Yesterday 2 arrived about 4:30 pm, right after the rain stopped. They played around until dark but not sure if they roosted. This morning there were 3, of which 2 were males and 1 was a female. They played and sang all morning and into the afternoon.
Airborne
We have three now
Congratulations!!!
How long have you had your Nature House castle? How many pairs have used it? I notice you have expanded compartments! Do you not have starling problems? I have at least a pair every spring trying to get into my expanded compartments...so I have all SREHs on all my housing! I have a repeating trap for the starlings once they can't enter my housing!
Last year, I only had 2 compartments used...but hope to have more this year as my colony grows!
Have a great season!!!
Lila
How long have you had your Nature House castle? How many pairs have used it? I notice you have expanded compartments! Do you not have starling problems? I have at least a pair every spring trying to get into my expanded compartments...so I have all SREHs on all my housing! I have a repeating trap for the starlings once they can't enter my housing!
Last year, I only had 2 compartments used...but hope to have more this year as my colony grows!
Have a great season!!!
Lila
Lila, we have had the Castle at least 6 years. The bottom floor is dedicated to Spare-O-Door traps, so we offer only 9 expanded nesting compartments. Usually we have about 5 pair in the house, but the top floor has 3 older males that have come back for years, are very territorial, and don't like others on the house, at least until later in the season. They also will not go into any thing but round holes. If we change their holes, they will not go in, and will go to the neighbors slum house which is on a rusted pole and never been taken down. So we have round holes on the upper floors. We do have oblong holes on the 2nd floor of the house, and on all of our gourds. Oblongs are not Shrehs, but the Starlings shy away from them. We like Oblongs because more babies can get fed and there is no wing entrapment. We don't have a Starling problem, I am home all day long and shoot them with my pellet gun. Sparrows, too. Our System is monitored with a security camera setup, watched and listened to on a TV in our Den. That helps, too.
Airborne
Airborne
Airborne, Thanks for responding!!!
I'm not able to constantly monitor my site so I have to rely on my trap & the SREHs to take care of investigating starlings! I do have a spare-o-door trap in both of my houses as well that take care of all investigating sparrows!
I do have 1 round hole open in each of my houses & a SY pair used one last year & raised 4 babies successfully. Once I get rid of early investigating sparrows...I don't see them on my housing once the martins are back but I keep the trPs set, just in case!
I had 12 pair last year so I'm anxious to see how many this year will bring! I lost about 6 late babies to heat last year but fledged 45+!
Hope we all have a better 2012!!!
I'm not able to constantly monitor my site so I have to rely on my trap & the SREHs to take care of investigating starlings! I do have a spare-o-door trap in both of my houses as well that take care of all investigating sparrows!
I do have 1 round hole open in each of my houses & a SY pair used one last year & raised 4 babies successfully. Once I get rid of early investigating sparrows...I don't see them on my housing once the martins are back but I keep the trPs set, just in case!
I had 12 pair last year so I'm anxious to see how many this year will bring! I lost about 6 late babies to heat last year but fledged 45+!
Hope we all have a better 2012!!!