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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2020 8:47:52 GMT
We saw our first around our street on Good Friday. Then on Monday I witnessed one visiting a mud nest on the house opposite. So we quickly unbocked the entrances to our 4 nests.
Two weeks earlier than last year!
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Post by Ann70 on Apr 14, 2020 9:07:00 GMT
Oh good luck with the house martins Benn, you are having amazing time where you are how wonderful
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2020 10:43:08 GMT
Thanks Ann!
Hope you are making the best of the current situation. We have just come back from a long walk through our Moorland woods. Beautiful still, clear crisp day up here. The temp dropped to minus 4 overnight but we had no frost this morning.
Checked a few boxes up there. No material as yet but lots of Great and Blue tits giving off alarm calls as we approached the various boxes.
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Post by WildlifePaul on Apr 14, 2020 11:55:48 GMT
Brilliant stuff Benn, How many do you normally have nesting on the house?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2020 7:49:15 GMT
Hi Paul We usually get 3 or 4 pairs with the latter number for the last few seasons. As you can see from the picture below, the two on the left are the concrete artificial ones that I put up in the 1990's. These are used every year. Then there are two that are built or rebuilt above the alarm to the right. I accidentally broke the front off the left one when I was blocking access to the blue tits last month. However, they have crumbled away in previous winters and are quickly repaired by returning birds. I reckon we now have about 11 or 12 nests on the street so have quite a colony. I am quietly pleased that I started the process by putting up the concrete nests which took a couple of seasons before they attracted a single pair. We often get 3 broods, but last year the birds had disappeared from our street by early September having stopped at two.
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Post by greatbluehopeful on Apr 15, 2020 8:34:32 GMT
Hi Benn...great to know the House Martins are on their way. Was sure I heard the familiar twitter/chatter of them but I've been looking to the skies here, but haven't seen any yet?? I'm new to this area, but presuming that they will be arriving to this location too.
Anyway, just looking for advice as my pair of House Martin homemade boxes will be ready in a few days....what direction is your ones facing?
Also, what height are they up under the eaves?
Your house looks like a two storey, but this year I'm a bungalow person now - so I've only two aspect options.
1. East facing along the eaves of the garage....but do you think putting them under the eaves of the shed is too low (About 2.5ft up?)
2. Or should I put them up under the '^' apex of the garage roof, in at the highest point - this is north facing though?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2020 8:47:29 GMT
Hi GBH
My nests face East, South East if that makes sense. They are at the front of our house under the eaves 3 storeys up as our house is built into the hillside so only two at the back.
The higher the better. I believe direction is not so crucial as we have nests facing North on three houses and East and West on two more houses.
I wanted to mount my swift boxes high up at the front too but the only areas free from House Martins is simply too high for me to climb on my ladders. So they went around the back, two storeys up. Not ideal as my back garden is also elevated by about 5 ft. But it was the best I could do.
Let me know how you go on.
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Post by WildlifePaul on Apr 15, 2020 10:10:43 GMT
Brilliant Benn, We don't have many in our area or I would try myself, One year we did have one hanging on the wall under the eves and I got really excited but they went after that no building.
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Post by Deleted on May 5, 2020 7:50:12 GMT
Well after excitingly announcing our early arrival 3 weeks ago, it took another 2 weeks before one of ours arrived on our street. Its 3 weeks now and I'd expect to see 12 to 20 but there are only 2 or 3. I wonder if the blustery Easterly cool winds are delaying them?
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Post by WildlifePaul on May 5, 2020 11:01:19 GMT
Could be Benn, I'm sure the rest will turn up soon!
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Post by elle on May 5, 2020 16:57:51 GMT
I shall be watching this quite closely Benn, keep us updated.
Elle Xx
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2020 18:26:31 GMT
And tonight the sky is full!
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Post by poor54 on Apr 8, 2024 11:45:00 GMT
Place decoys of natural predators like owls, hawks, or snakes on or near your porch. Birds will often avoid areas where they perceive a threat. Ways to Keep Birds Off Porch
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