If a raccoon is your predator (in my experience), he will cut off the wings and leave them laying on the ground near by.

You might think of adding a plastic board above the Gourd to reduce the direct sun. The type of campaign sign you see on street corners work really well. Just secure it with zip ties.

We live on a lake and the Poles for the Martins are 5' from the water. The adults always have the fledglings 1st flight over the water. Remarkably most of the time they fly perfect the 1st time. I have waded out in the lake and dipped up a couple with a dip net. A pool will not provide enough room f...

Yeah, 100% occupancy is tough. But you have a very nice setup. If you did add another house your pair numbers would probably increase.

Not having a lot of large trees for the Hawks to hide in is a big plus for your location.

So it's getting pretty warm here and late in the Martin Season. Probably 75% of our Martins have fledged with about 25% left to go. Let me say I really like the Troyer horizontal gourds. If you have mites they will be in the lid and the threads of the plastic Gourd when you unscrew the cap. A quarte...

I buy 100 crickets at a time. A place that sells bait for fishing is usually the cheapest route. Put them in a gallon zip lock bag with air inside and put them in the freezer. In 20 minutes they will be stunned. I Usually take out 8 or 10 on a saucer, they will be thawed out in a few minutes. Take a...

I had a rat snake kill 7 Martins this year, 2adults and 5 Fledglings. For a rat snake 5' in length, I think you will need to install 3/4" netting so his head can pass through the webbing and be snared. That is 3/4" across the webbing not measured diagonally. I found some locally at Tractor Supply, n...

I'm glad you had a Good Year, Steve. You have produce an amazing number of Fledglings that will return to nest all over Texas and Louisiana. I know it is a tremendous amount of work. Preparing the nests for the Martins arrival and cleaning everything back up after they have gone. I can't imagine whe...

I usually put them in a 5 gallon bucket for a couple of hours and feed them crickets dipped in gatorade. Most can eat 4 and the other day I had a baby Martin eat 8 crickets. If the day time temps are 100 degrees or higher they are going to jump. Might consider adding more ventilation before next yea...

I won't take mind down until the end of July. There will be a lot of birds coming thru the area that will stop for a day or two on their migration south.

Ed is right. If there have been strong winds, it is possible their houses were blown down and they are looking at your housing to attempt a renest. I have added sufficient numbers to my Colony after a big storm came through the area. Just try and give them their space until they decide. Once you see...

That's a wonderful picture Steve.

Before long the vast majority will be at the community roost and only come back for short visits during the day.

I'm transitioning from wooden houses to Gourds. The Martins have changed to the gourds without any issues. The remaining houses have minimal birds nesting in them. The gourds are just so much bigger and the Martins are laying more eggs per nest. They stay drier during rain storms and the ventilation...

That's actually a good idea.

We put out sunflower seeds in our feeders. As much as I dislike blue jays they have saved many of our Martins by sounding the alarm cry and allowing the Martins to get airborne in time.

Eggs usually hatch in 16 days once all the eggs are laid and incubation begin.

Once the eggs hatch, in 26 days they will fledge/fly.

Hope everything goes well for you through this Season!

My wife LOVES doing nest checks. I do them for 2 reasons. When the Martins are within a week of fledging, if there is going to be serious outbreak of mites, this is when it will happen. A 1/4 teaspoon of 5% Sevin dust in the entryway or in the threads of the cap will eliminate the mites. The Fledgli...

I'm Sorry this season has been so hard on you and your Martins. We are usually plagued by Hawks but this year they have hunted elsewhere for some reason. Usually in my experience red tail Hawks aren't much of a problem when it comes to Martins. The Martins will sound the warning and fly but the red ...

It's a lot different climate in Galveston than what Dick has in Ohio. If he didn't provide food for his Martins a lot of them would perish, maybe 30% to 40%. They have cold fronts and rain that last for days at a time all the way through May. I still can't believe he has Martins eating eggs out of a...

We had 65+ mph winds and driving rain from the north two nights ago. The racks were all the way at the top of the 3" pole. I was concerned but knew if I lowered the poles at that point, birds would all get airborne and it would be even a bigger problem. The next morning the Martins emerged dry and s...

I have three of the Gemini systems with 26 Troyer Horizontal Gourds of each one. That is 13 gourds per ring. That is about the most you can have on them comfortably. The system has been well thought out but you will need two people to assemble the rings to the braces. It is light even with the gourd...