10-4, thanks.

I built two round aluminum racks. I used 18" of 1/4" x 2" flat bar for the outer band to hang the gourd on, so they're right at 68" in diameter. They'll hold 30 gourds each. They'll likely easily hold more than that, but that's what I'm starting with. I'm using 24' 4" square aluminum with 1/4" walls...

Hey Rodger, I finally got those two 4' deep holes dug today for my new racks. I hate post hole diggers! :lol: It didn't help that there was only 18" of dirt, then 30" of wet slop to dig out. On the bright side, I won't have to tote much water to the holes to add to the concrete. They were filling up...

Nice looking site John.

What are those doohickeys on the bottom of that house? Looks like something folded down.

The lone bird is almost certainly an SY male. An ASY female would not have any issues in finding a mate. He's alone because he hasn't convinced a female to pair with him. He almost certainly won't get an ASY female to pair with him, so he's gonna have to wait on an SY female to show up. Then he's go...

I'm new to this and need advice on how to deal with a bluebird. This year I replaced my dad's old gourds with 24 new ones. The first Martin arrived on 3/18. I've had one pesky bluebird which I saw chase off this first arriving Martin. I'm not there full time and just get reports from my 86 year old...

Congrats!

This is the last one I installed and I like it better. The gourd rack pole is a 2" ID SCH 40 galvanized pipe. 2 3/8" OD. I took a piece of 2 1/2" pvc conduit, split it lengthwise and put in on the pole. I held the two halves together temporarily with electrical tape. I then took a piece of 3" pvc co...

Someone asked me to post a picture of my electric predator guard set up. Here’s the two styles that I have. The first two pictures show the style that I used to start with. It's 3/4" pvc conduit, with 1/2" pvc conduit spacers glued to the side of each piece of 3/4. One at the top, middle and bottom....

That's good to hear Rodger. They're really pouring in here too. In another week to 10 days I'll be full, except for the new racks that I'm going to finally get installed soon.

Thanks brad,I was kinda thinking along those lines and wanted some further opinions before I did anything. I think that’s a great idea ,and I have some white vinyl siding aluminum coil stock. What you think....set it back about 1/2”-3/4” from the actual lip so they have a lip to grab,then they can ...

Randy I have so many here that it's hard for me to tell. It's normally somewhere around the 2nd week of April when they start coming in.

I'd go ahead and open the gourds if you can control the competition from BB and TRES.

And you're alright with my blaming you when I go to town?..

Absolutely!

Put a cling plate/tail prop below the hole. That'll fix it. Use aluminum flashing it you have some. It has nothing to do with the length of the tunnel.

Terry, it comes in a caulk tube too and that's what I buy. You can smooth Lexel a little (despite some of the photos that I've posted) but it doesn't "flow" like DAP does. You have to coat your finger with mineral spirits and coat it often. Lexel also shrinks some as it cures so the finished product...

Witnessed my first nesting materials being gathered this afternoon. The group isn't in a wide open nest building yet. I saw one pair make one trip each to the ground for nesting material. The male grabbed a piece of dead bermuda grass from my yard, then flew out over the pasture in a wide loop befor...

I've been a landlord for a pretty long time and I have never seen an alive or dead Martin with the feathers pecked off it's head. I have seen a dead bluebird with the feathers pecked off it's head and a HOSP caused it. I'd keep watching....

By all means, use the entrances you choose to use, but.... SREH aren't keeping your colony from growing. When I started the colony on the farm, I went from 4 pair the first year to 102 pair the 4th year in an area where at least 95% of all colonies at the time were using round holes, and I'm being g...

Hey brad ,since y’all are on the envelope thing I thought I’d see if you got mine. I added a lil fuzz of extra postage. If for some reason it falls short you have my mail address ,just let me know and it’ll be right on the way immediately. Unless my wife has rat holed it somewhere, it hasn't made i...