Oops..Here is the link..Mike

http://www.skmfg.com/movies/clinger2.html

What a fascinating video. I always wondered how the Martins hung on without a perch or porch, and you can clearly see in the video that they just hook their toes on the entrance. How did you come up with this particular design? Did you have to try many different shapes of entrances to see what worked best? No doubt you're proud of your design. It works!

Kendra,

I used to cut crescent entrances into my natural gourds. These were afull 3 inches wide across the bottom and they are 1 and 3\16 tall(1.188 to be exact) Well I noticed through binoculars while watching my martins enter these that they needed nowhere near the full 3 inches wide. The original crescent was developed by a guy in Florida to stop starlings and it works pretty good but starlings have been known to get through it especially when folks add porches outside for them to land on. This helps the starlings because it allows them to use their big ol' chicken legs to help push their way through. The original crescent is shaped just like a crescent moon kendra but as you can see mine is not.

Once I started cutting down on the width and slightly raising the height from 1.188 to 1.205(closer to 1 and 7\32)I began to notice that the martins had a super easy time getting inside with or without a porch like in the video. At the same time the murdering starlings were having more trouble and believe me Kendra the starlings cannot(will not)get into this entrance and even porchless like this as you can see is easy as pie for the martins!! This entrance plate is available through S&K Manufacturing and my entrance is now incorporated into a new line of plastic gourds for martins also made by S&K. They are called the BO-11 and the BO-9 gourds and my entrance is called the clinger entrance but in these new gourds it is porched. Most folks like to see the martins hanging out on the porches is why but as you can see here the martins don't really need that porch as long as they have a place to prop their tail like on this natural gourd of mine.

Now..Once I finally settled on the size the clinger entrance is today I tested it very thoroughly on all sizes of Purple Martins that nested here at my 120 plus pair colony. At the same time I tested it on all Starlings I caught in my Controller starling trap that is mounted next to a big tree about 180 feet from my martin gourd racks. See martins don't like their house\gourds near trees and that is how you keep from trapping the martins with a controller trap. Starlings on the other hand like a house near a tree and the tree branches nearly touch the side of my trap. I have never seen a martin land on it kendra but it is a starling's undoing. They simply have to check it out and once they enter the big ol' inviting 2 inch round hole it is the last hole they ever enter. This trap I have had now for 10 years has helped the native birds re-cover here. When I first moved here Starlings and House Sparrows creaked and cheeped everywhere around my place. The Bluebirds were few..the Red Headed Woodpeckers were nonexistent and the few martins I strted out with were in constant battles with both these foreign birds to survive. Well it is not that way anymore thnaks to the Spare-o-Door trap,my Controller trap,and now this cool entrance.

There is a fine line between the largest male Purple Martin(they tend to be slightly larger than females)and the smallest female starling. That is the zone you must exploit in order to allow easy martin entry by all sizes of martins(male and female) yet stop even the smallest female starling and my clinger entrance does that so effectively and I can watch the martins do this and smile all day long because I know they are protected fully from their number one enemy..the European Starling. I hope that someday round holes for martins will be a thing of the past and just as the 1 and 1\2 entrance hole has saved the bluebirds from the starlings I want to see the clinger entrance do the same for the Purple Martins. It works so sweet kendra and all as you can see in the video.

No starling that I have ever watched try to enter this has been able to. The fear of entrapment is created and they simply cannot get their ugly fat bellies inside because of the width at 2 and 5\16. It does not allow them the room to flatten out and squeeze in and it is so funny watching them try. They get up to their shoulders and then their chicken like big feet and legs end it for them. Martins are streamilned birds that are designed to zoom through the air after insects and they have small feet and legs designed for perching not walking. Because of this they simply land,tuck,and BINGO they are in!! I love it so much!

By the way Kendra..I had 3 starlings in my trap the last two days as they are seeking nest sites now that spring is here in western Ky. Not one of them could come close to getting out of the clinger entrance I have mounted on the side of the holding cage of my trap. Not one. Now if this entrance will stop a trapped starling from exiting it is all the starling resistent entrance you will ever need for martins or bluebirds for that matter. I have some of these clinger entrances on my BB Boxes on my Bluebird trail and they work fine. Now if only we could find a way to make an entrance to keep House Sparrows out but unfortunately they are smaller than bluebirds or martins. Shame and thank you for the compliment on my entrance kendra..I am so proud of it and what it is starting to do for the Purple Martins in this country. They are worth protecting and my few years of designing,testing,and perfecting this cool entrance shape are paying off for the most beautiful swallow in the world. The All American God Among birds..the Amazing,Fast Flying,Rocket Diving Purple Martin!! Love them so much...Mike

Thanks so much for that explanation of how you designed it. Having these entrances makes all the difference in the world. We used to have lots of starlings around here 30 years ago because so many houses (people houses) were in such disrepair that the starlings would get in through loose or missing boards and nest in the soffits of houses. I rarely see starlings now, but I'm well aware that putting up a martin house with round holes would just attract them right back. Just like I never saw a house sparrow in my yard until I put up the Bluebird Boxes. It is a constant battle dealing with the house sparrows, but having these entrances to keep starlings out makes the battle with them much less time consuming. Thanks for taking the time to explain it to me. Your design is very well thought out, and efficient. Wouldn't it be grand if more people took an interest in the Purple Martin and helped bring their numbers back to where they once were.

Kendra,

It sure would be nice. Most people simply are unaware of the plight of the martins,bluebirds,red headed woodpeckers,and other native cavity nesting birds. They simply do not realize that the intruding Starlings and House Sparrows are pushing out the above named birds and estroying the native ecosystem by eliminating other more beneficial American birds by competing with them for food,etc. I for one refuse to let it happen and it will never happen here I guarantee you that. The Red Headed Woodpecker is making a huge comeback here ever since I began trapping and destroying starlings on a year round basis.

This time of the year is the best time to trap them with a nest box trap like my Controller simply because their hormones are kicking in and they seek nest sites. Well here they try and get in the clinger entrances on my gourds and cannot. Then they see the big round hole of the trap 180 feet away. I also have some black spray painted dummy holes on the sides of the trap to further catch their eye. Once they enter the see saw counterbalanced trip mechanism falls,they enter the vertical PVC pipe through a hole in the back and then they wind up in the holding cage at the bottom. Meanwhile the counterbalance resets the trap for the next starling. I have never trapped anything but starlings in it Kendra but just in case I have a 1 and 1\2 inch escape hole on the holding cage of the trap so a Bluebird,Downy,or a Tree swallow could get right out. Starlings cannot get through the 1 and 1\2 escape hole and as for the larger woodpeckers like Red Belly's and Red Headed..well they are not ever interested in martin houses and my trap looks like an 8 room martin house. Only starlings take the bait and it is so cool for the native birds to have a trap like it. I have actually seen a male Bluebird sing from the top of the trap while a starling was in the holding cage. Talk about total safisfaction..that is smile..

It is great that the starlings are not as common where you are kendra and that you don't have to deal with their pressure as much. That is a huge plus for our native birds especially the cherished Bluebird of Happiness,the Tree Swallows,and the most in danger from starlings..the beautiful,magnificent Purple Martins. Thank you for being a friend to them and the Bluebirds. They are so special and shame on us if one day we wake up to find the last martin or the last bluebird is gone. Same goes for the Red Headed Woodpecker and it is awful what these no good starlings are doing to them for sure..Mike

How wonderful to hear that the Red-headed Woodpecker is making a comeback in your area. They are few and far between around here. I have never seen one, but a friend of mine, a few towns over, saw one at her suet feeder yesterday. I've also read that the starling has had devastating effects on the numbers of Northern Flickers. I would love to have some ant eating Flickers around here. I don't think most people realize just how beneficial these native birds are.

Wow, Mike-bless you for coming up with such an inventive design to help our largest swallows!

Hope you were able to get a design or utility patent on the entrance shape and get licensing fees from S&K, but even if you let it go into public domain, it's a wonderful discovery. Keep up the good work of spreading the word

Kendra and rachel,

Thank you both. I amn good friends with the guy who makes these entrances into his products and my main goal is to help the martins that I love so much. RThey must not be allowed to persih and decline and more simply because of the Mistake of the Bird World..the Starling. They do not belong in this country period and we must do all we can to try to slow,reverse,and then to maybe one day cause their extinction in this country. I don't see it happening but Oh what a great thing that would be for our native American songbirds like the Redheads,Flickers,martins,bluebirds,etc,etc..I wish sometimes I could go back in time to 1890 and get my hands on the idiot or idiots who first brought the starlings over here and let them go grin..Of course they did not know at the time but foreign wildlife introduced by man in any form is never,ever good. It always backfires terribly and the existence of the Starlings and House Sparrows in North America are two perfect examples of a terrible ecological mistake.

I am so proud that my clinger entrance is defeating starlings for the martins all over the country now. As I said..I want it to do for the martins what the 1 and 1\2 hole did for the bluebirds and as you can see the martins get through like it is nothing but a nasty starling..No way and I laugh at them watching the try. One beautiful,breathtaking Eastern Bluebird,One majestic,fast flying Purple Martin,just one blue green backed,snow white chested Tree Swallow is worth more than every starling on the face of this planet. That is my stance and I am proud tp be a soldier in the fight to save our real songbirds and thanks to you both for sharing that...Mike

Very cool story about your clinger entrances! How delightful that your creative efforts have helped the Purple Martins to nest in peace.

As you say, too bad there isn't an opening that prevents House sparrows from getting in and assaulting the Bluebirds and Tree Swallows. Although sparrow spookers are supposed to work pretty well during the nesting period.

Terrene,

There is a House Sparrow resistent entrance to keep them out of Tree Swallow houses but unfortunately Bluebirds cannot get in this. It works great for Tree Swallows though. I will see if I can post a picture of it. I first heard of it from a man in Canada named Bernie Nikolai. It is simply a 7\8 of an inch tall slot that is about two inches wide. It is in a thin plate around 1\8 inch thick. The House Sparrow cannot enter this but the Tree Swallows being more streamlined and slender bodied can flatten out and get right in. It works so good.

I have watched Bluebirds try but they cannot do it. I wish they could but unfortunately the Bluebirds are slightly larger than those cursed,blasted House Sparrows. The only way to deal with them is to shoot,trap and kill. I have never tried the spookers but I may on my big 60 box trail. Here at my place however the House Sparrows are a non issue because of my year round trapping and destroying of them. Same with the starlings. My Controller trap is on duty 24\7 365 days a year and it never,ever misses. Just this morning I had two starlings in the trap. I always get more this time of the year when their nesting hormones kick in but in another two weeks or so the majority of starling pressure will be history here for the season. Just stepping outside and not having to hear their creaky song or the House Sparrow's Cheep,cheep,cheep is worth the cost of the traps and the time to manage them. The reward?? A countryside filled with the sites and sounds of our native American birds. Instead of that un-musical creak of the starling you hear the Cheer,Cheerful Charmer melody of the Bluebird from the fenceposts and the trees! Instead of the irritating cheep,cheep,cheep of the House Sparrow you hear the beautiful chortling sounds of the male martins as they sing and display to the females on a warm April morn..I simply love it Terrene....Mike

Hi Mike, that's great about the tree swallows! What kind of habitat do Tree Swallows like to nest in? Still a bummer for the bluebirds. Thank goodness there are many avid Bluebirders to help them along.

There is a pair of Bluebirds who want to nest in a Pine snag in the middle of my backyard again this year. Last year was their first year and they fledged 3 broods. There were a few HOSPs around, but I trapped one and then stopped feeding the birds over the summer so they didn't hang around much. House sparrows prefer an easier meal! There are more House Sparrows around this year it seems. The male blue and the HOSPs have already had conflicts.

The Bluebirds chose to nest in a snag even though there was a box available both years, apparently they prefer a natural cavity. I have a Van Ert trap for the box, but there is no trap, baffle, etc. that you can put on a snag. In fact I am praying the thing doesn't fall over, cuz they do rot and fall! I think I can put spooker above the nest hole though.

Terrene,

It would be nice if you could trap and destroy all of the House Sparrows that are plaguing your Bluebirds at your place. I like the trap you mention but the Spare-o-Door trap mounted on a trio martin house is their undoing. They simply love to check out multi-cavity martin housing and when you have a couple of the Spare-o-Door traps in that house catching and killing the no good creeps becomes so easy. My Bluebirds here are never,ever harrassed by House Sparrows whether they nest in one of my BB Boxes or the natural tree snags or woodpecker holes. That is teh kind of control one can obtain by trapping and destroying these alien,no good rats of the bird world. I wish you the best with the Bluebirds and I hope the little creeps leave them alone in that snag. Trap and destroy them all smile...Mike