Yesterday morning, while looking out our kitchen window, I noticed a large bird fly across the backyard and perch on a limb in one of our pine trees. Here is a picture of the bird, a Barred Owl.
Prior to seeing the owl land, I had just turned on my dawnsong recording, which is attached to the hub on my gourd rack.
Here is a picture showing what attracted the owl and what he was looking at. I have two martin decoys attached to perching rods on the rack. You can see the owl in the background perched on the limb of the pine tree.
I dont even have a martin colony at our new house and already have attracted this dangerous predator.
Tim
Licensed Bander
2015 - 14 Pair - fledged 68
2014 - Moved to Kansas - 7 Pair, 35 eggs, 28 fledged in first year
2010 Thru 2013 - Moved-Tried to start new colony
2009 - 46 pair, 217 eggs, 178 fledged
Oh wow, Tim - at least you saw it, know it's around - and are well equipped to figure out guards. John is adding owl guards to our weekend site, our 4th year there, no problems yet, but we keep seeing a GH owl in the woods, and heard Barred Owl too. I believe it's worthwhile to put guards on BEFORE an owl visits, to hopefully prevent them from being successful and returning for more.
Martin Colony History: I moved to South Florida, from Delaware, in August of 2015.
I care for a 6 condo Sunset House as well as two Deluxe Gourd Racks, with 24 Chirpynest/Excluder gourds, along a canal in Pompano Beach, Florida.
At Quiet Waters Park, nearby in Deerfield Beach, I care for a Deluxe Gourd Rack with 12 TVG's. I also care for a Deluxe Gourd rack with 12 Excluder gourds with Modified Excluder entrances. I am substituting 6 Chirpynest boxes for 6 of the Conley II entranced gourds in 2026.
At another local park, Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek, I care for a Trendsetter 12, 5 gourds rack with 60 Excluder gourds with Modified Excluder Entrances and 1 Deluxe Gourd Rack with 12 Troyer Vertical Gourds with Starling Stoppers over the Conley II's to keep out smaller starlings.
I really did not want to install an owl guard for my gourd rack till after I had attracted a nesting pair of martins. I don't know what a gourd rack enclosed in wire mesh would look like to a visiting martin flying high overhead. I would really like to know if there are any landlords who constructed a wire mesh cage around their gourd rack before having any martins visiting their site.
Is John constructing owl guards for houses or gourds? If it is a gourd rack, I would like to know his design.
Tim
Licensed Bander
2015 - 14 Pair - fledged 68
2014 - Moved to Kansas - 7 Pair, 35 eggs, 28 fledged in first year
2010 Thru 2013 - Moved-Tried to start new colony
2009 - 46 pair, 217 eggs, 178 fledged
A FEW YEARS AGO WE DIDN'T THINK WE NEEDED OWL GUARDS AND BOY DID WE GET A BAD SURPRISE.. IN ONE NIGHT AN OWL DESTROYED OUR ENTIRE COLONY OF OVER A HUNDRED BIRDS. THE NEXT SEASON BEFORE THE MARTINS ARRIVED WE INSTALLED OWL GUARDS ON ALL OUR HOUSES AND GOURDS. THE MARTINS DON'T SEEM TO CARE THAT THE GUARDS ARE THERE BECAUSE THEY ZOOM RIGHT INTO THE HOUSES AND GOURDS AS IF THEY WEREN'T EVENT THERE.
WOW - Tim - beautiful owl! So glad you've seen him and can now take preemptive actions. But uggghhhh!!!
What would martineering be without all these challenges, right?
"Sometimes", said Pooh, "the smallest things take up the most room in your heart."
2023 - 82 pair
2022 - 80 pair
2021 - 75 pair
2020 - 78 pair
2019 - 80 pair http://kathyfreeze.blogspot.com
I thought I had a Barred Owl in my area just the other day. The unmistakeable "who-cooks, who-cooks, who-cooks for yooooou" call is tale-tale sign of the Barred Owl.
So I go off into the woods to try to find him....Turns out a guy who lives on the other side of the scope of woods behind my house was practicing for the upcoming turkey season. They use the owl call to "shock" turkeys into gobbling early in the morning.
Well at least I don't have a Barred Owl to go along with the two Cooper's Hawks that are in my area right now
"Birds are wild because they have to be,
Man is wild because he chooses to be"
----Mark Twain
Martin Colony History: 22 year landlord, 14 at current residence..offering 9 racks and a homemade T-8 for 166 total cavities. 160 Pair in 2018 Racks consist of a Deluxe 12, AAA 16, Starburst 16, 2 K-18 Series, Super 24, 2 Gemini, Multi-purpose/two trio’s/4gourds and a T-8..Great hobby to be involved in..
Nice pic Tim...I hear them behind my house in the woods all the time..so far I have been blessed on not having a problem..but with increasing the number of gourds this year I know its just a matter of time before one shows up.. l will just have to keep a sharp eye out for them...
22 year landlord..9 Rack Systems for 2018 and my home built T-8 for a total of 166 cavities..160 pair in 2018 ..SUPER COLONY!!! Love You Bev... Fan of those St. Louis Cardinals!!!!!
Martin Colony History: 22 year landlord, 14 at current residence..offering 9 racks and a homemade T-8 for 166 total cavities. 160 Pair in 2018 Racks consist of a Deluxe 12, AAA 16, Starburst 16, 2 K-18 Series, Super 24, 2 Gemini, Multi-purpose/two trio’s/4gourds and a T-8..Great hobby to be involved in..
Oh, and i got those perch rods installed on the racks today..thanks again for the idea..looks good..Tony
22 year landlord..9 Rack Systems for 2018 and my home built T-8 for a total of 166 cavities..160 pair in 2018 ..SUPER COLONY!!! Love You Bev... Fan of those St. Louis Cardinals!!!!!
Tim I bought this gourd rack already furnished with these owl guards. The guards can be purchased from the PMCA Shop.
They are connecected next to the access cap of the gourd with one cable clip and you can see in the picture how they are attached to the Troyer tunnel.
You may consider using these when you get martins. I sure hope you get them this year.
Thanks for sharing the photo. At my previous colony, I had a couple of these aluminum rod owl guards. My concern was that an owl, being such a large bird, could still land on the porch and force the rods apart. In your picture, there is a piece of metal which the rods go through that attaches to the front of the tunnel. This undoubtedly would help to keep the two prongs from being seperated and thus keeping an owl from landing on the porch. Are these metal strips part of the owl guard package or were they made by the previous owner of the gourd rack.?
Tim
Licensed Bander
2015 - 14 Pair - fledged 68
2014 - Moved to Kansas - 7 Pair, 35 eggs, 28 fledged in first year
2010 Thru 2013 - Moved-Tried to start new colony
2009 - 46 pair, 217 eggs, 178 fledged
Martin Colony History: I moved to South Florida, from Delaware, in August of 2015.
I care for a 6 condo Sunset House as well as two Deluxe Gourd Racks, with 24 Chirpynest/Excluder gourds, along a canal in Pompano Beach, Florida.
At Quiet Waters Park, nearby in Deerfield Beach, I care for a Deluxe Gourd Rack with 12 TVG's. I also care for a Deluxe Gourd rack with 12 Excluder gourds with Modified Excluder entrances. I am substituting 6 Chirpynest boxes for 6 of the Conley II entranced gourds in 2026.
At another local park, Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek, I care for a Trendsetter 12, 5 gourds rack with 60 Excluder gourds with Modified Excluder Entrances and 1 Deluxe Gourd Rack with 12 Troyer Vertical Gourds with Starling Stoppers over the Conley II's to keep out smaller starlings.
I do not think you have to be concerned about the owl guards deterring any martins. I have used a full cage, commercially sold type, around my MSS-12 house as well as the gourd type you show in the picture. If anything they make the house MORE interesting to martins. They love the extra perching space and do not hesitate to go right past the guards. I even had unporched gourds, with Clinger entrances, and the martins used those natural gourds. My experience.
Hey Tim the previous owner added the support sections that are on the tunnels. They are made of aluminum and were pop riveted on . You would have to add these to your gourds. I can probably call him and find where he purchased the small angled aluminum. I will measure the supports today and post later.
Last edited by M.Stephens on Sun Mar 04, 2012 3:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Are your gourds rigid or do they swing? We debated owl guard designs at PMCA, decided not to connect guards directly to gourds, thinking if owl lands on guards, gourd moves and birds flush. That's why we attach guards to the hanging arm instead of the gourd itself.
If gourd is mounted not to move, then attaching guard to gourd directly should not be a potential problem - but that's just idea. Will be interested in hearing how yours function, they look good. John added guard rods to our gourds yesterday. Have not had owl problems but it's at rural location with both barred and horned owls around.
Hey Louise the gourds do swing. I may add no rockers to mine if you think there would be a problem. All of my other gourds with owl guards have no rockers on them.
Hey Tim I found that the supports are made of aluminum angle 1/16"x1/2"x3/4"-4ft. I purchased 2 sections at Lowes. That is enough to do 8 THG's. They need to be cut in 6" lengths.
The small EZ-cable clips you used on your owl guard house project are the same that need to be used on the THG gourds.
I read your other post about the *Owl Guards for Gourds* and that looks like it should work too.
Last edited by M.Stephens on Mon Mar 05, 2012 8:21 am, edited 1 time in total.
