Finally Decided To Smear Mud At Entrances (Pics)

Bird Brain · Sun Feb 23, 2020 2:35 pm

I've been reading for years to do this and just never got around to trying it. I couldn't help but laugh while doing this. I felt like a 2 year old playing with mud and smearing it all over my expensive martin set up. I must admit though. It does give the appearance of being previously used. After I finished, I felt good about it. Here's a couple of pics. Did I do this right ?

deancamp · Sun Feb 23, 2020 5:16 pm

I'm not an expert on this, but the goal would be to have some dirt up on them to mimic the dirt or filth that the martins leave as they are using the gourd going in and out and hanging out on the porch. I think you have done that, probably didn't need that much but I can't imagine that would be detrimental. If there are chunks of mud stuck on them you could knock them of with yoor hand and it will still leave the messy look. Good luck!

C.C.Martins · Sun Feb 23, 2020 8:36 pm

Looks like a good job! most will wash off with the rain but its got the look, enough will stick. isn't it funny, we'll paint, adjust to perfection, adjust again and again and when everything ready 3 months in advance...smear mud. Funny mud story...I like looking for indian artifacts, haunt shell middens near the coast. found a few large old snail shells they had discarded in a big shell midden last winter, they were packed with 500 years of hard dried black clay...I scraped some out and made mud with that, put it on all the porches. I liked the historical tie...different tribe but....

Kyler · Sun Feb 23, 2020 10:53 pm

BirdBrain,
That is exactly what I did at my new site back in 2016. I’m still not sure if that is what attracted them or not. It definitely made them very curious if they decided to land. The males never had anything to do with it but the females will definitely mess with it. I actually made a little mud dam on the porch and smeared a little inside the compartment. The first pair that came down to my houses, the female actually took the mud dam off and threw it on the ground. Pretty interesting. Good luck hope it works for you!

Kyler,