How Low Is Too Low ?

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Hanover Bill
Posts: 656
Joined: Thu May 14, 2009 3:10 pm
Location: Pennsylvania/Hanover Township
Martin Colony History: 2009 & 10 - 0
2011 & 12 - Visitors
2013 - 2 pr. fledged 9
2014 - 3 pr. fledged 13
2015 - 7 pr. fledged 27
2016 - 15 pr. fledged 72

I thought I'd be pro-active and post this question now. As the Martin season approaches in Western Pa., so too does the severe weather season for us.

Although we don't deal with the type of winds some of you in other parts of the country do on a daily basis, we do get our share of high winds in severe thunderstorms.

I always lower my housing if severe weather is forecast, but I'm never quite sure how low I can go without discouraging the Martins. Is there a good low water mark, so to speak, which we know the Martins will tolerate?

Thanks in advance;
Hanover Bill.
2009 & 10 - 0
2011 & 12 - Visitors
2013 - 2 pr. fledged 9
2014 - 3 pr. fledged 13
2015 - 7 pr. fledged 27
2016 - 15 pr. fledged 72
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steve r
Posts: 371
Joined: Sat Mar 20, 2004 8:16 am
Location: Antioch/Plant City Fla

I've lowered mine to 5' off the ground and the martins still go in no problem.
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Ed Svetich-WI
Posts: 815
Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2004 10:05 pm
Location: Brooks, Wi (McGinnis Lake)
Martin Colony History: 24 Super and Excluder Gourds on two gourd racks, all SREH. Full occupancy. My philosophy is to maximize fledge % with existing cavities rather than adding gourds to grow colony, thus providing opportunities for new colony expansion. Fledge over 100 nestlings yearly from 24 gourds. Band nestlings in cooperation with state university. 2019 Adendum: Reduced colony size to 12 gourds to focus on more intensive management regimen.

I have lowered my gourd racks to the predator guards and left them there for two days when we had a string of severe weather. The martins continued to use them-even to enter for the night.
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JL Murray

Ed Svetich-WI wrote:I have lowered my gourd racks to the predator guards and left them there for two days when we had a string of severe weather. The martins continued to use them-even to enter for the night.
X2
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Craig Dyer
Posts: 500
Joined: Fri May 13, 2005 2:24 pm
Location: Nevada, TX
Martin Colony History: Area is rural. Offer 28 compartments...metal housing (Lonestar Goliad) & Supergourds all w/crescent entrance holes. Purple martins are abundant here and eager for quality, well maintained, safe housing. Expect near 100% occupancy this season.

It is counter intuitive to lower the housing. I have never lowered it to the predator guard, but I have lowered it to six or seven feet off the ground, and as everyone else has said, the martins don't seem to care. It drives me crazy, but the martins could care less.
Craig Dyer
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Craig Dyer
Posts: 500
Joined: Fri May 13, 2005 2:24 pm
Location: Nevada, TX
Martin Colony History: Area is rural. Offer 28 compartments...metal housing (Lonestar Goliad) & Supergourds all w/crescent entrance holes. Purple martins are abundant here and eager for quality, well maintained, safe housing. Expect near 100% occupancy this season.

It is counter intuitive to lower the housing. I have never lowered it to the predator guard, but I have lowered it to six or seven feet off the ground, and as everyone else has said, the martins don't seem to care. It drives me crazy, but the martins could care less.
Craig Dyer
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JL Murray

Lowered all the way down to 4 to 5 foot martins didn't care that it was that low either
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jr 2
Posts: 749
Joined: Fri Jun 17, 2011 3:20 pm
Location: ohio,proctorville(just across ohio river from huntington,west virginia)

what if you have a neighbors building within 25ft. of your martin house pole and the building would be higher than the martin house if you lowerd the martin house;;would this affect their landing and take off or cause them too hit the building as they are use to their house being higher than building ?????????
PMCA member; s 2011 2 pair fledged 3; 2012 3 asy pair,4 sy pair,2013 8 asy pair,6 sy pair;2014 19 asy pair,2 sy pair
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Jim Spetzman
Posts: 77
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2004 8:26 am
Location: Minnesota, Forest Lake

In our RV community in Deep south Texas, my housing is about 15ft from our 15ft high RV canopy with the RV under it, with lots of citrus trees within 10ft of the housing. I have it extended to 10ft and when I have it lowered to 5ft, the Martins don't care. Lots of people stop and talk right under the house at the end of my driveway and ride there bikes right by and the birds will just sit and look. At home in Minnesota, I have them about 2-3 ft above the water and about 10ft from shore with HUGE Maples trees hanging over the water and they have no problem with 6 grandchildren running on the dock right by them and boat traffic doesn't matter to them.
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chickadee
Posts: 1128
Joined: Fri Mar 25, 2011 3:02 pm
Location: ohio

Last night the wind was so bad I lowered mine to the blue bird box in front of it. That box is 5 ft high. On a normal day I lower them about half way down or a pinch less. They don't care. But the height helps them get to the air faster to escape predators. So I keep them lowered only as long as needed.
2008 1 pair
2009 3 pair
2010 7 pair
2011 20 pair
2012 44 pair 280 eggs 210 fledged
2013 67 pair.
2014 67pair
2015-2022 67 pair
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Carrera Mike
Posts: 150
Joined: Sat Jan 11, 2014 10:23 am
Location: Eastern TN, Claiborne County
Martin Colony History: Pls see signature

Ive been wondering myself about this... Thanks for posting!
Mike
2020: 11pairs, 51 eggs, 45 fledged
2014: 8 pairs, 43 eggs, 39 fledged
2013: 3 pairs, 8 fledged
2012: 3 pairs, 7 fledged
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JL Murray

chickadee ...Try this website, just change it to your location.... this weather site is good for hourly forcasting of the weather and is handy for keeping ahead of what the winds are going to do.

http://local.msn.com/hourly.aspx?q=Pkop ... &eid=26354
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