How many of us are gamblers?

Louise Chambers · Wed Feb 27, 2008 2:23 pm

I don't mean playing games of chance

for money, but I do mean playing games of chance with mother nature, with our martins as 'chips'. Knowing we need to get a predator guard up, but putting it off week after week, hoping we'll slide through the season without any problems... I've done that at my old place in PA - never got around to installing a guard below the tree swallows' gourd. Got away with it, too, but it sure made me nervous. I didn't always win, though - I will never forget the year I went to check on nestbox with baby wrens and looked inside to see scales instead of feathers

So, if you too are a gambler, here's a reminder to get those pole guards on, it doesn't take that long. Buy them or make your own, but get something up under each nestbox or system.

Here's an article on the basics:

http://purplemartin.org/update/13(1)PoleGuards.pdf

While you're at it, this is a very good time to inspect and replace any ropes, cables, or other equipment that is showing signs of wear & tear.

Louise

klcretired · Wed Feb 27, 2008 2:42 pm

Well put Louise, well put...Thank you so much for reminding everyone how important a predator guard and snake guard is, you wouldn't drive your car without Gas would you???.....well putting up housing/gourds with out protection is just like driving on empty......it will happen just that fast, and then it's too late...your martin year will come to an end....... tragically.
I don't want that to happen to anyone so please, please do something now for the sake of the Martins, their eggs and their Babies.

Louise Chambers · Wed Feb 27, 2008 2:49 pm

Kenny,

You reminded me of something else I wanted to give a heads-up on. Install and USE a safety bolt on all your systems - it could save you if a cable breaks, or your hand slips off a winch handle, etc. Safety bolts must be installed your head height to be effective - drill through the pole to install one if your system doesn't have one. When raising/lowering your system, leave the bolt in place until the housing is just above the bolt - remove and finish lowering. Raising up follow the reverse. As soon as the system is above the hole for safety bolt, reinstall it. Here's a link to safety article with photo of safety bolt:

http://purplemartin.org/update/13(4)Safety.pdf

I'm not sure if anyone has a good external safety clamp in use, that does not require drilling a hole through martin pole. If you do, please share.

Louise

Guest · Wed Feb 27, 2008 8:45 pm

AMEN Louise,

I kept putting it off last year and lost almost my whole house full of babys to a snake and was almost bitten before I realised he was there. Not this year. I got my stuff in order.

Waiting impatiently in Checotah,

Donnie Hurdt MN · Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:24 pm

I have no gaurds on my poles because I have no martins as of yet. BUT the gaurds are ready to put on the poles of whatever housing the martins choose whenever I get martins.
I just feel that they are not necessary if there is nothing to protect.

Al Denton · Thu Feb 28, 2008 7:25 am

I need to install a safety bolt or device. I remove my cable and winch and hardware for winter. I inspect everything too when it goes back up in the spring, but unexpected things can happen. I should get to work on that

James Strickland FL · Thu Feb 28, 2008 9:38 am

I never gamble when It comes to my martins or my life. I don't get that many martins and everyone of them are important to me as also my life.

ldybala · Thu Feb 28, 2008 11:02 am

I use a hose clamp around a bicycle inner tube that has been wound around the pole several times to make the diameter much larger as my safety bolt. I loosen the clamp and slide it down when I lower the pole.

marshainpuntagorda · Thu Feb 28, 2008 4:52 pm

I cannot agree more with Louise and other landlords that have written about predator control. I thought I would never have Martins again after a red rat snake ate all the babies in one of the supergourds we had up a few years ago. It was a heartbreaking experience; although we were upset we didn't kill the snake but, carried it for a long ride away, (in a nice tall garbage can!)
I have written posts along with posting pictures showing the snakes caught in the netting ABOVE the stovepipe guard...I also have owl/hawk guards on the supergourds and have credited them with saving many of adults and babies...Good Luck everyone and please for the Martins sake, get those guards up!
Marsha

Guest · Thu Feb 28, 2008 8:18 pm

Here are some pictures of a snake that was trying to eat my baby barn swallows that nest every year under my front porch. I will say it is really creepy to look up and see one over you head !!

ging

Donnie Hurdt MN · Thu Feb 28, 2008 10:27 pm

That last photo is amazing. Nothing is safe from those snakes withought protection of some kind.

Guest · Fri Feb 29, 2008 8:07 am

Money is an issue for me, after the cost of the house and pole. KathyF told me to use a 4' length of 6" PVC pipe on the base of the pole. I got my pipe cut to a 5' length at Lowe's and installed it. Total cost including the cap was about $10. And if I can do it, you can too!

Guest · Fri Feb 29, 2008 12:09 pm

I have a BB house that is only about 4'6" tall and always has a pair. I have pole guards on my martin houses but nothing on that bb pole. It is too low for a std. guard isn't it? I'm afraid to put netting right under the house for fear the bb's would become intangled. Ideas?

Louise Chambers · Fri Feb 29, 2008 12:23 pm

If you raised it up a bit, maybe another 6-8 inches, you could get a guard under it. A homemade PVC guard could be installed below it, either a 2 ft wobbly pvc pipe 6 inches in diameter, or a piece of PVC that runs right down to the ground, with the top capped off so a bird couldn't get down inside it. Installing netting would be risky - a bird could get caught with the netting so close to the nestbox.

Try to get a guard on it if you can, even though it's not perfect, it could help. Commercial raccoon guards I've used under bird feeders specified placing the guard so the top was 4 ft above the ground, no less. They worked beautifully for me - raccoons had been getting into the feeder, taking suet cages away, etc, and the guards at that height put a stop to it.

Louise

marshainpuntagorda · Fri Feb 29, 2008 12:40 pm

I understand the cost of everything is going up each day...I've had my equipment for years, but that was even expensive then for us and had to get them a bit at a time...if you can't get a pole guard for snakes, maybe the bird netting would help? Just a suggestion...I've donated bird netting to my neighbors for their housing, maybe you could find another landlord to share the expense of the netting...wishing the best of luck with your site, everyone!!!
Marsha

Julio · Fri Feb 29, 2008 3:53 pm

Will 4" PVC Pipe Schedule 40 work? I have a 4.5' section with a cap and im wondering if it will work to deter snakes raccoons and squirrels, from my Woodpecker house.My lowes does not carry 6" PVC pipe

Louise Chambers · Mon Mar 31, 2008 4:37 pm

Julio,

Sorry your question did not get an answer. 4 inch PVC will not stop snakes or raccoons. It's a good time to resurrect this thread anyway, we have lots of new Forum members. We hope everyone who gets martins (or bluebirds, tree swallows, etc) will use pole guards.

Louise

Guest · Mon Mar 31, 2008 10:54 pm

I put up close to 40 wood duck boxes, 35 warbler boxes and 25 bluebird boxes this year and every one of them had a guard to go with it. If it wasn't a cone guard, it was a piece of flashing wrapped around the pole beneath the box. Now I've got 5 martin poles and none of them have guards, but I keep saying everyday that I'm going to use the left over cone guards in my shop on the martin poles. It's time to do it before it's too late.

You can make a cone guard out of a piece of flashing and it's pretty simple. Attach with nails to wooden poles or use a big hose clamp on a metal pole. http://www.woodducksociety.com/Cone.pdf

KathyF · Tue Apr 01, 2008 10:26 am

Louise,
I now have my new Trendsetter & pole w/ winch setup. There's no way to get more than about a 28-30" length of 6" pvc pipe under that winch. I read that you recommend leaving it "wobbly" (ie, no cap) if the length is shorter than 4', is that correct? Is there any risks associated with leaving the cap off?

I'm going to put on snake netting also, so I'm guessing I should just route the cable through the netting above the winch?

Thanks!

Louise Chambers · Tue Apr 01, 2008 10:35 am

hi Kathy -

From the reading I've been doing, wobbly is better than stationary for smaller size pipes and shorter lengths. Leaving the cap off the top of the guard, if that's what you're asking, would not be a good idea - it would allow snakes to go straight up. Granted, you'll have a net trap above it but wouldn't you rather any snakes get stopped by the PVC before they get into the net? The cable should go flat against the pole, underneath any mounting hardware for guards or net traps. I hope that makes sense...

Louise