We had many highs and a few lows as is expected. We learned a lot about identification, pest control, nest checks, etc which really turned an idle hobby into a hands on obsession. What fun it has been! We are still, on August 11th, enjoying daily activity although no one is staying the night any longer. We'll sure miss the vocalizations when they're gone... Now it's a race to keep 3 hummingbird feeders filled daily!Plans for the '09 season include the already erected gourd rack with 12 Big Bos, replacement of an old S&K 12 room house with our third "John Deere" house (a gift) and, probably most important, addition of pvc predator guards and snake netting. We have been very lucky to not have had predator issues yet (knocking on wood
) but the sad experiences shared here make even a hard head like me sit up and take notice. It would too hard a lesson to learn the hard way...Again, thanks for all of the knowledge shared and for the archives and FAQ section and for the PMCA for all of the help and quarterly newsletters that inspire us to become better landlords. I can't wait till next year. It brings a whole new meaning to March Madness!!!
Just read Astrid's post about how did we get started.... From the family. Grandpa built wooden martin houses in our rural small town in east central Kansas as did many many folks back in the '60's... My mom and dad did too. When I married my wife in '86, her mom and dad were martineers and when we settled down to our permanent residence in the country, it seemed natural we erect some houses too.
bill
What brand gourd rack are you using? From what I can see you have no need for SREHs, you are very fortunate.
As far as a supersite is concerned, I think we are going to stand pat with 40 holes for now. That's a lot of time and energy for two working people... Here's a couple of other pics...