No Foolin' - Hatchlings!!

[Laverne]

Checked the front 40 today and found 5 eggs in one nest and 1 egg in another... that's all. So, our colony is still not moving along that quickly. We just have this one bird in Gourd 51 who is way ahead of the others.

[James Strickland FL]

Congrats Laverne

[Guest]

First birds 2/11/12
Saw first recognizable nests at 3/18/12 check
On 4/4/12 check the 17 gourds we have open had
- 2 with 6 eggs
- 3 with 4 eggs
- 2 with 3 eggs
- 2 with 2 eggs
- 3 with no eggs yet
- 5 sparrow nests removed
totql 34 eggs

New problem though. A couple of days ago a starling showed up and inhabited one of the gourds that a sparrow had started rebuilding in. 12 of these are new supergourds with starling-resistant entrances, but the others are old-style gourds with round holes. Wondering if there is a recommended way to retrofit these gourds with starling-resistant entrances. I'm hoping I can et a friend to do some target practice on this starling, but I'm very worried in the interim. Suggestions welcome!
Does lowering the gourds at night and blocking the starling occupied gourd in the pre-dawn hours actually work?
Thanks,
Susan in San Antonio

[Laverne]

Susan, if you do it the way Emil suggests, it should work just fine.

Emil says to bring the rack down just low enough so you can reach it from your stepladder (I think he uses an 8 footer). Leave your stepladder out by the gourd rack, so you don't have to move it in the morning. Get up in the morning in the dark and put a stick or something into the entrance hole so it will trap the starling. Be sure you have this all prepared and tested before you begin (you don't want your victim to escape). Then, wait until daylight, lower the housing the rest of the way, dispatch the starling and raise it back up. Done!! Good luck!!

Just a suggestion for you -- next time you have an important question like this, start a "new" topic so people can find it. With all those eggs, looks like your colony is off to a great start. Enjoy your season.

[daveh]

Susan,years ago I converted several super gourds from round to crescent and excluder entrances. I used the PMCA aluminum adapter plates. Martins love them. The only thing I didn't like was butchering up the nice holes in these great high dollar gourds to fit the plates. But likeI said, the birds really like them.

dave

[Guest]

Laverne, taking your suggestion and starting a new thread. Thanks.

[Chriscreole]

Seems awful early for nestlings. Laverne, I checked a few nests yesterday to make sure whether I had any eggs or not. I didn't find any. Green leaf carrying has been going on for a week. I was sort of suprised to see any eggs, although it's still early for that.

Wow Laverne! They are so cute ..

Cute, you say? An adult Martin is a beautiful creature. The babies uglier than a mud fence to me at least.

Give ya a new prospective to chicken nuggets, never eatin em again.... lol

[Virgil McCoy]

Mine are still building nests and as of yesterday haven't started to lay.