Bat House Forum

[Markcuda]

I put up these houses on the left 23 years ago this June.
Had Martins the first year and there after every year since.
These are a mosquito's worst enemy in the day time
The house on the right I put up about 15 years ago.

[Markcuda]

One more.
Just today, I counted 6 Martins.
I remember a saying I heard/read many many years ago "Americas most wanted bird"
And I have them, there is a ally just 30 feet behind the Martin houses and people drive thru it many many times a season, just looking at all the Martins sitting and singing
I am humbled.
At any givin' season, I will have 25/30 pair nesting, do the math, them sqeeters ain't got a chance

[Terry Lobdell]

My property is too wooded to attract purple martins..........They do fly over in August and sometimes circle my house.........last summer I was hearing them but could not see them...........then I noticed that they were very high up.........made me wonder if someone has some purple martin houses nearby?

[Markcuda]

04-16-11 Martin Houses.JPG (55.27 KiB) Viewed 225 times

[Markcuda]

I made the pole system on the left back in 1988.
The houses are from Nature House in Greigsville,Illinois.

04-16-11 Martin Houses Crank.JPG (65.91 KiB) Viewed 224 times

[Terry Lobdell]

Nice pictures! I would love to have purple martins!

[Markcuda]

If I worked harder at being a better landlord, I could have tons more martins.
I get lazy and don't clean out the sparrows like I should and the starlings.
I bought a sparrow trap the other day from a on line person, very elaborate thing.

http://www.sparrowtraps.net/cgi-bin/sho ... n&key=DRST

[cloudman75]

Markcuda,
I viewed your Deals Gap site. I survived the tail of the Dragon at 72 yrs riding a Marauder 800 Suzuki cruiser. It was a hair raising experience and I would not do it again. Rode from my place to the gap and back about 200 miles each way. My son and son-in-law were along on bikes also. We were all tired puppies when we got home. I ended my career at 75 on a BMW sport bike. It took the curves in the smokies better.
The Cherohala parkway was also a ride to remember.

Frank

[Markcuda]

The Cherohala parkway was also a ride to remember.

Been on that a few times.
Frank, there was a guy on the east side of the dragon and every day, I would go and see him, I would have to ride the dragon 2 times a day, it got old after 3 days
We both looked a map over to see if it was shorter going around and it was way longer.
So, my Tail Of The Dragon days are over, I hope

[Markcuda]

Just went out and cleaned the sparrows out, martin count was 12.
I have been shooting the starlings with my pellet gun, I have killed 8 so far.
They are all but gone from the houses.

[Markcuda]

New total, from what I can see, about 19/20
Lord, do them birds sing puuuuuuurdy

[Terry Lobdell]

I love the sound of purple martins too.........I've had them circle around the clearing where I live in August but I think it's too wooded here for them......

I have a bluebird trail and deal with house sparrows with a Van Ert trap..........it works great!

Andy Troyer, an Amishman who designs and builds all kinds of martin and bluebird houses and related equipment lives about a half hour from me......Last summer I bought a winch system from him to raise and lower my viewable bat house I have pictures posted of here on the forum......

[flyin-lowe]

Last year was my first year housing martins (5th year trying) I have a T14 house which was designed by Andy Troyer. I also use several of his gourds. So far this year mine started showing up last Friday and I have 3 pair staying and a few other's stopping in. I am hoping to get 15 pair this year.
As you mentioned you must eliminate sparrows and starlings. The best thing to do is get some SREH (starling resistant entry hole) to go over your existing housing. There are a few different designs but the starling can't enter them. They way the sparrows are your only worry. I have the exact same sparrow trap that you have. They work good but they are hit and mis. I might go three or four weeks and get nothing, then get 10-15 in one week. So don't be disappointed if it doesn't work right away. If you can keep some alive in the trap they will help draw more in. The first is the hardest to catch.
Lastly unfortunately martins don't eat mosquito's. Martins feed at high altitude during the day time and mosquito's are lower if out at all during the day. By the time mosquito's get really active the martins are in for the night. There have been several feeding studies that show they never eat them. This is one of those tricks some companies use to draw some business. Like you said a little effort can go a long way. Keeping the other birds out and checking the nest about once a week will give you a heads up if there are problems. Last year I found two dead babies in one nest about a week old. That would have been a stinking rotten mess for the others had I not found them.
Here is a pick of my house after the gourd rack was added.

[Markcuda]

I sure like your set up
I just went out side and looked in the sparrow trap, got 5, opps 6 in there, they are alive
Like I said, I shoot the starlings with a pellet rifle and I do not have any more in the houses or gourds
Are your gourds the Super Gourds?
Or are they the Nature Line II 11 inch gourds?
Edit=them sparrows are learning now

[flyin-lowe]

The gourds under my T14 house are Troyer Horizontal gourds. The two in the back are B0 9 gourds by S&K. On the other rack I have Troyer Horizontals, Troyer Verticals, Big Bo's ( S&K) and Bo 9's. You won't believe this but the guy I mentinoed in the other post that has over 300 martin pairs got hit by a tornado yesterday. He had 23 gourd racks and all but 5 were destroyed. Hundreds of eggs were lost. His neighbor usually has about 100-150 pairs and all his housing was destroyed too. There will be a lot less martins born in Lousiana this year.