POLL: Do You Use Predator Guards?

gwarnerjr · Sat May 05, 2007 5:43 am

I have a homemade 8" stovepipe baffle built to the bottom of my setup. It goes up and down with the houses. It has been on from the get go. I haven't thought of using owl guards because I have never seen an owl here. Very few of the many martin houses around here have any predator guards but most have plenty of S & S's.

Bob Flam · Sat May 05, 2007 5:55 am

2 of the 3 poles have the wobble ground predator guards. The gourd rack pole is a 2 1/2 inch pipe and I haven't made one for it yet. There is a ton of raccoons here, which will probably go for the colony eventually.

As a preventive measure I scoop up all my dog's (Star) poop with a shovel, and toss it just over the hill beyond my poles. I also have almost gotten her trained to do all her business just on the wooded side of the poles.

No owl guards on the gourd rack. The two houses have been modified with enlarged rooms, bends in the rooms, nest chambers on different levels than the entrance, tunnels, and one house has a protective bar assembly.

Bar assembly pick on one house...

Guest · Sat May 05, 2007 6:26 am

We have the quick release pole guards on both poles. No owls guards. I have a modified Trio with two gourds and a Quad-Pod with two gourds. All have crescent opening. My neighbor has a quick release on her pole. She asked about them when I had them on mine. The other neighbors have NOTHING. We do have starlings, but they have never been successful at getting into any of my compartments. And not for a lact of trying! All neighboring houses have co-habit sparrows and don't think it's a problem. The get along just fine!!!!

They think I am obsessed and evil

for trapping and enjoying the destruction of them. Our houses are in a very open area. I see lots of hawks but never an owl. Although I know that is always a possibility. So far, I don't believe we have ever lost any martins to flying predators. But now that I said that, oh no.........

Brad-AL · Sat May 05, 2007 6:56 am

Great thread Kent.

I have electric predator guards on all my poles. 7000 volts for the critters that might touch it, which includes the landlord.

I do not have owl guards. All my gourds have tunnels, and all would be at least 13 to 15 inches deep from the entrance. Does that count as a guard? I have had no predator attacks by ground or air that I am aware of. I do not know of any landlord around here that uses predator guards of any type other than a couple that I have helped get started this year. They all "know" that a snake cant climb a metal pole no matter how much talking I do to the contrary.

kratz71 · Sat May 05, 2007 6:59 am

Had PMCA baffles correctly mounted on the poles last year with netting above and still had 6 rat snakes get around them and get caught in the netting. One really big one actually made it past the netting too. The snakes climb up the seem of the guard that is screwed together. I've since changed to homemade guards made from 8" galvanized duct with a cap on the top. This guard does have a seem but its very flush with the guard and there are no screws. I use these one all our poles including bluebird housing and so far no breaches. I still use the netting above just in case. We also have owl guards on the gourds because of the numerous barred owls around here. So far no evidence of owl predation.

Mike

Al Denton · Sat May 05, 2007 7:25 am

I have a predator pole guard made from a piece of 8" metal ductwork. I use it as a preventative measure.

I use no owl guards.

Most of the setups used in my area have no guards....the closest colony being about 6 miles.

Mike Dingman · Sat May 05, 2007 9:06 am

Kent:
I use 6'' PVC, they are about 4' tall. I got the idea from Emil. I used to use owl guards until one of my ASY females broke her wing on the guard on a very windy day. The male fed and fledged all 6 young. I helped with crickets. We had a pair of barred owls living across the pond, I found a dead one 1/4 mile from here on the road a couple of years ago. I have not seen or heard one since, so I don't use the owl guards anymore, but I now have crescents, excluders, modified excluders and tunnel entrances. I did use the PMCA's owl guards and I had some I made from 1/4'' copper tubing, painted white.
Mike

eyeamtheman · Sat May 05, 2007 9:52 am

No owl guards....I had a cheap good fer nuthin " pet control " fence charger hooked up last year, no netting......nearly 5 foot snake destroyed 4 nests........ This year......got a super-shocking flame thrower of a fence charger, about the same voltage output Brad mentioned earlier, PLUS a nice big wad of netting above that. A critter gets up that, I'll throw in the towel........

Ron Shaffer · Sat May 05, 2007 3:58 pm

.....just stuck my head out to see just what I had on which rack, when I see a flying rat on my Deluxe 12!! Lock and load one .177 cal pellet! Chalk another kill up to the Whackmaster!

....anyway...2 handmade (8 inch PVC) guards on two racks, and the guard sold by the PMCA for the deluxe 12. 2 guards sold by S&K for a tri-tel and a quad-tel.

No owl guards and no owl problems as of yet. I am in a rural setting, and during the nesting season I intend to keep a radio playing in my garage at night- which I just had built last month. It sits about 10 yards from my closest rack.