I Need Some Assistance, Members

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Carlton
Posts: 1959
Joined: Tue May 17, 2005 6:42 pm
Location: Florida/Deerfield Beach
Martin Colony History: I moved to South Florida, from Delaware, in August of 2015.

I care for a 6 condo Sunset House as well as two Deluxe Gourd Racks, with 24 Chirpynest/Excluder gourds, along a canal in Pompano Beach, Florida.


At Quiet Waters Park, nearby in Deerfield Beach, I care for a Deluxe Gourd Rack with 12 TVG's. I also care for a Deluxe Gourd rack with 12 Excluder gourds with Modified Excluder entrances. I am substituting 6 Chirpynest boxes for 6 of the Conley II entranced gourds in 2026.

At another local park, Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek, I care for a Trendsetter 12, 5 gourds rack with 60 Excluder gourds with Modified Excluder Entrances and 1 Deluxe Gourd Rack with 12 Troyer Vertical Gourds with Starling Stoppers over the Conley II's to keep out smaller starlings.

I have always used the very thinnest bamboo plant stakes on my MSS products, under the clips, as perches to to secure the doors. Last year I could not find the very thin, short, bamboo plant stakes ANYWHERE. I checked all the box stores, Kmart, Walmart as well as local hardware stores. All they carried were the longer and thicker stakes. Same story this year. For some reason no one seems to carry them anymore.

If the "perch" is too thick it will not go under the door clip or it may damage the clip if forced. If it is too thin it might not hold under the clip when the martin lands on the perch jutting out from the porch floor.
I tried paring down the end of a thicker stake but it did not work all that well.

Any ideas what I might substitute? I think that anything made of steel might get too hot to act as a perch.

Carl
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Louise Chambers
Site Admin
Posts: 6208
Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2003 1:07 pm
Location: Corpus Christi, TX

Would the wire stakes used to flag utility lines, property lines, etc, work? with the flags removed... They are thin wire and would fit under the clips, I'm sure - but you'd need to secure them on each end. Wine corks or something, maybe? They would be too thin for the birds to perch.
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James Strickland FL
Posts: 2249
Joined: Thu Nov 13, 2003 8:04 pm
Location: Reidsville NC
Martin Colony History: 2017 Had a lot visitors no Matins nesting, hoping 2018 will be different.
2018 Had 1 pair
2019 had 30 pair

Lowes carries small bamboo stack that are thin. They are in the garden dept.
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~Ray~Gingerich
Posts: 2122
Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2004 10:24 pm
Location: Delaware/Dover

Hi Carlton, if I am correct you're looking for something about 3/16 dia.? Fiberglass rod might be a good choice, will hold up for years out in the weather I use them for perches on top of my t-14, I have one thats been in service since 1995 and has taken many trashbird shotgun hits over the years. I use the electric fence fiberglass but they are thicker, 1/4 dia.
Check out the following link
http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=159
~Ray~ Gingerich
1999 1pair, 2006 2 pair, 2008 2 pair,
2009 23 pair, 2010 39 pair, 2011 67 pair,
2012 115 pair, 2013 160 pair,
2014 152 pair, 2015 174 pair, 2016 178 pair
2017 187 pair, 2018 200 pair, 2019 171pair
2020 233 pair
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eah415
Posts: 53
Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2005 6:17 pm
Location: kansas/andover

You might check at a flower shop. I think they might use small bambo sticks like you are looking for.
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