Purple Martin houses made of plastic, mimicking those that used to be made out of gourds.
Purple Martins over-winter in Colombia, south through Brazil and Argentina.
The fancy pole and houses are protected from raccoons, possums, and snakes by an inverted trash can tube and conical baffle.
Projecting hooks and struts reduce the success of hawk, falcon, and owl attacks.
Lots of predators means bird houses need lots of protection to successfully produce young.
Mirror balls have been used to deter hawk predation on pigeons lofts and some are now using them for martin houses. Birds of prey usually fly after prey with the sun at their backs. The mirror ball reflects the sun back at the hawk, confusing them. That's one theory as to how the reflection works for deterring hawks.
ReplyDelete