A Few Of My Starling Resistent Martin Gourds

16 years ago

Posted by bluesman (My Page) on Sat, Feb 27, 10 at 13:41

These are just a few of my gourds that I use for Purple Martins here at my home in beautiful western Kentucky. The entrance you see was developed by myself and it is called the clinger entrance. It is designed so that starlings cannot enter either porched or without the porched you see for the martins to land on. This entrance will work either way and teh dimensions on it have to be very exact or the starlings can get inside. If the entrance is too small the martins cannot get in. Most of my gourds are natural ones my Dad and I grow ourselves but I do have a bunch of plastci gourds now too like the one you see on the rack behind these big ol' horizontal gourds.

My martin colony had 122 nesting pairs last year and it fledged over 475 young Purple Marins into the skies overhead. My martin colony is one of the largest martin colonies in the whole staTe of Ky as well as the USA. I simply never tire of watching their magnificent beauty as they fill the sky catching flying insects all summer long here. I will be hanging all my 136 gourds in the next week since around March the 5th or so this year I expect my first male back from Brazil. The Purple Martin in all his glory truly is the King of the Sky and the most fascinating beautiful swallow on Earth. I also have about 4 pairs of Tree Swallows that nest in my yard in BB Boxes every year. They are so special also.

Anyway this is my answer to stop starlings from bothering my martins and it works so well. The starlings are too fat and long legged to be able to get through yet the martins simply land,tuck,and zoom they are in like they are shot out of a gun. It is truly enjoyable to watch the martins do this easily and know they are protected from their number one enemy..the European Starling.

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Comments (7)

vampatar
16 years ago
Gourds look good bluesman! I really like them!
bluesman
Original Author
16 years ago
vampatar,

Thanks. I kind of made these big horizontals specila smile..They are just so long so I figured why not make them up sideways like this. Well the martins absolutely love them like this and they are very safe from predators way back in there. Starlings like gourds like this also and that is all the more reason to have the entrances on them you see. I invented this particular entrance and it is called the clinger entrance. The martins bolt in and out quickly and it is neat to watch. It is also neat to watch a starling try and get inside. They simply cannot get their fat,chicken legged,unproportioned bodies into a shape that can enter this cool entrance.

Martins are far more streamlined and they have zero issues with this. The martins in teh air are like fighter jets and I never tire of watching them fly all summer long. They are simply magnificent and enchanting in every way and it is a great feeling knowing that they along with their youngsters are protected behind the safety of my clinger entrance from starlings. The starling is their number one enemy but no starling has entered one of my clinger entrances here smile..Love it!! Mike
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it all sounded interesting to me until I read the part about putting them up every year when the P Martins leave. I definitely have some wasps around here that would move right in. I can't even lay a board on its side and come back a few days later without find a freaking daubber tunnel. Which is why I am seeking Guineas. Well I am still growing my gourds this year. I just had not thought about the wasp situation. bummer!! Yeah Let us know how yours work out Breenbrier...
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Kendra, Do you have the house away from tall trees? Martins are nor like helicopters smile..They like to zoom in and zoom out. The best way I like to tell people is imagine they are the fighter jets and your house is the aircraft carrier or the airport. Nothing can block the flight path to the runways and consider the open areas near your colony the runways. It is the martin's nature not to want to slow down when entering or exiting the colony site. This puts them at greater risks of getting caught by the Cooper's or Sharp Shinned Hawk. If the martins do not have these open flyzones to and from they will not colonize a new site. Give them everything they seek Kendra is my point. You may also want to try hanging about 4 well natural gourds under the T-14. Martins love gourds but make sure these gourds are also starling resistent like your house is. That is very good that you have taken the steps to protect the martins from those no good murdering starlings and that is a huge step at getting a martin colony started. Anyway I just thought I would give you some tips and if you try and envision your martin setup like it is the airport and the martins are like F-16's you will see what I mean. You acnnot attract a nest seeking woodpecker to an open field Kendra and you cannot attract a martin to a woods or in the midst of tall trees or even buildings that may block the flyzones. Now at the same time make sure the martin house in within at least 120 feet of your house without blocking the flyzones. Martins like nesting near man because they have learned that the threat of hawks is not as great. Glad you love the martins Kendra..I know I do. Just keep on trying and make sure you do not allow the Hosue Sparrows to nest in the house either. They are just as bad for American birds as the starlings and there are traps for dealing with them...Mike
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Isn't it, Lisa! Don't you just want to kiss those yellow lips? I know I do! LOL (But I don't.) No, I don't over-handle them, but Purple Martins, unlike many other native birds, have imprinted on humans from before the time of Columbus, and are not put off by human "assistance" when done in a calm and safe manor. I lower the gourd rack nearly daily and check the nests...well "nest" this year. When the chicks are between 10-12 days old I remove them from the nest and put them in a basket lined with a towel. I loosely cover them. Then I quickly remove all the old nesting material, check it for parasites, and refill the gourd with clean wood shavings or pine needles. I add about 1/2 teaspoon of Sevin dust under the shavings, form a new nest cup toward the back of the gourd, and replace the chicks. I have the materials all ready and can change out a nest in less than three minutes if it's not heavily invested with mites or blow fly larvae. Thankfully I've never experienced the latter and have had only minor out breaks of mites that were cured with a nest change and tiny sprinkle of Sevin. I've had adult birds dash into the gourd before I was finished and wait for me to return their chicks. They swoop around and fuss at me, but they are not distressed at all. By carefully monitoring their PMs, landlords will have higher fledge rates (The number of hatchlings that live to fly off on their own at 28 days of age.) It's all a numbers game with them; "every martin counts." By offering larger, safer, dryer nest sites (such as gourds or large 7x7x12 wooden cavities) ...by offering pre-built nests to conserve the returning adults strength... ...by daily (or as often as possible) monitoring to head off any potential parasite or predator problems There will be stronger adult birds to produce more eggs, and more viable eggs, with hatch and grow quickly into more strong and healthy martins. The same holds true for our native blue birds, chickadees, nuthatches, and woodpeckers, and other cavity nesters that have been killed off at alarming rates, some (such as the blue bird to the point of near extinction) by the imported non-native European starling and English house sparrow. Some birds will abandon their nests and young if they are interfered with. It's best to study the species, talk to experts, consulst the Audabon society and your local bird clubs, and do your best. I'm happy to say that for the past four years I've had 100% fledge of all the PM eggs laid at my colony. Even if you just offer a large plant saucer of fresh water daily, you're helping our native birds. They're a gift from Heaven, enjoy them. I'll jump down from my "save the Purple Martin" (and all cavity nesters!) soap box now. LOL Here is a link that might be useful: Purple Martin Conservation Association
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bulldinkie
16 years ago
If starlings want in they will find a way,they picked knots out of barn siding to get in.Theyll make a hole.
vampatar
16 years ago
They won't be able to get inside those gourds. Believe me. I have seen them try and try, but they never ever make it!
bluesman
Original Author
16 years ago
Bulldinkie,

I have tested this entrance on starlings and they cannot get through it even with the porch on the outside you see here. If the gourd is a regular gourd without no porch at all the starlings are really at a disadvantage then and it is impossible for one to enter. The plates you see here on these gourds are made out of real good plastic and S&K Manufacturing out of St.Louis and a great man named Dave McClaskey are manufacturing this entrance I invented into his martin products.

There is a fine line between the sizes of the largest male Purple Martin and the smallest female starling. If the entrance is too small the martins can struggle. If it is too big the smaller female starling could get inside especially porched like you see on these big ol' gourds. The size of this entrance is very exact and they are injection molded to insure they are all the same. By having this kind of precision accuracy my entrance will stop starlings of all sizes from gaining access to the gourds or martin houses. Just as the 1 and 1\2 inch diameter entrance hole saved the Bluebirds from the nest robbing starlings I am on a mission to see my clinger entrance be the best Starling Resistent Entrance out there to save the Purple Martins from their number one enemy..The European Starling.

Vampatar..Thanks.. I am glad you like the entrances. I am so proud of them I know that! It is a great feeling to watch your martins zoom in and out of these openings and know they are fully protected from starlings. I have great piece of mind now using these and the 2 inch rould hole for Purple Martins is going to be a thing of the past if I have anything to say about it. This shape is perfect for the streamlined body of the Purple Martin but at the same time it defeats the starlings by not allowing them the room to get their thicker chest and belly in enough to be able to use their chickelike legs to push inside. I know you know what I am talking about if you are using my entrances..Your martins are safe and I am glad you like them....Mike
litholad
16 years ago
Very clever design on the gourds, bluesman. I applaud your ingenuity.
Watching Purple Martins catch bugs as the sun goes down in the summer is one of those magical moments in Nature.
bluesman
Original Author
16 years ago
litholad,

Thanks a lot. I may post pictures of my regularly hung gourds soon for ya'll to see. You are so right about the martins in teh sky as the sun sets. It is truly one of natures most awesome spectacles! The Purple Martin is the King of the Sky when they are up there just soaring and feeding. Love them so much and as I said it is great knowing that they are protected fully from starlings behind the safety of this entrance. I have seen way too many female martins killed by starlings over the years as they tried to defend their nests and it is sad when you open a gourd and find a dead female martin after the starlings kill her by stabbing the back of her head with their sharp beak. They are simply no good and do not belong in the American ecosystem.

Long live the Purple Martin and I am glad you appreciate their beauty also smile..Mike

A Few Of My Starling Resistent Martin Gourds

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A Few Of My Starling Resistent Martin Gourds

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