I have it two feet off the ground on a wood platform. The trap doesn’t like wind it’s only fault, it will make the swing arm bob a little. I cut the top of the cage by the door so when I catch other birds and no sparrows are in it I can just pull it up and let them fly out. I’ve had great success wi...

I use a Blaine’s Repeater, I have caught over a hundred in it, in the last four years. A female bait bird will really bring them in. Sparrows like cover and hiding places, and they don’t like change, after you set it up don’t move it or change things around it. Good luck!!

So nothing happened too any of them three years ago? How many years have you had nesting pairs? Something had to of changed, or happened three years ago. Any sparrows or starlings taking over?

The martin will do all the bird calling you need. Sorry to go against the grain here, but I wouldn’t use any recording, he’ll do a much better job on his own.

Your on your way!!!

I would be very cautious of having housing anchored to walls or fencing, it makes it very easy for predators to get up your poles, do you have guards on them? Post some pictures, there’s something they’re seeing that they don’t like. I’ve had martins for ten years without any issues until this year....

Starlings, need to get rid of them.

Foam T14

Very nice!!

Long legs with orange beak=Starling.

So far so good.
Thank you!!

No one has mentioned flying squirrels. Everything that has been mentioned is a possible cause for the dead martins, but flying squirrels is the likely culprit. They don't need to climb up or down the pole - they can glide in from a nearby tree or utility pole, do the damage, and glide back down to ...

No one has mentioned flying squirrels. Everything that has been mentioned is a possible cause for the dead martins, but flying squirrels is the likely culprit. They don't need to climb up or down the pole - they can glide in from a nearby tree or utility pole, do the damage, and glide back down to ...

I hope I killed a huge rat last night. I heard a noise, clinking sound, guess he was trying too climb the guard. Dogs ran outside and chased him from the pole to a hole under my shed. I crushed some rat poison and shook a piece of bacon in it, the bacon is gone, hopefully he’ll die. Guess a rat was ...

Great news!!

rrmartins - Sorry about your situation. If your colony is raised and lowered on a pole with a wench driven cable and you have no predator guard in place, I'm betting on a mammalian predator, probably a rat. Rats may have a problem hiking up a steel pole but with an adjacent cable to grip, no proble...

Thank you!! Maybe we saved it.

Ok, it’s been three days with no more killing of martins. I have three active nest left, hope for the best.

Nobody dead on the ground this morning, raining pretty hard to lower the house.
Just lowered house, no birds found dead, still have three active nest. Maybe we put a stop to it, I hope!!

I now have four mother birds killed on their nest, totally eaten up stomachs, no idea what’s going on. This is just crazy, all my birds being killed and house is covered in martins. Can’t solve the problem if I don’t know what’s happening. rrmartins I feel your pain and the solutions can be complic...