
Thanks for any help, everyone.

Thanks for your reply. I'll definitely plan on expanding the rooms. Consensus seems to be a large-ish hole on the left or right of the back wall? Should I plug the opposite hole with something opaque or would a trace amount of light be beneficial? I wasn't sure whether leaving it up would give the Martins a chance to see it for next year - but if not I want to limit HOSP exposure to it as much as possible I guess. Oh, and that dirty HOWR piling twigs up in all the entrances.SSMartin wrote: ↑Wed Jul 08, 2020 4:08 pmWhen you consider an adult Martin is 6” long and a pair stays in the nest at night and they can have an average of 4-6 young who are practically the same size as the adults when they fledge you can quickly see why those compartments are too small. Expanding the compartments would be very beneficial.
Predators such as hawks, owls, and crows can easily reach in an pull out martins in small cavities. This is why they always place the eggs as far from the entrance as possible.
Expanding the rooms will also make them more attractive to the martins And increase your chances of attracting and getting them to nest. Martins typically will have smaller clutches of eggs if they do nest in these smaller compartments and the chance of early fledging (before they can fly) increases due to over crowding and heat stress.
I’m in the south and my seasons wrapping up with two birds left to fledge any day now. I think you can wait till next year to put it up and you can spend the off season modifying it.
Alrighty, ordered some SREH crescent plates. Thinking they're a bit too tall as they are - no big deal for now until I can get them precise. Knock on wood but I do not have starlings here. Just the sparrows.flyin-lowe wrote: ↑Wed Jul 08, 2020 4:58 pmIt's hard to tell by the pictures but an SREH needs to be fairly precise. If you there a a bit too large and they are not effective, a bit too small and martins can't get in. I can't tell from the angle of the picture but the entrances don't appear to be uniform in the angle of the arch (if that makes sense.) If it was me I would by a plastic SREH plate and put it over your SREH and see how the size compares. If they are not perfect I would enlarge your existing opening a little and put the plastic plates over them. There is no benefit to having light in the back of the cavity, so if you block the back off you don't need an opaque covering.
Leaving the house up this time of year is a good idea, if you can find an insert trap that will fit (I can't tell for sure how the cavities open, and how large the openings are) I would get a trap or two and use them now. The more sparrows you can get rid of now the better off you will be next year.
Just lifting it up with the telescoping pole and putting a pin or bolt through both sections. So not the easiest thing in the world but doable two to three times a week I think. I'll plan on attaching some gourds as well. The front sections are each hinged so it'll be extremely easy to monitor and clean out.SSMartin wrote: ↑Wed Jul 08, 2020 9:34 pmThey like the cavities dark as stated above so you can seal off the rear opening anyway you see fit. You can drill a 3” hole in the diving wall or remove most of it they will nest in this back chamber.
I never had starlings either on my farm then one day two land on my gourd rack. Start feeding in the pasture and building a nest. Changed those round holes to clingers and never saw them again.
Make sure you can access the interior for nest checks and parasite control do not underestimate mites they can kill even large chicks if they get out of control.
Also depending on how you mount this house you may want to consider hanging some gourds under it if possible. This can help increase your chances of attracting martins and give some variety to nesting preferences among different birds
Thanks for extra tips! Luckily have plenty of pine needles to use. Will rub some mud on it once I get the new entrances installed. Cavities have been extended! How loud does the Dawn Song need to be played (I live on an acre with neighbors on either side) and is it advantageous to do this now or just when the season starts up next year? I have two of those gourds coming for now - but if I need to expand that's where I'll gravitate to.jhcox wrote: ↑Fri Jul 10, 2020 8:33 pmWhite pine needles to pre nest, a little mud on the porch and entrance. And don’t forget the Dawn Song play it in the morning from 4am to maybe 10 each morning. Or you can play it from 4am to sunset that night each day. If you can replace the pole for a pole you can put a wench on weight shouldn’t be a big deal. Finish it of with 4 troyer horizontal gourds one on each corner. Good luck next year.
Ah, yes this is my concern. I guess I will find out if/when Martins take to the gourds and not the compartments. I guess if I got rid of them I could tack a thin strip of plywood to the outside of those porches and hopefully that would give them some space and a spot to hang out. Will Martins perch on rods underneath housing? I have some 3/8" galvanized rod I could put through my telescoping pole. Just floating ideas.Whippy wrote: ↑Sat Jul 18, 2020 8:18 pmI would keep a close eye on the perch rod issue. I'm looking at it and trying to imagine a Martin squeezing in between the rod and the entrance. Looks like theres only an inch or so between them. A full grown Martin is 6 inches in length and may have a hard time getting between the two.
So keep an eye on it and be prepared to remove those perch rods but also be prepared to add a perch system in their place if you do remove them. I'm a perch rod junkie and I feel having more perch rods allows the Martins to better socialize yet keep a distance from each other.
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