New Crescent Excluder Gourds are starling "Friendly&quo

[Guest]

This year I added 30 of the new excluder gourds (crescent entrance) to my colony of 98 super gourds all with crescent entrances. The porches on all of the supergourds are either the PMCA aluminum porches or vinyl ones made by Sandy Bunn (or Terry Washburn). All the porches are mounted so the porch is 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch below the crescent bottom. These have been in operation for about 4 years now. In that time I have not had a single gourd occupied by a starling. I also trap with a repeating nest box trap. When I got the new excluder gourds I noted that the porch is mounted so the porch floor is 5/8 of an inch below the entrance bottom. I worried that this was too low but because it was late in the year (I already had birds back) I went ahead and put them up without modification. Now three of these gourds are occupied by starlings and I am preparing to retrofit them with add-on cedar porches to raise the height of the porch floor to try to exclude the starlings. This will be an undertaking as all the gourds are occupied and will need to be retrofitted without removing them from the gourd racks. I thought it would be easier to increase the porch height this way rather than trying to drill new mounting screw holes as I can also increase the width of the porch - a feature I have found the martin seem to like. I will have to see if this will now exclude the entrenched starlings.

I would recommend that anyone who has or does buy these gourds modify them. I would also recommend that the PMCA work with this supplier to raise the porch to 1/4 inch below the entrance bottom as experience indicates this keeps out starlings but does not bother the martins. Otherwise the PMCA should post a warning that they need to be modofied.

The excluder gourds are very nice gourds except for the porch height. The porches are otherwise the best I have seen.

I will report back about the result from changing the porch height.

This is the only blemish so far on a great year as I have past the 100 pair goal I had set for myself. Hope everyone else is having a good year!

Larry

[John Miller]

Larry

This is worrisome. I've heard some folks are using these gourds successfully, but certainly not your experience.

I have glued little planks on several aluminum housing types/SGs to bring porch levels up below crescents even a little higher than you suggest -- to 1/16 below (I worry flush is too hard on martins) and so far had martins getting in fine and no starlings.

John Miller

[~Patrick~]

Larry,

I have a question about those gourds. Do they come with porches already installed or do the porches accompany the gourds for the purchaser to install if he wishes? If they are pre-installed, can the supplied porches be moved to the correct height? I'm considering some of these for next year but want to make a wise purchase.

Thanks,

Patrick

[Guest]

I have 4 super gourds up. All have plastic porches inside and out, that I purchased from pmca. I have 2 that are mounted flush w/ bottom of crescent and 2 that are mounted about a 1/4'' lower. Last year they nested in both of them. They were slipping in and out of both crescent openings with ease. IMO the porches that are a little below crescent openings may help keep water from blowing or splattering in a little better.

[Kenneth Hicks]

Those are the same Excluder gourds that I have had starling trouble with. I have the entrances attached where it is recommended they be but I will move them up some to prevent starling occupation of the gourd.

Other than that, I like the gourd and the martins seem to also.

Kenneth

[Guest]

Patrick

The gourds come with pre-drilled holes for mounting the porches which put them at 5/8 inches below entrance. You can of course drill new holes which I would have (and should have) done given more time. That also sounded a bit tricky and tedious. Now with them up and modified I will increase porch height the way I described. I still recommend the manufacturer change it.

Larry

[John Balga]

I purchased some of the crescent gourds gourds manufactured by Duke S. as well and mounted the porch 1/2" inch below the entrance. I drilled my own holes and there has been no problems so far. I don't think any gourd is starling proof but starling resistant. We need to make sure that we take the necessary steps to adjust to each situation as it arises. Nothing is 100% resistant. I wish they could only keep the HOSP out!