I know this topic has been discussed a lot on this forum but I am looking for some opinions on SREH. I have a wooden T-14 I built 8 years ago. I cutout crescents in the wood. Over the last several years those crescents have been breached by starlings. Initially it was just one compartment but now several are being breached. I think as the wood dries out the size of these entrances get slightly larger allowing breaches to occur. I will control the starlings as much as possible during the season. I have killed several and am still actively trapping but after the season I am going to rework my door fronts with plates.
I have Excluder Gourds with Excluder II entrances and Troyer Horizontal and Vertical Gourds with Conley II entrances. Neither of those have been breached.
The question/opinions I'm looking for is what SREH have you used with the most success? I'm leaning towards the Excluder II plates. The crescents on my 3 Trios have been breached as well. Any feedback is appreciated.
SREH Opinions
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Emil Pampell-Tx
- Posts: 6743
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 1:26 pm
- Location: Tx, Richmond (SW of Houston)
- Martin Colony History: First started in Gretna, La in 1969 with a small homemade house, have had martins ever since at 2 different homes in Texas
All SREH will work good. You will have the most success with the entrance that is mounted correctly:
1)slick floors on the porches
2)mounted flush or within 1/8inch of the floor of the porch
3)make the entrance about 1-7/8in wide by adding the Lewis mods for wing entrapment, or by adding something on the side of the entrance that is about 1in wide. Either method prevents the starling from going into the entrance sideways, and makes the starling position itself differently and forces the starling to enter straight into the SREH. In my opinion, the Conley entrance is very good but it is too wide.
4)double check your entrances to see if they are still 1-3/16in tall.
I am using many wooden entrances that are square, about 1in thick, mounted flush with the floor, and about 1-7/8in wide, and exactly 1-3/16in tall with great success. My only problem is that we do not have a lot of starlings, and most go to the traps, but I have never seen them enter my homemade entrances. Since you made your own entrances initially, why not try this method that works for me, its really easy to make
At my son's house, we put up 24 gourds that had plastic tunnels on them (an early version of SREH) that the starlings could easily enter. I used lexel caulk to add some 1in pieces on each side and then the entrance was about 1-7/8in wide. The entrance was nearly flush with the porch and it was exactly 1-3/16in tall. He has used them for a few years, and had one starling that got in, but could not get out, and it died inside the gourd.
1)slick floors on the porches
2)mounted flush or within 1/8inch of the floor of the porch
3)make the entrance about 1-7/8in wide by adding the Lewis mods for wing entrapment, or by adding something on the side of the entrance that is about 1in wide. Either method prevents the starling from going into the entrance sideways, and makes the starling position itself differently and forces the starling to enter straight into the SREH. In my opinion, the Conley entrance is very good but it is too wide.
4)double check your entrances to see if they are still 1-3/16in tall.
I am using many wooden entrances that are square, about 1in thick, mounted flush with the floor, and about 1-7/8in wide, and exactly 1-3/16in tall with great success. My only problem is that we do not have a lot of starlings, and most go to the traps, but I have never seen them enter my homemade entrances. Since you made your own entrances initially, why not try this method that works for me, its really easy to make
At my son's house, we put up 24 gourds that had plastic tunnels on them (an early version of SREH) that the starlings could easily enter. I used lexel caulk to add some 1in pieces on each side and then the entrance was about 1-7/8in wide. The entrance was nearly flush with the porch and it was exactly 1-3/16in tall. He has used them for a few years, and had one starling that got in, but could not get out, and it died inside the gourd.
PMCA Member, 250 gourds, 6 poles, 2traps
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go4
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Wed Jun 15, 2011 2:41 pm
- Location: Mn/Burnsville
- Martin Colony History: Had a cheap plastic house on a weak pole under 4 large cottonwood trees for many years without any martins. Started reading the forum.
Cut down all the trees. Put up better housing. Then the colony went from 1 pair to 3 pair to 7 pair to 18 pair. I have been steady at 18 pairs the last 3 years.
I used 1/8 inch aluminum straps 2 inches wide I cut out a crescent opening and screwed it to the outside of the Woodhouse the opening is as smooth as a baby's bottom and the Martins love it going very easily
Ten years ago I got my first breeding pair. Since then each year less trees. no house sparrows, all SREH. More martins
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go4
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Wed Jun 15, 2011 2:41 pm
- Location: Mn/Burnsville
- Martin Colony History: Had a cheap plastic house on a weak pole under 4 large cottonwood trees for many years without any martins. Started reading the forum.
Cut down all the trees. Put up better housing. Then the colony went from 1 pair to 3 pair to 7 pair to 18 pair. I have been steady at 18 pairs the last 3 years.
I want to practice attaching pictures. Never been good at it. Adding one eight inch aluminum plates over three quater inch wood also prevents wing entrapment.
Ten years ago I got my first breeding pair. Since then each year less trees. no house sparrows, all SREH. More martins
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go4
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Wed Jun 15, 2011 2:41 pm
- Location: Mn/Burnsville
- Martin Colony History: Had a cheap plastic house on a weak pole under 4 large cottonwood trees for many years without any martins. Started reading the forum.
Cut down all the trees. Put up better housing. Then the colony went from 1 pair to 3 pair to 7 pair to 18 pair. I have been steady at 18 pairs the last 3 years.
attach pics
Ten years ago I got my first breeding pair. Since then each year less trees. no house sparrows, all SREH. More martins
Matt F. wrote:Just for reference, in case anyone may not be familiar with the various SREHs available:
I'm leaning towards the Excluder II with the Conley II as a close second but I read the other thread where a starling was breaching the Excluder II entrance and killed four males. I know there isn't a starling proof entrance but I'd like the one that is the toughest for them to breach. I had a l ot of success with the crescent for 6-7 years but once they figured out how to breach them it became a regular occurrence. I am starting a more aggressive trapping plan as well.
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John Evans
- Posts: 323
- Joined: Mon Mar 17, 2014 3:56 pm
- Location: Cocoa Beach Florida
I use crescent on Super gourds, modifed Excluder on Excluder and Conley on Troyer Horizontal and vertical gourds. This was the first year ever having starlings breach any of them. It was on the Troyer conley. They had a nest made when I returned from out of town. Martins had already started started arriving. Thinking it was something about that specific gourd I switched it with another Troyer and they proceeded to make a nest in it also. I left for a few days again and when I returned they had laid eggs.
Trying an experiment I put a piece of duct tape over the entrance and they hung around for a couple of days after and moved on, never attempting to use a different gourd.
Trying an experiment I put a piece of duct tape over the entrance and they hung around for a couple of days after and moved on, never attempting to use a different gourd.
PMCA Member