Crescent Holes
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John Miller
- Posts: 4866
- Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2004 9:11 pm
- Location: St. Louis, MO
Most of us have concluded that most SREH, including the crescent, should be no more than one-fourth inch off the floor to better keep out starlings, which otherwise may step in sideways, one leg at a time.
However, one-half inch sometimes is necessary to prevent the interior nest tray from interfering with the hole (and this can be critical), but one can trim the tray back some. The only other thought is that one-half inch may be needed to keep structural integrity -- just depends on material and how the parts fit together.
John Miller
However, one-half inch sometimes is necessary to prevent the interior nest tray from interfering with the hole (and this can be critical), but one can trim the tray back some. The only other thought is that one-half inch may be needed to keep structural integrity -- just depends on material and how the parts fit together.
John Miller
Last edited by John Miller on Sun Jan 28, 2007 7:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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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
There is one thing to consider, if you have no nest tray restrictions, then 1/2in is the most favorable distance for starlings to enter thru an SREH. I would very definitely recommend 3/16 distance to flush with the porch. I did some starling tests recently, and the starlings can exit any SREH on the market at 1/2inch, so do not use a porch 1/2in below the entrance!
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Eddie McKnight
- Posts: 189
- Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2003 7:02 am
- Location: Moncks Corner, SC
Last year, I had crescents on 2 houses with the porches 1/4 inch or less and had no breaches by starlings. My neighbor had all crescents on a large house with the porches 1/2 to 3/4 inches below the entrances and the starlings took over and killed several martin hatchlings, not to mention all the eggs they destroyed before that. Crescents work, but only with the porches at the right height.
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Guest
What ever Emil says you can take to the bank. He spends lots of time testing holes and heights with captured starlings. I would take his word for gospel over everthing else. :-)