Winter a good time to prepare for martins arrival.

[Dave Duit]

I have heard from members in my organization that they are getting their gourds and houses in tip top shape for the martins arrival in early April in southern Iowa. Getting things such as mite control materials, white pine needles, items for modifications and repairs, checking traction strips, etc are all vital aspects of being a great landlord. It may cold as heck outside, but nothing warms my spirits more than preparing for the martins. Best of luck to every martin landlord in the Dakotas this year.

Dave Duit

[SYmywa]

Landlords in the NW MN. areas /w fixed housing, lowered, cleaned and did upgrades
in the fall before freeze-up(too cold here, in winter, to work on this housing).

One LL mentioned adding a new T-14 for the 2014 spring arrival.

One wanabe /w a real nice site along the river, purchased gourds and is procuring a rack for spring 2014.

Two neighbors I spoke to, have new T-8s set-up /w SREH and nest trays pre-loaded and reversed, ready to be raised, for spring arrival.

I'v been pruning the tops off a few trees around our site this winter and plan to include a water feature for spring arrival.

Do members in Iowa use a combination of gourds/metal or wood housing?
Is a water feature usually part of the site format?

[Dave Duit]

Iowa purple martin landlords use a variety of housing; a trend toward more gourds are occurring. By water feature, do you mean misters for heat relief? If this is the case, yes, some Iowans use misters for hot days.

[SYmywa]

Hello,

What percent of Iowa PM. Landlords are rural /w their site located near
water?

Is misting applied over the housing, for hi temp cooling?

Does wood housing also require misting, for hi temp. cooling?

If gourds equal independence, does it come at a hi price?

[Dave Duit]

I'm guessing about 10-20% landlords are very close to water. Misters need to be directed away from contact with the housing. Many landlords that use misters will adapt the misters to focus the spray on perch wires next to houses. Wood, metal houses and gourds can benefit from misters on very hot days; just don't have the mist falling over the houses. I feel that gourds are what landlords are trending toward because of the long time endurance and ease of cleaning and nest checks. But, I believe the martins will chose the housing they feel most comfortable. Just like people, they have preferences in housing. I also think that offering a variety of housing options is good for martins.

[SYmywa]

Asked my uncle if he still had the PM housing, from years back?
He said he did, but it had been vacant for awhile and needed lowering and cleaning, so
I offered to help him. since there are PM in the neighborhood.
He also mentioned the pole hinges for lowering the house.?
Have you any experience with this type of system?
Am wondering if this system will allow normal maintenance or if a
mod. is available to make this more user friendly?

[Dave Duit]

If the system tilts down sideways, you will definitely need to up grade. There are many good companies out there offering set ups. I have a cousin, who is a welder by trade make me custom gourd racks. I would suggest a 2 inch or 3 inch sqaure rack pole cemented into the ground. Don't get the cheap aluminum telescoping poles; they will bend in high winds.

[SYmywa]

Thanks Dave,

Sounds like my uncle has an antiquated system and may have
encroching trees. If he calls for some help, I may have to do a
site evaluation and suggest an upgraded system.
If it turns out the site is ok and he agrees to an upgrade, would
you think a good winch pole /w a small 2 or 4 compartment wood
house would be good for a restart, or could a small 4 gourd rack
system be suitable for NW MN? Any thoughts here

[Dave Duit]

Wood housing is good and you may want to let him know that added insulation will help especially in northern MN. For further info on keeping martins warm, check out the Minnesota website at www.mnmartin.org
Best of luck.

[SYmywa]

THANKS FOR THE RESPONSE.

THE MN.MARTIN SITE IS PARKED AND THE FORUMS IN NANNA LAND.?!

ANYONE ELSE, THOUGHTS OR EXPERIENCE USING WOOD HOUSING VERSUS
GOURDS UP IN THE NORTHERN TIER?