New guy, first post and I need advice.

Guest · Wed Apr 19, 2006 8:06 pm

I've had a 12 hole aluminum house up for about 5 or so years and I've just not had much luck attracting breeders. I bought the house at Lowes, it has a telescoping pole. The house is located about 110 to 120 feet from our house and about 65 feet from our haybarn. There is one tree aprox 40 feet tall and its about 60 to 65 feet from the martin house. 3 small pine trees located about 45 feet from house. Behind the house is a 4 acre hay field and power lines are about 100 feet away. Four ponds in area, three within 300 yards, the other about 400. Last year I had two pairs of young birds but they didn't raise. Cant remember when they arrived. I lowerd the house a couple of times through the summer and NOTHING inside. Then again this year I had two pairs show up about three weeks ago. I lowerd the house yesterday and again, NOTHING inside. Why aren't they building nests? I try to keep the sparrows out, usually don't have much of a problem with starlings. Last year I did have some bluebirds trying to use the house so this year I put up a couple of bluebird houses and they seem to be using them. I really enjoy watching the pairs fly around and talk but I just wish I could get some breeders. Any ideas would be GREATLY appreciated!!

Emil Pampell-Tx · Wed Apr 19, 2006 8:14 pm

Your place sounds like it may be acceptable. My guess is that the trees may not bothering the martins, so something must be scaring them away. My first guess is owls, second guess is hawks, and the third guess is a snake...

My suggestions:
1) put up a snake guard. I use 4ft of pvc pipe, others use stovepipe that flops around, some people us bought guards, some people use bird netting, some people use an electric fence.
2)wrap your house with 2inx4in garden wire to keep the owls further away, and you could enlarge the compartments from 6inx6in to 12inx6in
3)try to keep the starlings and sparrows away, they may be running off the martins before the martins become established..
4)it could be too many hawks around

Don't know which it is positively...
\

starling shooter · Wed Apr 19, 2006 8:23 pm

Hang 4 gourds under your housing. Do that and your odds go up dramatically.

I just gave some to by bro n law and he had PMs checking them out in one hour.

They made me a landlord, I'm convinced.

oneidalaker · Wed Apr 19, 2006 8:24 pm

69supercj,you might want to try varied housing, specificlly, some natural gourds. don''t know about Missouri but they do seem to love them everywhere else

Oneidalaker ("bonehead")

John Miller · Wed Apr 19, 2006 8:31 pm

Emil addressed some possible causes martins have been scared away.

Nest building by ASY birds just began this week in St. Louis. I have not seen any SY birds, but expect them any day and you have all of May to attract them.

You need to "compete" with all the other 12-hole unoccupied houses that dot the landscape. You have a good open site, the number one requirement. Consider hanging a couple of natural gourds from the house. It makes the site more interesting to martins, especially the females who like to evaluate several options. The downside I've found to gourds at unestablished sites is that they tend to attract tree swallows and bluebirds, but you have those guys set in their own housing.

If the house has been at this spot for several years, you could try moving it to another open site on your property, or put up a second house. Sometimes two houses are better than one.

You'll want to learn about renovating your house to deeper compartments, but maybe the first step is to attract a pair this year.

John Miller

Guest · Wed Apr 19, 2006 8:48 pm

Thanks for the replys!! As far as predators, I don't really think thats much of a problem. Sure I see the occassional hawk flying around but they hardly if ever perch within 2 or 3 hundred yards of the house. Snakes don't seem to be a problem either, never have seen one on the pole but I know I cant see everything all the time. I will try the gourds and see if that helps. Any suggestions as to what type, natural or plastic, round hole or cresent? The two pairs that I have seem to spend a lot of time here so maybe they're in the process of building.

John Miller · Wed Apr 19, 2006 8:55 pm

Naturals are more attractive to martins, but preparing natural gourds is a hobby in itself. The PMCA sells some with round holes already cut, but as much as I wish I could, I can't recommend round holes in Missouri.

As time is short, you may want to quick order a couple of PVC/plastic gourds. S&Ks are lightest and may be better for hanging from a house without reinforcing the floor. Just the fact they are hanging there, even if martins choose the house, makes the site more attractive to them.

John Miller

Guest · Wed Apr 19, 2006 9:03 pm

If you use crescent openings you won't need to worry about starlings, just sparrows. It may help to put some pine straw in your house.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Henry

Guest · Wed Apr 19, 2006 9:12 pm

When you say pine "straw" is that the same as pine needles?

Guest · Wed Apr 19, 2006 9:45 pm

Hey all i learned the Martin lesson very hard, after five years of trying i finally moved and set up on my new property and wham o i have 3 pair now. The main Reason, a large 50 foot sycamore tree, remember that a huge tree looks much closer to a Martin than 60 or 65 feet, i even had Natural gourds up but was not successful until i moved it even though i did have some interest.

starling shooter · Wed Apr 19, 2006 9:50 pm

Offer at least one round hole gourd. Since you're in the country, you can shoot any starlings that stop by.

Dale Hrncirik · Wed Apr 19, 2006 10:01 pm

69supercj wrote:I've had a 12 hole aluminum house up for about 5 or so years and I've just not had much luck attracting breeders. I bought the house at Lowes, it has a telescoping pole. The house is located about 110 to 120 feet from our house and about 65 feet from our haybarn. There is one tree aprox 40 feet tall and its about 60 to 65 feet from the martin house. 3 small pine trees located about 45 feet from house. Behind the house is a 4 acre hay field and power lines are about 100 feet away. Four ponds in area, three within 300 yards, the other about 400. Last year I had two pairs of young birds but they didn't raise. Cant remember when they arrived. I lowerd the house a couple of times through the summer and NOTHING inside. Then again this year I had two pairs show up about three weeks ago. I lowerd the house yesterday and again, NOTHING inside. Why aren't they building nests? I try to keep the sparrows out, usually don't have much of a problem with starlings. Last year I did have some bluebirds trying to use the house so this year I put up a couple of bluebird houses and they seem to be using them. I really enjoy watching the pairs fly around and talk but I just wish I could get some breeders. Any ideas would be GREATLY appreciated!!

Here's what I would do...

Move the martin house to within 30-50' of your house because martins like seeing people as that gives them a sense of security. As others mentioned, I would also hang 4 large natural gourds under the house. Keep all other species away from your house by shooting and trapping the sparrows/starlings and relocating the BBs as they are very aggressive and won't let the martins in if they are there first. Make sure you have predator guards on your poles to protect the martins from climbing predators. Play the dawnsong and put up decoys... doing all of this should really help your chances. When the martins show up, make your prescence known and let them see you often. My martins see me every day and I can walk under the rack without them flying off. Good luck,

Dale

CUL Lou~Mich · Wed Apr 19, 2006 10:46 pm

69. Yes, pine straw to one person is pine needles to another. One and the same. You want to try to find White pine, versus spruce, or red pine. White pine will have five needles to each end sheath. They are softer. Some folks cut them in half, I just grab a handful, and shove them in. CUL LOU

Guest · Thu Apr 20, 2006 6:05 am

Dale, if I move the martin house closer to our house then the martin house will be within 30 or so feet of the large elm tree I mentioned earlier. I will try the gourd trick first, and I've got some small white pines in the yard so I can get the needles from there to place in the boxes Should I put needles in all 12 of the boxes or just a few?

yvesquad · Thu Apr 20, 2006 6:37 am

Hi,

Using the dawnsong will help bring more martin in....

Good luck !

Yves

CUL Lou~Mich · Thu Apr 20, 2006 7:52 am

69supercj. One, or all, that depends on how many pine needles you want to pick up. All of them wouldn't hurt. CUL Lou

Guest · Thu Apr 20, 2006 8:44 am

Hang a couple of gourds under the house... AND --- Move it Closer to your house....

kimball911 · Thu Apr 20, 2006 9:24 am

I live in SE Kansas and it is still early for nest building. My Martins seem to just enjoy relaxing. They've been at their house for about 2-3 weeks now, but haven't begun building, but they will eventually. Don't worry too much about a nest at this time...attracting them is the answer.

klcretired · Thu Apr 20, 2006 11:14 am

Hey 69supercj,
Welcome to the forum , you say you have an aluminum House , is it one of those Heath Houses???, if it is then you are dealing w/ very shallow nesting compartments and anything can get at the Martins and or egg's very easily...everybody that answered you has great suggestions, it's all about protection if you want to have and to keep Martins , let us know what brand your house & what it looks like so we can help you further.

Emil Pampell-Tx · Thu Apr 20, 2006 11:37 am

69supercj, you say you have been trying for 5 years and that martins do come to your house. There are only 2 possible reasons that cause your martins not to stay:

1) your site has too many trees, and the martins are afraid of hawks and owls. Your site sounds OK to me however so I don't suspect this to be the problem.

2)predators are bothering the martins, so they do not want to stay. Now it could be one of these, or a combination of these: Sparrows, starlings, owls, hawks, or snakes. It doesn't matter much which it is, these preadators will chase the martins away.

I have raised martins many years at several different sites, and these are my conclusions. The kind of housing means very little if you have a wide open site, and if the predators are not bothering you. It takes a lot of observation to see what is bothering them. Owls come at night, snakes come at night, and hawks come when you are not visible as they generally are afraid of humans. Martins want to do two things, they want to raise babies, and they want to survive, and they will go where they think their chances of survival are best...Good luck, and hope you can get some martins.