Have a dilema, advice welcome

[Guest]

Being a newbie is tough sometimes, try to do everything just right and something is bound to be a problem.

Here's our problem: We have our S&K house positioned on the pole with the porches facing SE/NW. Well, we've been getting alot of birds coming in to check it out, but they seem to have some problems navigating from a direction they seem to be more comfortable coming in at. If we moved the direction of the porches just a quarter turn, facing SW/NE it seems they would have a much better approach.

However, we have a pair in residence, he's been here since Sunday using same compartment every nite and she's a second nighter. We do not want to do anything that will compromise their willingness to stick around, so we don't quite know if that small a move will mess them up or not.

Any advice or input would be most gratefully welcomed.

Lori Patton

[Bob Flam]

Nah leave it alone. They'll be ok, isn't nothing for them to make a quick lil dart left or right.

Next year you could turn it a bit if it seems to fit their approach better. You could slowly do it this year too. Just make several small turns instead of a big adjustment. Give em time to adjust.

But I wouldn't worry bout it too much right now:)

bob

[Guest]

I disagree with Bob... it's early enough in the season for you that turning the tri-tel pole one rotation is not going to bother the birds. I would do it while the Martins are around so they can see whats going on.

[Glen Webb Jr]

How is repositioning the orientation of the house going to help with the birds' approach? If it's obstructions from dwellings and/or trees, Having the birdhouse porches face one way or the other isn't going to help the birds is it?

[RC Moser]

I position my houses for the best shot on House sparrows from my back window or from my detached garage. I rotate mine up to 90 degree one way or the other all the time. Don't bother them a bit, but I don't go so far it put there cavities on the other side there not use too. Where I think it might make a differents is if you have gourds in a circlular pattern where they would have a hard time finding there cavity when they all look the same if you rotated the positions of the gourds.

[Guest]

Well, we bit the bullet and decided to rotate the house about that 1/4 turn. Our male in residence never misses a beat when we are out in the yard, we might not even know he's anywhere around and within seconds, here he comes chattering the whole way and today was no different.

We looked around to see if he was anywhere to be seen, tapped the pole, etc. and nada. So we started to lower the house and here he came, with three others in tow. (We think we had another pair settle in last nite, but don't know for sure.) He was scolding us and circling and really low (8' or so) and then the others were circling and coming in low, too. As soon as we were finished and raised the house, all four of the birds began approach runs in, all found their compartments and have since been in and out of the house and have been shooting approaches off and on all afternoon.

I have to agree with Tim in Arkansas, these birds are incredibly smart as well as great company.

Thanks to all who gave us some input, it helped put our minds at ease. Part of the reason why we didn't have the house in the proper position had to do with our never having seen how these birds fly, how they need/want some lift on takeoff, etc. and now that we know, we've tried to provide the best approaches and take-offs for them instead of our basing the initial position upon our capability to watch them best. Live and learn.

Anyway, thanks so much, all you folks on this forum are super!!

Lori Patton