I'm so glad you were there to assist the trapped bird. That's what being a landlord is all about! Being watchful is the key.
Jeanne

I usually lower my gourd rack to around 8 feet when we have high winds and it doesn't seem to bother the Martins at all.

I've kept them up in 60mph winds in the off season with no problem. I have a two inch square aluminum pole.
Jeanne

Steve, I did remove the lip last year from all of my older Troyer Horizontals. Having done that, I thought I was home free! Yet, last year I lost three PMs to entrapment and this year have already had one entrapment. I will invest in all new tunnels next year with the entrapment guard but if that do...

K.C.,
What kind of gourds and entrances do you have at your colonies?
Jeanne

It takes a certain kind of crazy to be a PM landlord! But, it is so necessary and definitely worth it.
Jeanne

p.s. Yep, I'm a little green with envy too. Best of luck to you this season.

Steve,
I know you have different set-ups and housing at your site. Would you say that adding the Conley tunnel onto the Troyer horizontal gourd makes the tunnel entrance too long and a perfect place for the PMs to get trapped in when fighting?
JEANNE

Just wondering how many cases of wing entrapment there are in our Martin colonies, when they occur, which gourds and which entrances are prone to wing entrapment. I know it can happen in any entrance and any gourd but it would be good to have more information about this topic. So, if you have ever h...

Ray, I modified the rim by grinding it smooth. I think the problem is the extra long tunnel that is made even longer by the Conley II tunnel entrance. They fight inside that tunnel and get turned around sideways. I am hoping that if I buy the new Conley tunnels next year, this won't happen. Otherwis...

Thanks John. You are so right, I should have addressed the issue in the off season. There aren't that many posts on entrapment so I've been trying to convince myself it's a fluke but its happened three years in a row. I will be more vigilant about checking the gourds daily. Once the martins start la...

David, Glad to hear of your arrivals. 8) Mine arrived on Feb 6th and I have 10 for sure, maybe more. Unfortunately, there is a hawk that has been hanging around here in Bush. He was preying on the doves before the Martin's arrival but now he hangs out near the colony. I haven't seen him attack any M...

I was hoping this year would be different but early season fighting seems to increase the odds of wing entrapment at my colony. At least this time, I noticed the struggling bird before it died. The entrapment occurred on the far side of my colony (not visible from my house), which attests to the fac...

Thanks everyone. This forum is the best as everyone is so knowledgeable and helpful. We do have lots of rat snakes and black snakes here. I have convinced my five year old granddaughter to release it this afternoon as it will not eat the cricket that we put in there last night.

I live in southeast Louisiana and found it hiding under my house siding. It has a booboo on its back and my granddaughter wants to keep it. Is it safe or poisonous?
Jeanne

I, too, am worried about scaring off parents by putting up shade. Has anyone shaded individual gourds and do you have a picture?

The Martins love the Troyer horizontal. I have both vertical and horizontal Troyers at my site. But, I have added two elbow vents on each gourd because the summer heat last year had lots of nestlings jumping. The heat has not been as bad this year and I haven't had any jumpers. But, unfortunately, i...

Well, as usual, I couldn't wait for a reply and had to take action. I lowered the housing and took out the dead bird - it looked like it had been pecked. Sparrows? There was a nest that fledged sparrows on that housing recently- the only one I couldn't manage to kill the parents before they fledged ...

In the gourd with my webcam there is a dead fledgling. The other three are moving around a eating and should be fledging any day. Should I disturb them by taking out the dead fledgling. I am afraid they will jump. Or should I just leave them be and let the dead bird in there? I have to wonder if I d...

Humm, Louise, you gave me an idea. I don't have a bait trap but perhaps if I put bread on the ground I could try to shoot them while they are eating. There are too many Martins flying around to try to shoot them on the housing, with my luck I may shoot a Martin. :???: Kathy, I sure could use a sparr...

The soap-opera with the sparrows continues... The male sparrow has a new love since I did away with his old one and their offspring. Now, they are in the Coates' house on the same gourd rack that has many PM nests with nestlings about to fledge. I don't see how I can lower the pole (in order to trap...

Well, that is a relief. One less thing I have to worry about. THANKS!