Hi Everybody!

[Mary Dawnsong]

House Wrens can be very aggressive and may peck martin eggs.
However, I believe Carolina Wrens are very peaceful - no problem with martins, but I've don't have them here.

They may accept separate housing if you put it up right away.
Here's some info on bird house dimensions/entries:
http://www.floridaconservation.org/View ... estbox.htm

Have fun! Mary

[Guest]

Thanks Mary,
I'll keep an eye on them to make sure they're good neighbors.

[Tim Mangan-Kansas]

Andrew:

I had the same problem with a pair of starlings at the beginning of this season. Every time I opened the back door, they would fly. Never could get a shot off before they would spook.

The particular pole the starling was attracted to was only about 45' from the back of our house. I opened up a bedroom window a few inches; just enough to get a shot off. The next time the starling landed, I went straight to the window and got the shot I needed without him seeing me. He was conditioned to look at the back door, not the window.
If you have this situation available to you, you might try it.

Good luck.

Tim

[TrkrBob1949]

I just wanted to tell you that martins will construct their nests out of grass, such as bermuda grass stems. This year at a colony site at Lowe's there were two nests made out of grass in a Trio M-12 mounted on a multi-purpose pole, despite the fact that all the other martin nests were constructed of pine straw. Because I was having trouble with a starling at this site, I thought these nests were starling renests and started to tear them out, but I hesitated 'cause they did have some of the characteristics of a martin nest. In some instances martin nests and starling nests can be very similar. Anyway, I checked on these nests a week later and they both contained white martin eggs.

By the way, I use Trio houses at this site because sparrows are a terrible problem, and I can use the Spare-o-door accessory to trap them and keep them under control until the martins arrive in sufficient numbers to relieve me.

[Guest]

I got my universal sparrow traps today and put them in. I put one in where there was an active sparrow nest that they had built in the last 2 days. I camouflaged it with some of the ratty sparrow nest, so I hope to bag a few this afternoon.

I took a look at the Martin nest and there are 5 or so eggs in there. I haven't seen the Martins yesterday or today, but I was not at home very much, so I guess they are around.

[Guest]

Well, I got a good nest check today and there are 4 eggs. Nest looks tidy and squared away and the parents seem to be taking turns hanging around the house. The mom goes inside most of the time, while the dad stands on the roof or railing.

[Guest]

Any success yet Andrew with the traps?

[Guest]

UPDATE: Came home for lunch and I had caught a female!

Not a one. I pulled out another fully stuffed nest and 3 eggs this morning and moved the trap to that apt. I found one trap tripped, but no sparrow. Either they can wiggle out the gap on the door, or they're triggered prematurely.

[Guest]

Andrew,

I had that problem also. The orange door on one of my traps did not cover the hole enough, and I had a sparrow somehow get through the gap to freedom. What I did was cut a piece of clear plastic from a juice bottle, and I attached it to the backside of the orange door. The plastic is between the orange door and the wall of the trap. I cut it so that it covered the area I felt was too large. In my case, it was both above and below the door, so I also had to make sure it conformed to the shape of the hole. I used a hole punch for the area where the screw goes, and I used double-sided tape to attach it to the back of the door. When I set the trap, the arm still goes directly under the orange door. The plastic will be underneath the arm, but it doesn't interfere with it, I've found.

[SueK]

I'm sorry to resurrect this old thread, but am wondering if anyone has updated info to add, re: traps for metal PM housing/ the PMCA DUST (Deluxe Universal Sparrow Trap). We just put up 2 Waters Edge (4 story 8 compartments each) houses on a Multipurpose Pole, crescent entrances. Any recent experience w/ this trap in this particular housing? There's at least 1 HOSP pair who are determined to lay claim on these houses already, and have strewn 4-5 grass stems in EACH nest compartment of both lower 3 floors, front and back! (Obviously, I can't buy enough traps!) Am hesitant to bug PMCA on the phone when I order everytime, so am asking here-
Thanks in advance.

[C.C.Martins]

Hi Sue,

I'm using the universal sparrow traps out at our satelite site, no catches yet, just have had no sparrows there. Yours are actively nest building so perhaps Kathy Freeze can assist. Iv attached a link where she talks about the delux sparrow trap and some improvements she's done. I did those, so time will tell.

https://kathyfreeze.blogspot.com/2015/0 ... r.html?m=1

Can u shoot at your site? Tearing out the nests just doesn't drive them off, so very frustrating!

[SueK]

Thanks for your quick response! I'm familiar with Kathy Freeze from FB, she surely knows her stuff when it comes to PM's - thanks for the link!

[SueK]

...and yes, I know tearing out nests tends to invite aggression, but- 2 full nests with another 10 starts was a bit MUCH for me to find, grrrrr...

[birdman in buckhead]

I tried something different this year that worked: a mouse trap! Yes, it's a little risky with a chance of hurting a martin, but under the circumstances I felt it presented little to zero risk of that happening.

The sparrows were building in only one house compartment. For 3 or 4 days I removed the mess they made. I had taken 2 shots at them with my BB gun, so the sparrows would immediately fly off as soon as they saw me. Two hours after putting the mouse trap in the compartment I found it on the ground a few feet away from the house. There was no bird in it, but obviously there was one at some point. The sparrows never returned!

I'll do the same thing again if the risk of harming a martin is so small or if the result far outweighs the risk.

[SueK]

Wow- a major step to take.
The DUST is ordered!

[C.C.Martins]

Shes great! Man I hope it works for you. I hate sparrows, cant stand them. Hard to shoot, if you miss they smarten up. Attack when martins are gone, list goes on.

Have you thought of a ST1? If you place the trap on the pole and tear out the nests place some in the trap they will go for their nesting material.

[SueK]

I don't see an ST1 in the catalogue - just a UST (assuming similar?) The Waters Edge have crescent openings almost to the floor, and Kathy mentions the HOSPs should not be able to see the trap... if you compare pics of the two, the UST entrance is elevated somewhat from the floor- the DUST is not.
I actually snagged a BOGO male AND female with a Van Ert in a BB box a day or so ago, and the PM housing invasion has stopped - so maybe they were the culprits.
Thx for all advice-