PM Housing Sun Shade by Gisela
Created to help shade the nest during hot Texas weather.
Material is made from a plastic coated sheet called "Coraplate" and tie wrapped to hold in place.
Adverse Weather & What Landlords Can Do To Help PMs
Here is an excellent link to The Purple Martin Society, NA where they discuss adverse weather conditions and what landlords can do to help the Purple Martins.
http://www.purplemartins.com/Topics/adverse-weather.htm
Pre-Season Preparedness
- Check all hardware i.e.: Cables, pulley assemblies and ropes. You want to make sure everything is working properly and does so as quietly as possible.
- Check poles at ground socket level and insure they will not rotate. Sometimes the ground (especially Black Gumbo type soil) will shift or gap open and may cause a rotating problem.
- Rotating problems can occur at the top house location. Sometimes high winds will cause the house to turn a few degrees (while raising) and seem to lock slightly to one side. You can put a paint mark on the house and pole when locked correctly. Just observe the alignment marks to insure perfect directional lock, before walking away.
- Textured tap/3M Safety-walk tapes: These type tapes should be used in a small (approximately ½ X 2” strip) area, in front of each Crescent or Extruder entrances, to help prevent martins from slipping during inclement weather, while trying to enter their compartment.
- Install the housing before the martin’s arrival date in your area. Which includes having diatomaceous earth (D.E), under nest trays and door stops in place. For your gourds with Crescent openings, you can purchase “Swimming Noodles” (WAL MART), slice off a 1” thick piece, and cut that piece in half. That now will make (2) good door stops.
- Pre-Nest Material: Some nest material should be added to each nest compartment. I suggest a least (3) three inches of material in each gourd. Some martins will remove it, but most will just add more. Don’t forget the D.E. under that material.
- You should look for wasp and their nest in all housing, before season starts. If you do find a nest and feel they may return, just remove the nest and apply Vasoline Petroleum jelly to the surface. They can not get a grip to restart and will move on.
- Check your perching/Antenna rods on housing. If you find one broken, you can
- easily repair it by inserting a ¼” wooden dowel piece into each half, as you put them back together. Just wrap joint with tape and it’s ready to hold up the weight of the birds again.
- You should be sure you have extra nest material on hand. My martins prefer pine needles and 3” long twigs (hand cut) from our willow these. Like the pine needles, they are soft and easily bend to go into the compartment.
- Make sure your egg shells, oyster shells, feeder and nest material trays are all in good shape and in position, before the martins arrive. And of course the egg and oyster shell supply, is on hand.
- Check to be sure you have 70% Rubbing Alcohol and a small spray bottle to hold what you need during nest checks. With the Alcohol (for spraying hands and compartment for instant kill of mites) and the Martin House Protector (all natural enzymes spray thru Nature Society), and nest changes, you can remove 97% of each mite infestation you come upon. That other 3% is on the birds, which you should not spray for. They will survive with this minimal few.
Informative Video By Bruntdog aka Tim
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdbY1Rn_hwg
Larry Melcher Feeding
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3nnjMA6MvM
This is an excellent sight with great information for PM landlords:
http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/Documents/12199.pdf
