I live in a very, very windy area. I've just installed an 8 compartment Goliad Lonestar Purple Martin House and it is beautiful. The pole is sturdy, but the house moves considerably in a strong wind (20 - 30mph is the norm out here). It's not so much the swaying, but the house rotates about 10 - 15 degrees in stronger winds. The instructions state (from the seller) that they would encourage lowering the housing in strong winds. How would one even approach doing that with birds or nestlings inside? Not that I have any yet!
Your thoughts, kindly.
Stabilizing PM house in windy conditions
Hi SKW- I also live in a windy area and have a Lonestar Alamo house. It shifts from side to side in high winds somewhat since there is a little "slop" in the inner area of the house where it goes up and down the pole. This doesn't bother adults or nestlings in the least. I do lower it ahead of strong thunderstorms to maybe 8 or 10 feet off the ground. If you look at "Chuck's Purple Martin webpage" he has section on why gourds must swing in the wind. I can't remember his reasoning but I think it had something to do with discouraging competitors. Good resource.
Dave
Dave
2016- 10 pair
2015-9 pair
2014-4 pair and a bluebird brood
2013- 9 pair
2012- 7 pairs - fledged 39 plus a bluebird brood in a gourd;
2011- 3 pairs - fledged 13 young:
2015-9 pair
2014-4 pair and a bluebird brood
2013- 9 pair
2012- 7 pairs - fledged 39 plus a bluebird brood in a gourd;
2011- 3 pairs - fledged 13 young:
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DebA
- Posts: 1941
- Joined: Tue May 04, 2010 7:43 am
- Location: Pratt County/Kansas
- Martin Colony History: Start 2009 with one pair. Upgraded from S&K houses to two Trendsetter 12's with gourds beneath in 2013. I have experienced job, pet, and parental losses since '13. The Purple Martins lift my spirits and remind me how life continues forward by flying their little selves from Brazil back to my yard. As one forum person once told me, chin up DebA, look at the martins. Danger all around but yet they soar in the sky without a care in the world.
Hello! I'm a Kansas landlord and boy do we have some wind too. Does your pole allow lowering of your house? I hope so because nest checks are key to managing your future colony. Is it a telescoping pole or is the house on a cable/winch system? If not this is an important upgrade to make.
PMCA recommends nest checks every five days. I use their info sheet to keep records of my nests. Helps to know when the eggs were laid...when should they hatch...when are babies ready to fledge. Nest checks allow you to make sure there are no birds in jeopardy or deceased in the house. You will identify if there is a mite problem. Wet nests after a hard rain. Supplement feeding with crickets by placing them in the nest if feeding conditions aren't optimum (bad weather over a three day stretch). But seeing a newly hatched baby is just something special. Watching them grow is fantastic.
Link to PMCA's nest data sheets: http://www.purplemartin.org/pmw/
The martins tolerate nest checks and seem to want that human interaction. I knock on my pole and talk to them and then lower the house. Usually causing them to flush out. During egg laying time especially I check in the afternoon since females lay an egg a day in the morning. I don't want to bother. Every once in awhile a female will ride down if she is sitting her nest. Awesome to see her up close and talk to her. I usually say sorry and leave her be. Babies ride down with no troubles. If you make a swoosh swoosh swoosh noise they will through open their beaks expecting food. Cute. Another reason to keep records and know when they are about to fledge the nest is to not nest check then in case you spook a baby that isn't ready to fledge by causing them to jump. There are things you can do to keep that from happening.
A pole that is spinning in the wind changing the orientation of the house is a problem that needs fixed. Martins don't mind sway but if their hole entrance changes that screws them up. So find a way to stabilize. Prior to expected storms and sustained winds greater than 50 I will lower my housing part way. The martins do fine and it gives the whole thing some stability. Then I raise it back up after.
I hope this helps and you dive right in to nest checking!
Deb
PMCA recommends nest checks every five days. I use their info sheet to keep records of my nests. Helps to know when the eggs were laid...when should they hatch...when are babies ready to fledge. Nest checks allow you to make sure there are no birds in jeopardy or deceased in the house. You will identify if there is a mite problem. Wet nests after a hard rain. Supplement feeding with crickets by placing them in the nest if feeding conditions aren't optimum (bad weather over a three day stretch). But seeing a newly hatched baby is just something special. Watching them grow is fantastic.
Link to PMCA's nest data sheets: http://www.purplemartin.org/pmw/
The martins tolerate nest checks and seem to want that human interaction. I knock on my pole and talk to them and then lower the house. Usually causing them to flush out. During egg laying time especially I check in the afternoon since females lay an egg a day in the morning. I don't want to bother. Every once in awhile a female will ride down if she is sitting her nest. Awesome to see her up close and talk to her. I usually say sorry and leave her be. Babies ride down with no troubles. If you make a swoosh swoosh swoosh noise they will through open their beaks expecting food. Cute. Another reason to keep records and know when they are about to fledge the nest is to not nest check then in case you spook a baby that isn't ready to fledge by causing them to jump. There are things you can do to keep that from happening.
A pole that is spinning in the wind changing the orientation of the house is a problem that needs fixed. Martins don't mind sway but if their hole entrance changes that screws them up. So find a way to stabilize. Prior to expected storms and sustained winds greater than 50 I will lower my housing part way. The martins do fine and it gives the whole thing some stability. Then I raise it back up after.
I hope this helps and you dive right in to nest checking!
Deb
PMCA MEMBER
Pratt County, Kansas
2016 34 PAIR
2015 27 PAIR
2014 23 PAIR
2013 13 PAIR
2012 6 PAIR
2011 4 PAIR
2010 2 PAIR
2009 1 PAIR
Pratt County, Kansas
2016 34 PAIR
2015 27 PAIR
2014 23 PAIR
2013 13 PAIR
2012 6 PAIR
2011 4 PAIR
2010 2 PAIR
2009 1 PAIR
It doesn't hurt to lower the houses on windy conditions I even have my houses 2/3 height and even most of the time.
Three years ago I had 2 t-14s poles blow out at bottom of pole so I re did them with 12 bags of concrete around them with rebars in them. Don't take a chance of anything happening to your houses or poles for being to high. Better to be lowered and safe.
as long as you have guard under the houses your in good shape
Dick
Three years ago I had 2 t-14s poles blow out at bottom of pole so I re did them with 12 bags of concrete around them with rebars in them. Don't take a chance of anything happening to your houses or poles for being to high. Better to be lowered and safe.
as long as you have guard under the houses your in good shape
Dick
2015 69 pairs 418 eggs 396 fledged
2019 I have 148 openings now
2016 100 pairs 600 babies fledged added another t-14 and have 126 openings now
2015 Jun 24 360 babies and 58 eggs also found one that had died
2017 632 babies 11died and 20 were killed by hawks
2015 74 pairs and 9 eggs 5/14
2010 3pairss
]JOINED PMCA JUNE 6,2018
2018 651 babies 5 hawk kills 11 floater kills 25 died in houses and 610 fledged
2014 80 pairs 283 babies 282 fledged one died
2019 I have 148 openings now
2016 100 pairs 600 babies fledged added another t-14 and have 126 openings now
2015 Jun 24 360 babies and 58 eggs also found one that had died
2017 632 babies 11died and 20 were killed by hawks
2015 74 pairs and 9 eggs 5/14
2010 3pairss
]JOINED PMCA JUNE 6,2018
2018 651 babies 5 hawk kills 11 floater kills 25 died in houses and 610 fledged
2014 80 pairs 283 babies 282 fledged one died
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Craig Dyer
- Posts: 500
- Joined: Fri May 13, 2005 2:24 pm
- Location: Nevada, TX
- Martin Colony History: Area is rural. Offer 28 compartments...metal housing (Lonestar Goliad) & Supergourds all w/crescent entrance holes. Purple martins are abundant here and eager for quality, well maintained, safe housing. Expect near 100% occupancy this season.
Hi SKW 159,
I also have a Goliad (6 stories/24 compartments) with four super gourds hung beneath. As others have already stated, purple martins don't mind a lower setting on the pole. Winds here in Texas are also a challenge. Wind gusts of even 40 to 50 mph can damage the pole. The more compartments and weight that you add to your system, the more vulnerable it becomes to wind damage. I keep my housing permantely set at about 9 feet off the ground. When lowering the house for nest checks or because of approaching storms they will scatter, but they will quickly return. I would not advise lowering the house after dark. This can really spook them.
Good luck to you this season!
Craig
I also have a Goliad (6 stories/24 compartments) with four super gourds hung beneath. As others have already stated, purple martins don't mind a lower setting on the pole. Winds here in Texas are also a challenge. Wind gusts of even 40 to 50 mph can damage the pole. The more compartments and weight that you add to your system, the more vulnerable it becomes to wind damage. I keep my housing permantely set at about 9 feet off the ground. When lowering the house for nest checks or because of approaching storms they will scatter, but they will quickly return. I would not advise lowering the house after dark. This can really spook them.
Good luck to you this season!
Craig
Craig Dyer
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Craig Dyer
- Posts: 500
- Joined: Fri May 13, 2005 2:24 pm
- Location: Nevada, TX
- Martin Colony History: Area is rural. Offer 28 compartments...metal housing (Lonestar Goliad) & Supergourds all w/crescent entrance holes. Purple martins are abundant here and eager for quality, well maintained, safe housing. Expect near 100% occupancy this season.
P.S. The slight rotation you are experiencing is unavoidable. This doesn't bother the martins in the least. There needs to be some play between the pole and the access hole in the housing unit. The play allows for easy quiet movement up & down the pole. In fact I have added some steel washers in key locations to create even more play between the pole & the access hole. Because of the multiple stories I have on my unit, I was having some difficulty moving the housing up & down the pole.
Craig Dyer