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

Lily, every one that enjoys any species of birds is lucky, too! I am very proud of my little PM colony though. I don't know where they're nesting, but I have a pair of catbirds that visit my nectar feeder every day. Yes; they have a sweet tooth hidden in that sharp little beak! I use an older style Opus nectar/"oriole" feeder. It has rubber plugs that function as bee guards. I took two of them off and was surprised at all the other birds that love sugar water when they can get too it. I've seen chickadees, house finches, purple finches, Hairy and Downey woodpeckers, and hummingbirds all using it, along with the expected orioles. Of course, I don't have a photo of the catbird on it, but this is the nectar feeder all the yard birds enjoy.

Good luck. We had more local fireworks this year too, and with all the fires here, you'd think people would be smarter than that.

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