Purple Martin Forum

Google April's owl guards. She has some nice looking cages that go up and down on poles.

Dave

I've done motion detector lights on top of poles, scarecrows, bird spikes, radio noise, flood lights shining on the houses and gourds, and wire cages. Nothing works well for me. Barred owls are usually the problem but last season it was the great horned owl.

Dave

Anymore I seem to lower my housing more than cranking them all the way up because of thunderstorms. So building a cage on top of the pole is worthless to me. It would not protect my birds. The added weight is not good. The poles can't handle extra weight on top during storms. A cage on top of a pole...

I use sevin dust inside the compartments, about 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. under or sprinkled into the nest walls when eggs are being layed. I also use liquid sevin outside compartments like around entrances or around the gourd caps. Works great. Mites usually gone in a day.

Dave

Hanaho, never thought the T 14 I built was to small. The birds seem to have plenty of room, even with 6 sometimes 7 chicks. By enlarging the house, you are adding a lot of weight. You may have to beef up the pole. My T 14 is around 130 lbs and that's following the plans to a tee. I used cedar boards...

Hanah, I have built the T14 and a North Star out of wood. Both have gourds below them. The combo works well. They are usually full of birds. They are very heavy. The T14 is around 130 lbs. , the North Star around 100 lbs. You will for sure need a winch and cable set up. I built the laminated post, 4...

If there were piles of martin feathers and an occasional owl feather below your colony, you have owl problems. If not, then something else happened. Drop your houses every five days and check the birds. They get use to you and you know exactly what's going on.

Dave

I write down what I see, 0 young.

Dave

Thanks everyone. I still would like to hear from folks that built cages for their gourd racks and how difficult it was to do. Dave

I'm thinking about taking my trendsetter 26 house down and replacing with a 12-16 gourd rack next year. I'd like to know which racks are easy to do nest checks and which ones are easy to add a cage for owl protection. I'll probably use the 2 inch ground stake in ground that was used for the trendset...

I drop my houses and gourds every 5days to check the birds and keep records. I drop until the last baby has fledged. I use the sock and string method to plug openings of birds that are almost ready to fledge. I haven't had much trouble dropping my systems throughout the season because the birds get ...

Bill, I use the dust under the nests and the liquid 7 on outside surfaces for mite control.

Dave

If you get in the habit of lowering your house every 5-7 days throughout the season, you will know what's going on and when nests are being built. We drop our houses and gourds every 5 days, weather permitting, to make sure everythings ok . The birds get used to us. We drop our houses until the last...

I have eastern kingbirds in my yard. pretty birds. Have never seen them fight with the martins. They ignore each other.

dave

I caged everything up 4-5 years ago and don't recall any problem. They zip right on thru the 2x4 inch wire like it's not there. The babies will will have some problem but will figure it out eventually.

Dave

I used a 2 inch knock 0ut punch and punched the wall twice making a 3 1/2 inch by 2 inch tall hole, basically egg shape. I would not cut two inch holes because I've seen birds stuck with wing entrapment. Cut at least three inch wide or larger holes. Since I did this 4-5 years ago to my trio castle, ...

Spiderman, the barred owls here do not carry the martins away and swallow them whole. They pluck and eat, not swallow whole, the martin on the ground below the colony, leaving a pile of feathers. I've watched them do it many times.

Dave

Very good point John.

Dave

I leave a feeding station out all season. It has pine needles, oyster shell, and meal worms. They can and well use it all summer especially when babies arrive. They mainly feed flying insects but use the station for extra food. Not all birds will use pine needles but some do. Iuse pine needles in al...

I have six poles spaced 30 feet from each other. The birds don't care and it's easy to mow around them with my lawnmower or tractor.

Dave