Should I lower my houses since severe weather is predicted for south Louisiana

[clivia98]

Hi everyone,

There is a possibility of severe weather with strong winds Wednesday for south Louisiana. My houses are on 16 ft. 3 inch square poles. I also have returning martins. I was thinking about lowering the houses about 4 feet just to be safe. What do you think? Do you think the birds will be disturbed by that? I have Trendsetter 8 compartment houses.

Thanks,

Jerry

[flyin-lowe]

The birds will not mind it at all. Lowering it at night when there are birds inside of it can be problematic but having it a few feet lower will not bother them. It sounds like your pole is sturdy enough to handle strong winds but better safe then sorry. I have a 3.5 inch OD galvanized pole that my T14 is not. I have never seen it even budge in the wind but when there are high winds storms predicted I still lower it a couple feet. It doesn't take much lowering to make a difference.

[clivia98]

Thanks Flyin-lowe. I'll will lower it.

[C.C.Martins]

Ill echo it, doesn't sound like you need to worry about orientation. just try to lower it before the birds go in for the night if at all possible.
Here is a cool website for your use to help watch the weather: https://www.windy.com. I am glued to it when weather starts turning for the worst so I can prepare the houses. Its a good resource, hope it helps you.
Tom

[Robert]

Jerry I agree with Tom and flyin-Lowe its always best to be safe and lower the house , I always lower mine 3-4 feet during high winds or strong T-storms , I don’t lower or raise it in the evening after the birds have tucked in for the night and yes always make sure it’s the same orientation .

[Bob Fraser]

I have 16 foot poles - I always keep mine lowered. Lowest level is probably 10ft. You never know when a sudden storm might come up. If one does and you're 40 miles from home, there isn't much you can do about it --- and if your racks are at 16 ft, there's more stress on the pole if subjected to high winds. My birds don't mind at all having the gourds lower - and it gives me peace of mind. I don't have to worry about storms coming up in the middle of the night (when I wouldn't want to mess with it anyway) or if I'm a distance from home.

[roymg1]

My house is on 15 ft pole. So far no problem in So. LA with strong winds but I use support ropes from two direction.