Light Wt. owl cage

[~Ray~Gingerich]

This is something I started last season after the martins left, was going to test it this year but wanted to get the martins settled in first, I didn’t get much time to work on it until today when I realized I better get it done or the birds would be gone. Today I got it all put together except for the top, results so far have been encouraging! There were only a few gourds left to fledge and the birds that had recently fledged came to in check what was going on with their home. Within 5 minutes they were hanging on the sides and zipping thru the space with ease. I think they like the thick strands when they land on it and extra support for tail when hanging on the sides. The fencing has UV protection, is very strong, can’t be torn. Each section is suspended on cables with loops on the end, can be opened up if needed. I tried wire owl cages before on my 2” poles but didn’t like excessive movement in the wind due to the heavy cage. This cage does not have much weight at all.

[Cheryl S]

Ray,
That is a great idea! It looks like it's made of plastic. What are the dimensions of the openings? Can you share what it's called and where you purchased it?

I have plans to add cages to my Gemini and Super System racks this winter and I really like the light weight aspect of your idea. It would probably be easier to construct, too. I'm hoping to foil some of the Cooper's hawk attacks next year. No owl problems but figure it's only a matter of time.

Thanks,
Cheryl

[~Ray~Gingerich]

Ray,
That is a great idea! It looks like it's made of plastic. What are the dimensions of the openings? Can you share what it's called and where you purchased it?

I have plans to add cages to my Gemini and Super System racks this winter and I really like the light weight aspect of your idea. It would probably be easier to construct, too. I'm hoping to foil some of the Cooper's hawk attacks next year. No owl problems but figure it's only a matter of time.

Thanks,
Cheryl

Cheryl I get the fencing in our local major building supply stores, it's 2 inch mesh and I cut every other divider out to enlarge the openings.When stretching the cable I measured each opening to ensure I get a tight stretch of cable, the next space distance changes a little as you work around the pole stretching cable, I also fasten a little bambo stake to the mesh at about the half way point.

[MamaBruff]

LIKE!

[taxidermy lady]

That's really nice! That took some time cutting out each section! I would like this much better than the wire! Thanks for sharing!

[Cheryl S]

Thanks, Ray. I have taken screenshots of your photo's so my husband and I can refer to them next year when we install the cages. It looks like your birds had no problems negotiating the openings. I appreciate your ingenuity.

Cheryl

[Rodger Drye]

Ray,
Looks like you did a Great job.! Is the Bottom and Top supposed to be open? Couldn't the Owl or Hawk get in that way?
Rodger

[~Ray~Gingerich]

Roger
Right now the top and bottom are open, I wanted to test it to see if the martins could enter from the sides since it has a little more flex than the wire cages, so it's still an ongoing project.

Sharon
I have a small shear with the cutter at an angle, the handles are spring loaded so it's easy to cut out the sections, it took about 10 minutes to cut dividers out of one section, just have to be careful not to cut the wrong one.

[~Ray~Gingerich]

Roger
Right now the top and bottom are open, I wanted to test it to see if the martins could enter from the sides since it has a little more flex than the wire cages, so it's still an ongoing project.

Sharon
I have a small shear with the cutter at an angle, the handles are spring loaded so it's easy to cut out the sections, it took about 10 minutes to cut dividers out of one section, just have to be careful not to cut the wrong one.

I think this stuff has a lot of potential and could be configured on the racks or houses in different ways than what I used ... Maybe bamboo stretch frames? etc

[~Ray~Gingerich]

Update: This evening was the first evening I had a chance to watch the martins come in to roost since I put this up, about 24 came to this rack, half went thru the sides right away, the rest perched on the rods or top rows of the mesh before going inside, they didn't seem to care if the mesh was there or not.