Okay someone figure this out.Early July saw a rat enter 1 of my gourds(this is the kind that has the opening in the neck) so I waited for my chance and took care of the problem.Dropped the gourd and was going to clean it out,but it had baby rats and martins in it so left it alone and put it back up.Wasn't 5 min and the other rat showed up with food and I took care of this 1 also.Waited to see what happened next and the martin showed up to feed the babies.So I left them alone and 2 days ago I cleaned out the gourd and all babies had fled.Weird things do happen.wierd
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wildcatervin
- Posts: 41
- Joined: Thu Nov 13, 2003 2:14 pm
- Location: milford,de
Okay someone figure this out.Early July saw a rat enter 1 of my gourds(this is the kind that has the opening in the neck) so I waited for my chance and took care of the problem.Dropped the gourd and was going to clean it out,but it had baby rats and martins in it so left it alone and put it back up.Wasn't 5 min and the other rat showed up with food and I took care of this 1 also.Waited to see what happened next and the martin showed up to feed the babies.So I left them alone and 2 days ago I cleaned out the gourd and all babies had fled.Weird things do happen.-
wildcatervin
- Posts: 41
- Joined: Thu Nov 13, 2003 2:14 pm
- Location: milford,de
Hi,nice blog as I read most of it.Myself I have 80 gourds up which half are plastic and the others are real.Don't check them any more as I found I was doing more damage than good.Am retired so have much time to monitor them,but still lost some to the hawks.Clean mine and hang them in the garage until spring(18 to go)Live near the beach so I think even the rats had a good adopted parents.Any how everything has went back home.Sorry for the long post(bored with no rats to shoot)-
Linda Reynolds
- Posts: 1308
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 8:33 pm
- Location: Adamsville, TN
Quite a few years ago, I cleaned out a nest box that was stored but usually used by tree swallows. It was stored in the pump house that serviced our pool. When I cleaned it out there was a field mouse with young (attached, and nursing). I felt badly, but dumped the field mice in the field and provided clean and safe housing for the tree swallows.
Do I not comprehend that there might be something beneficial about field rats that would prevent you from cleaning out this gourd, and not posing a potential risk to the martins? Is there any reasonable explanation why you would allow rats to inhabit a nest used by purple martins or other birds?
Do I not comprehend that there might be something beneficial about field rats that would prevent you from cleaning out this gourd, and not posing a potential risk to the martins? Is there any reasonable explanation why you would allow rats to inhabit a nest used by purple martins or other birds?
Ever-Grateful,
Linda
Linda
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wildcatervin
- Posts: 41
- Joined: Thu Nov 13, 2003 2:14 pm
- Location: milford,de
Sorry,thougt everybody new what a rat was in the bird line.Will be more clear in the future.And hi to Linda .? as to how many you have now since you have moved from up north?
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Linda Reynolds
- Posts: 1308
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 8:33 pm
- Location: Adamsville, TN
OOPS, I have certainly heard about rat birds, but when you said rats, I thought RATS,...........so sorry for the mistake. Happy that you and others clarified they were *rat birds*.
Thanks for asking about our southern purple martin experience. We have experienced great results since moving to TN in 2002. Our first year of offering gourds (2003) resulted in 24 nesting pair. Most were ASYs and were obviously driven from their original home by predation, or neglect. We won big time, and wound up hosting 24 pair our very first year.
We offer 46 gourds..........6 Super Gourds, 2 Grasse Huts, and 38 naturals. All are fitted with SREH tunnels, and we offer crescents and WDCs. Six of our gourds are some of Kenny Fecker's naturals, and they have been hanging at our site for many years. They have all hosted martins since 2003 and fledged many youngsters. We originally purchased these gourds in 1995 or 1996. They are still going strong.
Our second year (2004) we hosted 36 pair and all fledged young successfully. We had many 7 egg clutches.
In 2005 and all subsequent years we hosted a full house of 46 nesting pair, but in 2007, 2008 and 2009, we had subbies use the gourds vacated by the earliest arrivals and original ASY pair. We have hosted as many as 56 pair in our 46 gourds.
On average we have fledged 230 young martins each year. Numbers have been higher due to the second occupancy of gourds, but I do not have those figures available right now. All in all our *southern experience* has been a good one for us and the martins.
So sorry to have mistaken your word rat, for a RAT........next time, I will try to think of rat bird. We have gotten rid of many of them ourselves, but happy to report we do not have healthy populations of starlings or European house sparrows. There is NO ROOM for rat birds in a purple martin colony. Happy to hear you are ridding your site.
Thanks for asking about our southern purple martin experience. We have experienced great results since moving to TN in 2002. Our first year of offering gourds (2003) resulted in 24 nesting pair. Most were ASYs and were obviously driven from their original home by predation, or neglect. We won big time, and wound up hosting 24 pair our very first year.
We offer 46 gourds..........6 Super Gourds, 2 Grasse Huts, and 38 naturals. All are fitted with SREH tunnels, and we offer crescents and WDCs. Six of our gourds are some of Kenny Fecker's naturals, and they have been hanging at our site for many years. They have all hosted martins since 2003 and fledged many youngsters. We originally purchased these gourds in 1995 or 1996. They are still going strong.
Our second year (2004) we hosted 36 pair and all fledged young successfully. We had many 7 egg clutches.
In 2005 and all subsequent years we hosted a full house of 46 nesting pair, but in 2007, 2008 and 2009, we had subbies use the gourds vacated by the earliest arrivals and original ASY pair. We have hosted as many as 56 pair in our 46 gourds.
On average we have fledged 230 young martins each year. Numbers have been higher due to the second occupancy of gourds, but I do not have those figures available right now. All in all our *southern experience* has been a good one for us and the martins.
So sorry to have mistaken your word rat, for a RAT........next time, I will try to think of rat bird. We have gotten rid of many of them ourselves, but happy to report we do not have healthy populations of starlings or European house sparrows. There is NO ROOM for rat birds in a purple martin colony. Happy to hear you are ridding your site.
Ever-Grateful,
Linda
Linda