Three martins in Hawesville, KY
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John & Linda - KY
- Posts: 599
- Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2003 10:19 pm
- Location: Kentucky/Hawesville
Linda looked out the window this afternoon, and there they were. An ASY male and two females perched on our (empty) gourd rack. This is at least a week earlier than normal and I'm afraid it may be too early. The weather is predicted to turn cold next week with a chance of snow. -- John
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Emil Pampell-Tx
- Posts: 6743
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 1:26 pm
- Location: Tx, Richmond (SW of Houston)
- Martin Colony History: First started in Gretna, La in 1969 with a small homemade house, have had martins ever since at 2 different homes in Texas
I know that we all like to see that first martin, it is such a joy. Now the cold weather may be a problem, so good luck with the weather. When I see the first martin of the year, it makes the whole day more enjoyable!
PMCA Member, 250 gourds, 6 poles, 2traps
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Sigundo
Congrats on your martin returns.. means mine are probably on the way.. sadly, we lost one of our 20 roomers a couple weeks ago when those "winter?" thunderstorms went through, causing the pole to collapse, snapping off one of my metal snaps, and driving it several inches into the next pole.. I can't get them apart so took house #2 down.. luckily it wasn't used much last year but still...
On the UP side, we had shaved just a smidge off our S&K 20 roomers doors (house #1) during a panic attack last year, and since house 2 was down, we removed the doors (un altered) and put them on house 1. Well, sometime during the past week before doing that, a starling had already built a nest in the remaining house, and he returned after the new doors were on with a mate, and neither one could get in... we found out the female starling has the final chirp and she proceeded to give him a sound squawking about dragging her to a house she couldn't enter for about 2 minutes and they flew off. I was laughing so hard, I missed (squeeze the trigger, dont guffaw it. hehe).. but they haven't returned in two days.
If the martins are coming back early, I need to get to Lowe's soon and get a metal drill bit.. I"M going to go ahead and drill holes on through the telescopic poles and run bolts/wingnuts through each section as I raise it. (YES, it means lowering it each time will take a bit of effort, but its just too dang windy up here on "the hill" and I don't want an occupied house to drop.. better that I pinch a finger on occasion than have that happen)...
Next thing I put up I think will be one of those counter balanced solid poles and a gourd rack... wont be THIS year, but I'll have it up next year probably where the 2nd house was (as young martins really liked swooping between the two houses).
Speaking of gourds, what kind of gourd rack/gourds do you use? Already looking into the different ones out there, lots to choose from, I only wish the martins would tell me...
On the UP side, we had shaved just a smidge off our S&K 20 roomers doors (house #1) during a panic attack last year, and since house 2 was down, we removed the doors (un altered) and put them on house 1. Well, sometime during the past week before doing that, a starling had already built a nest in the remaining house, and he returned after the new doors were on with a mate, and neither one could get in... we found out the female starling has the final chirp and she proceeded to give him a sound squawking about dragging her to a house she couldn't enter for about 2 minutes and they flew off. I was laughing so hard, I missed (squeeze the trigger, dont guffaw it. hehe).. but they haven't returned in two days.
If the martins are coming back early, I need to get to Lowe's soon and get a metal drill bit.. I"M going to go ahead and drill holes on through the telescopic poles and run bolts/wingnuts through each section as I raise it. (YES, it means lowering it each time will take a bit of effort, but its just too dang windy up here on "the hill" and I don't want an occupied house to drop.. better that I pinch a finger on occasion than have that happen)...
Next thing I put up I think will be one of those counter balanced solid poles and a gourd rack... wont be THIS year, but I'll have it up next year probably where the 2nd house was (as young martins really liked swooping between the two houses).
Speaking of gourds, what kind of gourd rack/gourds do you use? Already looking into the different ones out there, lots to choose from, I only wish the martins would tell me...
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John & Linda - KY
- Posts: 599
- Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2003 10:19 pm
- Location: Kentucky/Hawesville
Sigundo -- I spent about 20 minutes this morning writing a detailed description and lost it all when the Forum went down 
. So this will be more basic.
My rack is home made, by a friend of mine with welding and pipefitting skills. 2" pipe, 16' tall anchored by two pieces of angle iron cemented into the ground. Three through bolts near the bottom, to lower it remove the top two and swing it down using the bottom one as a hinge. It takes three people to raise/lower it, so we put it up in the spring and take it down in the fall. Two layers of cross arms, one about three ft down and the other at the top, with dog chain strung around the perimeter. We hang a total of 36 gourds down the cross arms and around the chains. The gourds are natural, no treatment or painting. Some have 2 1/4" round holes, others are Sandy Dunn crescents. -- John
. So this will be more basic.My rack is home made, by a friend of mine with welding and pipefitting skills. 2" pipe, 16' tall anchored by two pieces of angle iron cemented into the ground. Three through bolts near the bottom, to lower it remove the top two and swing it down using the bottom one as a hinge. It takes three people to raise/lower it, so we put it up in the spring and take it down in the fall. Two layers of cross arms, one about three ft down and the other at the top, with dog chain strung around the perimeter. We hang a total of 36 gourds down the cross arms and around the chains. The gourds are natural, no treatment or painting. Some have 2 1/4" round holes, others are Sandy Dunn crescents. -- John
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LarryMelcher/KY
- Posts: 675
- Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2005 12:08 pm
- Location: Kentucky/Shepherdsville
Hello fellow Kentuckians !!
Still no martins at my Louisville or Shepherdsville colonies. Ready and waiting. Good Luck this year !!
Still no martins at my Louisville or Shepherdsville colonies. Ready and waiting. Good Luck this year !!
I manage 2 public sites, and one at home, for a total of 172 cavities. Board Member / Non Profit PMCA.
Find videos that I edit for the PMCA Youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/PurpleMartinPMCA
Find videos that I edit for the PMCA Youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/PurpleMartinPMCA
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Sigundo
Ahh ok.. I have almost no mechanical skills.. as a matter of fact, after taking and passing the Postal exams for both level 5 and level 8 maintenance technician job.. they sent me a rejection letter which pretty much said "you're too stupid to use tools" though they worded it a bit better... hehe...
I couldn't take it any longer and ordered the "gourd package special" from S&K.. but THIS time when I get the pole, i'm drilling the holes all the way through and putting bolts through each section as I raise it.. what type I"m not sure.. I was thinking smooth with cotter pins, but if I lose the pins...
so maybe threaded bolts with lock washers and wing nuts (course I'll probably lose those too when loosening them, but I digress).
When/IF I ever get my own place, I'll go with cemented-in-the-ground wench or counterweight type system, but for now I can handle the weight lifting them up and down.. good for me too exercise wise..
No martins yet and tomorrow I'm heading to Danville Lowe's to get screws for some Naturline gourds that wont hold together.. I think last year somebody said " get #8's to fix that" but I lost the stored message, so I might just take the whole gourd with me and find the right screws..
We put out our hanging plant on the front porch 4 days ago, hoping the robins would nest in it again (but THIS time they were plastic spider plants) but a pair of House Finches moved in.. which is also ok. Haven't seen our TS yet, but then again, the gourd isn't hanging on the telephone pole yet either... I've really gotta quit procrastinating, if not today, then for sure tomorrow...
I couldn't take it any longer and ordered the "gourd package special" from S&K.. but THIS time when I get the pole, i'm drilling the holes all the way through and putting bolts through each section as I raise it.. what type I"m not sure.. I was thinking smooth with cotter pins, but if I lose the pins...
so maybe threaded bolts with lock washers and wing nuts (course I'll probably lose those too when loosening them, but I digress).When/IF I ever get my own place, I'll go with cemented-in-the-ground wench or counterweight type system, but for now I can handle the weight lifting them up and down.. good for me too exercise wise..
No martins yet and tomorrow I'm heading to Danville Lowe's to get screws for some Naturline gourds that wont hold together.. I think last year somebody said " get #8's to fix that" but I lost the stored message, so I might just take the whole gourd with me and find the right screws..
We put out our hanging plant on the front porch 4 days ago, hoping the robins would nest in it again (but THIS time they were plastic spider plants) but a pair of House Finches moved in.. which is also ok. Haven't seen our TS yet, but then again, the gourd isn't hanging on the telephone pole yet either... I've really gotta quit procrastinating, if not today, then for sure tomorrow...