Search found 473 matches
- Mon May 28, 2018 10:48 pm
- Forum: Purple Martin Forum
- Topic: I love Troyer gourds, BUT...
- Replies: 16
- Views: 5253
Re: I love Troyer gourds, BUT...
Thanks for the reply Lewis. I thought about taking the nestlings and the nest out, but if I leave them in the gourd, then I'm going to eventually get a good shot at her and that'll be one more non breeding Starling left in the world. Good shot or not, I will not allow those nestlings to fledge. Than...
- Mon May 28, 2018 1:01 pm
- Forum: Purple Martin Forum
- Topic: No more gourds for me
- Replies: 20
- Views: 8636
Re: No more gourds for me
Gourds rule the roost around here. I put up a Trio Castle, modified to enlarge the compartments, in the midst of 3 fully occupied gourd racks and in 2 seasons had ZERO nesting pairs in the house.
Wanna swap a Trio Castle for your gourds?
Wanna swap a Trio Castle for your gourds?
- Mon May 28, 2018 12:57 pm
- Forum: Purple Martin Forum
- Topic: Caulking
- Replies: 8
- Views: 2306
Re: Caulking
Sounds like you've already decided that caulking on an occupied gourd isn't a good idea, so I won't comment on that. :grin: You don't have to make a birds nest to swap out gourds. Just stuff some pine straw or something similar down into the gourd and pack it down tightly and wallow out a little bow...
- Mon May 28, 2018 12:54 pm
- Forum: Purple Martin Forum
- Topic: I love Troyer gourds, BUT...
- Replies: 16
- Views: 5253
Re: I love Troyer gourds, BUT...
Any large cavity with the Conley II entrance is in danger of allowing Starlings to enter. It's not the gourd or the T14 or the whatever, it's the entrance. I'd take the old original crescent entrance over these. I've got 102 gourds hanging and only 36 of them have my homemade WDC entrances on them. ...
- Mon May 28, 2018 10:03 am
- Forum: Purple Martin Forum
- Topic: I love Troyer gourds, BUT...
- Replies: 16
- Views: 5253
Re: I love Troyer gourds, BUT...
Brad, good to see your post, and hope that you are doing well The best things to do if a starling is breaching the entrance: 1) thicken the entrance to about 5/8in or 3/4in (make it thicker) 2)make the entrance 2in wide 3)raise the floor so that it is within 1/8 of the entrance I use homemade recta...
- Mon May 28, 2018 10:00 am
- Forum: Purple Martin Forum
- Topic: I love Troyer gourds, BUT...
- Replies: 16
- Views: 5253
Re: I love Troyer gourds, BUT...
Yes, both Brads are the same Brad. The world could only handle one of me at the time. LOL I don't know for sure how I wound up with 2 usernames but I think it involved the scout report. You are exactly correct on your history of the WDC. I was very active on Purple Martin forums back then and there ...
- Sun May 27, 2018 11:06 pm
- Forum: Purple Martin Forum
- Topic: I love Troyer gourds, BUT...
- Replies: 16
- Views: 5253
Re: I love Troyer gourds, BUT...
I scanned those posts about the Lewis mod. Let me see if I've got this straight.... It's a thick, oversized crescent entrance with a flush floor? I use to see Starlings wiggle to try and gain entry to a gourd, but these, or at least some of these are going straight in, no wiggle, no hesitation. They...
- Sun May 27, 2018 10:53 pm
- Forum: Purple Martin Forum
- Topic: I love Troyer gourds, BUT...
- Replies: 16
- Views: 5253
Re: I love Troyer gourds, BUT...
The rifle is a bolt action Marlin. I can't remember the model #. It's not a new rifle but it's no more than 15 years old. It was made before they offered an adjustable trigger and I put one in it several years ago. That makes a huge difference. It shoots the Aguilla shells that I'm using fairly good...
- Sun May 13, 2018 3:23 pm
- Forum: Purple Martin Forum
- Topic: Cat killing Martins
- Replies: 12
- Views: 3200
Re: Cat killing Martins
He wouldn't like my suggestion either.Ransom Graham wrote:Since I see cats in a somewhat similar light as starlings and house sparrows you really don't want my suggestion.
- Thu May 10, 2018 9:50 pm
- Forum: Purple Martin Forum
- Topic: House Sparrows Cohabitating?
- Replies: 25
- Views: 5991
Re: House Sparrows Cohabitating?
20 gauge shotgun with high brass #6's is my recipe for eliminating nesting sparrows. The Martins will be back on the gourd rack by the time your ears quit ringing.
- Thu May 10, 2018 8:55 pm
- Forum: Purple Martin Forum
- Topic: Purple Martins and Honeybee compatibility
- Replies: 6
- Views: 2015
Re: Purple Martins and Honeybee compatibility
Flyinlowe, it sure would be. I'm sick of swarms. I've had more this year than ever before. Nectar is coming in so fast and my time is so scarce that I can't stay ahead of them. Buckeyefarmer, I don't underbuild anything. LOL Not always a good thing but in this case it is. The beehives located close ...
- Thu May 10, 2018 8:16 pm
- Forum: Purple Martin Forum
- Topic: Purple Martins and Honeybee compatibility
- Replies: 6
- Views: 2015
Purple Martins and Honeybee compatibility
I see this topic come up every year. Most people think that the two species can not be kept the same area. I have kept bees for 6 years and have had an active Purple Martin supercolony for around 15 years. I currently have 25 bee hives, not counting new splits, 15 of the hives are within 50 feet of ...
- Wed Feb 28, 2018 10:01 pm
- Forum: Purple Martin Forum
- Topic: Honey Bees
- Replies: 7
- Views: 2439
Re: Honey Bees
I'm a beekeeper and have 100 pair or so of Martins nesting here every year. I have 15 hives within 40 feet of a gourd rack. The rest of my hives are 300 feet from another gourd rack. I have never had any problems with the Martins and Honeybees. One thing that I do, is to put any hive (split) at the ...
- Fri Feb 23, 2018 7:25 am
- Forum: Purple Martin Forum
- Topic: 15th year underway at the farm
- Replies: 11
- Views: 4381
Re: 15th year underway at the farm
I wound up with 2 usernames! Got the new one trying to post my scout report.....
- Thu Feb 15, 2018 9:14 pm
- Forum: Purple Martin Forum
- Topic: 15th year underway at the farm
- Replies: 11
- Views: 4381
15th year underway at the farm
Three Martins arrived at the farm today. This will begin my 16th year as a landlord. 15th year at my current site. I still remember the anxious thoughts and time waiting and hoping and trying to get my first nesting pair, hoping they'd stay, worrying if they'd return the next year. I'm fortunate to ...
- Sun Jul 13, 2014 7:41 pm
- Forum: Purple Martin Forum
- Topic: New Largest Colony With 1,067 Pairs Identified in Alabama
- Replies: 28
- Views: 19497
suem, the best that I can remember they used 3 or 4 pieces of aluminum flashing to put the two together. He cut tabs about 1" wide and 2" long, bent them at the correct angle and used short sheet metal screws on each end of the tab, one in each gourd, to hold them together. Then applied a large bead...
- Sat Jul 12, 2014 9:01 am
- Forum: Purple Martin Forum
- Topic: perching wire question
- Replies: 4
- Views: 1595
- Fri Jul 11, 2014 5:54 pm
- Forum: Purple Martin Forum
- Topic: New Largest Colony With 1,067 Pairs Identified in Alabama
- Replies: 28
- Views: 19497
I'm doing some catching up on the forum this afternoon. A rare break these days. Whatever happened to the good old days when 100 pair of Martins was considered a big deal? LOL Jerral is a super nice guy. I have known him for years. I knew him "back when." Back when he had 2 gourd racks and had to "c...
- Fri Jul 11, 2014 5:20 pm
- Forum: Purple Martin Forum
- Topic: HOSP control
- Replies: 31
- Views: 7546
Thanks goes out to everyone who is trapping and shooting House Sparrows. I still hate those things. Good luck to those of you who have made the traps I provided plans for. I wish I knew how many HOSP nationwide had been caught in those things. It would have to be 10's of 1000's. I quit my public job...
- Fri May 23, 2014 10:59 pm
- Forum: Purple Martin Forum
- Topic: Keeping honeybees and Purple Martins? The answer is YES
- Replies: 1
- Views: 2580
Keeping honeybees and Purple Martins? The answer is YES
It seems as though every year I have read at least one post wanting to know if it's possible to keep honeybees and host Purple Martins at the same location. The answer is a resounding YES. I've had 100 pairs or so of Martins for several years. We also host 15-20 pairs of Tree Swallows and our 3 barn...