fledge PM's, but, there are alot of Starlings and sparrows in them. They usually boot PM's out and take over the house if not properly monitored. Sounds like you got a good start, but go the extra mile when you get a chance and lock the bottom floors and screen in the ceiling of the upper cavities, I used zip ties and drilled 2 holes in every divider and front .
I didn't like mine do to no way to clean out the sparrow nests when they stuff it full of grass except with a piece of wire and not very durable in storms. Hopefully the srehs will keep the starlings out. Next to a T-14 Heath house are the starlings favorite IMO.
IMO a T-14 is the best PM house ever designed, you can make them for under $200 bucks, and the modifications are endless to protect the birds.
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Guest
Wow, I never thought of a sreh trapping birds in the back compartment due to the build up of nest materals, but that could happen in any house. How I check on the little ones is look down the top hole or take the removable plug out. By the way I am from Nebraska and the average eggs layed in this houses is 5. Thanks every one.
You bring up a good point, that's one of the main reasons why it can be risky putting starling resistant holes on compartments that are not enlarged, and still the smaller 6"X6" layout.michael osberg wrote:Wow, I never thought of a sreh trapping birds in the back compartment due to the build up of nest materals, but that could happen in any house.