I'm not exactly sure what it is you are asking??

Do you have pictures of the gourds? The TH gourd already has the tunnel built on it, just wandering if I am missing something, or do you have some that are broken and need replaced?

The wrens at my old house were very deadly. I am not sure if they were house wrens or Carolina wrens (if there is a difference) but every year they would take over any TS nest and 2nd clutch of BB's that were on my property. I noticed that they started nesting late in the season but every year my BB...

I have the brackets which mount the gourds sticking out from the "corners" between each section of the T 14. Once I lower my housing all the way down I do have to pivot the gourd just slightly but it is no issue at all. If it were too much of a problem you could drop your winch down a couple inches....

I have tried several air rifles over the years, none of them where what I would consider to be the "profesional grade". The ones I have bought have been from retail stores and around the 150.00 range. None of them have been accurate enough to hit a sparrow constantly. They are small targets and you...

Congrats on the success. I had a similar trap and it was hit and miss. I would go weeks with nothing, then I might catch 5 or 6 in a day. Then 5 or 6 the next day and then nothing for several weeks. Once you get the first one they will draw other in. The best bait I ever had was a young HOSP that wa...

I have tried several air rifles over the years, none of them where what I would consider to be the "profesional grade". The ones I have bought have been from retail stores and around the 150.00 range. None of them have been accurate enough to hit a sparrow constantly. They are small targets and you ...

Since you have an established colony I would not be at all concerned about how close they are to your home. They do like to be around human activity but it is not like they are going to abandon a site simply because they are now 100 feet from your home instead of 40 feet. In fact, the hawks could be...

There is a pretty good bat house forum out there (some of the same members as here). In some ways bat houses are like martin houses, that shape, size, design, location, are very important and often times the ones that you can buy at a store locally are not sufficient. Bat populations in my area are ...

Like others have said it will be next to impossible to control in that situation. I would close it up entirely until you see martins there. Once they start to return just open a few cavities at a time. While it's best to have things opened up when they arrive, a returning martin will not abandon a s...

You will find differing opinions on treating mites. Some on here do not use any "chemicals" relying only on nest changes. I have a method I (and others) use that has worked well for me. The day before my first eggs are due to start hatching I open each cavity and sprinkle a small amount of Seven dus...

Im a little further north and prenest some of the cavities each spring just so they have a little warmer bed when they first return from migration if it is cold. I have had some martins remove all pre nest material and bring in all their own and I've had some leave the pre nesting material and bring...

I searched for several good players when I was starting off trying to start a colony. At that time the SBM did not have good reviews, maybe that has changed. What I ended up doing, and what worked best for me, was a dual alarm CD player alarm clock. At the time I would get them from Wal Mart for aro...

Tree swallows were my biggest problem when I established both colonies I have had. I followed the protocol and still have TS gourds on both sides of my martin housing. At an unestablished colony you are correct that you don’t want to open your Martin housing until the TS start nesting. The only cavi...

Welcome to the forum. Do you happen to have any overhead pictures of your property, or maybe you could screenshot one from Google Earth. We will be able to help you locate the best spot in your yard for your housing. "Typically" the southern states have higher populations and colonies can be establi...

From what I have read, and from my own "research" sparrows seem to have a home range, and it is not that big. So the sparrows that you are seeing now will be nesting and breeding in the same area. The more you can shoot/trap now the less you will have to deal with in the future. What I am calling "r...

I am guessing with open flyways you could start a colony pretty quick. A big hurdle you will have to overcome is dealing with sparrows. Sparrows can't be allowed in the housing. Many of us shoot sparrows, which most schools will likely frown upon. Trapping is effective but your dilemma could be disp...

Weird how long the actual migration cycle is. People in the north range have just finished packing away and cleaning up their gourds from this season.

Nice work, as always......I always have mixed feelings when I come home and see my decoys "messed up". I am hopeful that the attack on the decoy saved a martin but I also don't like knowing I have the predators in the area. When starting a new colony I didn't have any bird feeders at my house as I d...

When you say attract more martins are you talking about drawing in lookers or actually getting a pair to stay, I assume the latter. If you have been trying for 4 years and see little to no lookers you are either in an area with a low populations or your property is not appealing. In that case additi...