The PMCA has an article that breifly touchs on it also. http://www.purplemartin.org/update/9(3)social.html
The 1st time I used 3 mirrors, mounted 3 different ways. I will explain each individually. The 2nd time I just used one mirror.
1st time: The mirrors were 4x4 inch.
1. One flat against the house outside wall just taped to it like in the article above. I modified my trio to 6, 12 inch deep rooms so there was 3 openings per side. On one side of the house, one level had 1 room in the center, the other level had 2 outer openings with the center room closed off. Because the ones closed off had the openings on the other side of the house. I taped a mirror against the wall on the level that had 2 openings(between them). The mirror was taped to the house on the closed off room in the center with 2 openings beside it on each side.
2. One on a gourd arm, against the pole facing out. So when they landed on that porch arm they saw the mirror. I used a 4x4 block of wood about 1/2 inch think and taped the mirror to it. I then used a short bracket with 2 holes in it(one on each end of the bracket)...Like a "L" bracket that was straightened out flat. I screwed one end into the wood, on the bottom center of the wood, so the other end of the bracket stuck out away from the mirror. I took a hose clamp and put around the gourd arm and the piece of bracket sticking out to hold it on the arm. I put it back against the pole, so the mirror was facing out towards the gourd.
3. This is the one my 1st pair nested by. Same design, 4x4 taped flat against a 1/2 inch thick block of wood. But it had mirrors on both sides of the wood. And I mounted it right on a porch, opposite side of the house that had one flat aginst the wall. It was mounted like a porch divider. So if a martin landed on either side, they saw theirself. Same thing, bracket screwed into the bottom of the wood sticking out, and held on with a hose clamp. Except I put the hose clamp around the porch railing. And the bracket wasn't centered on the block of wood, it was at one end. It had to be to be over the porch rail. It didn't sit level, it kinda leaned down from the porch rail to the porch against the wall. But it didn't matter.
My 1st ASY male spent a large amount of time talking to the martin in that one. Between playing dawn song priodically to keep up his interest and that mirror...I was able to keep him here almost a month until the sy's arrived and he got his girl. He stayed in the room beside it. And they nested right beside it in that room.
Note: After he got his girl he started fighting with the martin in that mirror. Slamming up against it and pecking at it. A testimont to how well they work at fooling them in to thinking there is another there. I had to take it down then.
2nd time...just now this last couple weeks:
This time the mirror was 4x6 inchs. Double sided again and taped to a block of wood. Put on like a porch divider again on the house porch. Mounted the same way, with a bracket and hose clamp around the porch rail and bracket. But since it was 6 inchs long it stuck out over the rail more.
My 1st pair here spent alot of time by this one also. They didn't nest by it...they chose a crescent natural gourd underneith the housing under it. But they sat by it alot. MY lone male I have now was sitting by it today. Should say WAS a lone male...he brought home a very mature ASY girl tonight. Upto 3 pair now all ASY's
And I haven't even seen the sy's yet...Anybody thats ever had parakeets or house birds with mirrors in the cage can attest to what mirrors do for them. It works on martins also.
Safety notes:
If your trying to cut mirrors to size..be very careful! And as in the 1st case...after he got a girl, the martin in the mirror became competition and it had to go.
I used mirrors from kids jewelry boxes. The stickem is stong, be careful trying to pull it off. Gasoline will eat the stickem right off and it's alot easier to remove it, if you go that route. I used 4 inch because they fit between porch levels on the house.
If I can get the daughter to bring the camera home, I'll post some pictures of how I mounted them.
Hope this helps some of you get that elusive 1st pair. It really works. Be careful...don't cut your fingers trying to remove them from something or cutting the mirror to size. Much safer to find some the size you want already.
bob
