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SREH

 Entrances

I've been asked a number of different times about SREH (Southtarling Resistant Entrance Hole) entrances.  What's the all-time, do they really work, etc? Well, on this page, we'll explore diverse entrances that are used/bachelor for purple martins.

Some history:

First, there'southward the ole' ROUND pigsty.  This hole style has been effectually for years, literally.  It was the very get-go archway hole used by early purple martin landlords.  They witnessed martins going in and out of them, measured them and that'due south how the two" came near.  And yes, they are still used today.  They've been around for ages, are plenty big enough for regal martins to become in and so that's what'southward used.

However; that round hole fashion is quickly condign obsolete and are existence replaced past SREH archway holes.  The reason; European Starlings.  Starlings have become very abundant in the Us and Canada and in fact, have become a scourge to purple martin landlords beyond the country.  They are likewise cavity nesters and can get in these 2" holes but every bit easily as martins and if that happens, your martin house volition quickly be taken over past them and your martins will not be immune to nest.  Starlings are known to kill martins if they can trap them in their compartments and thus, round holes just aren't the mode of hole to use anymore.

Second, there'southward the new SREH archway holes.  Now let me state, in that location are a number of different styles available.  Once the original Crescent version came bachelor and was constitute to work well for keeping starlings out of martin housing, other martin landlords investigated and decided to meet if they could come upward with i of their own that worked, and I have to say, there are a number of them.  On this page, nosotros'll investigate the top ones, simply because I have experience in using them and have my own have on them.

one - The Oblong, sorry, I don't know who came upward with it.  However, because it was rapidly breached by starlings, (fifty-fifty more than than the Crescent available at the fourth dimension) it was quickly dropped as a SREH entrance.  The starling simply twisted sideways and was able to easily enter.

2- The Excluder, invented by a man named John "Duke" Snyder, from Butler, PA.  First let me state, this design has been patented by Duke.  Does it work, aye.  I've tried a few hither.  But you lot'll accept to pay to get them, I'1000 not well-nigh to get into any legal bug trying to describe any of the details of how to make them, so I'1000 going to permit this one go...  If y'all want to read more near it, and so go here http://purplemartin.org/update/10(1)snyder.html

Now, I will say that I used a 1 3/16" Forstener scrap and made a variation of the excluder, (3 holes side by side and flattening the top), and tried them.  Aye, they were used, but I saw nothing in the results that was whatsoever reward over using the regular Crescent, so I no longer use them.

3 - The Conley, invented by a human being named Willy Conley, PA.  This is a variation of the oblong with a dip for the torso of the martin, however; I've read on a number of unlike occasions that starlings were easily able to breach these.  In fact, most folks that used them, speedily inverse them back out in favor of the original crescent.

If you're interested in seeing the nesting results comparison between the Excluder and the Conley, and so go here, http://www.entrancesbysandy.com/id224.htm

4 - The Clinger, a have off of the original Crescent and invented past a man named Mike Brownish from Kentucky.  Mike approached the idea that, originally martins employ their tails to button themselves into their compartment.  And then he took a Crescent, cut the sides off of it and so, rather than using an external porch, instead placed a vertical plate on the front of the entrance, thus causing the martins to have to 'cling' to the entrance hole and then push themselves in.  This besides proved to be literally impossible for the starlings to do considering of their long legs and not knowing how to use their tales to push with.

Did I try some?  Yes, v of them!

Did Starlings get in?  NO!

Did they work?  Yes!  2 of them had nesting pairs to start with.  Still; I found that they were the 'last' compartments called in my colony.  The martins apparently didn't feel comfortable in having to 'force' themselves into their compartments, especially when in that location were easier crescents all around to utilise.  I watched the martins and they just seemed to be 'working' to get into their compartment each time they entered and that made ME feel uncomfortable and I know they had to employ up more energy to do it.

So I took another version of the archway and changed all the clinger plate versions out for that entrance, including the 2 nesting gourds.  (Shown hither).  I added a porch under ALL of them, flush with the bottom of the entrance, and almost instantly, the nesting martins seemed happier.  In fact, other martins were soon investigating them.  Purple martins are very curious birds and out and of the remaining iii, 2 of those were quickly taken.

So I have to say, the archway hole itself was a success, simply I'm still going to say that instead of the Clinger 'Plate', I'm going to apply the version that has porches nether mine.  My martins just seemed so much happier with them.  Practice I still have them upwards in my colony?  Yes!  I yet move them around each yr to run across if it made a difference.  It didn't!  They were used where ever they were.

This entrance comes in a number of various options and if you cull this entrance style, I suggest using the porches with it.  It'll exist up to you to decide what option you want to use.

5 - The Crescent, the original SREH, invented by the late Charles McEwen, New Brunswick, CA.  He had very big problems with European Starlings killing his martins and decided to come upwards with an archway hole that the martins could get into, but the starlings couldn't.  He measured many starlings that he'd shot versus martins and institute that the breast plate of starlings was slightly larger than a martin's, so he tried diverse styles of entrances and finally settled on the crescent.

After testing/refining information technology for a couple of years, he went public with it with the PMCA.

IMMEDIATELY, the nay-sayers showed up, refuting the use of them because of all the stresses that they put on martins that tried to utilize them.  They made their statements without even giving ANY considerations to the fact that starlings killed the martins they could trap in their compartments.  All kinds of reasons were showing up, from scrubbed/frayed feathers, to some that said their martins couldn't enter and some actually showed martins with bloody necks.  However, anyone looking at the photos with a petty common sense could easily tell that the photos were ludicrous.  A martin didn't fifty-fifty have the strength to induce that much damage to their necks.

Fortunately for us (and the martins) it presently became apparent that the martins COULD use these holes and it didn't take long for all of these nay-sayers to quickly autumn by the wayside.  Many landlords that had starling issues started using these new styled entrances (myself included) and found that, all the reasons given by the folks refuting them, were unfounded.  I personally found NONE of the reasons stated for non using them showed up in my colony.  In fact, my martins readily began using them.  AND... I was ecstatic that the starlings at my site fought and fought to get in...and couldn't.  Obviously, it didn't take me long to modify out my unabridged site to these new styled entrances and not but did my martins feel better... so did I.

The Crescent mode of SREH entrances has shown to be and then constructive that virtually responsible housing manufacturers at present offer them on their housing, knowing that starlings are a proven danger to martins and their young and went ahead and did something about information technology.

Those that oasis't made the change withal oasis't caught up with the rest of us.

Many landlords still continue to examination things with purple martins (myself included) and of grade, everyone is looking at 'what's better' for the martins and what isn't.

A bully deal of testing went into the compartment sizes for martins and something very interesting came out of it.  The depth of compartments seemed to be a big deal with martins.  Both vertical and horizontal depths were tested, but information technology was speedily proven that horizontally deeper compartments were the hands down favorite of martins.  If given the choice of a regular half dozen" x six" compartment versus a 6" x 12" compartment, the martins chose the deeper compartment virtually every time.  Obviously, this was a no-brainer.  The deeper compartments immune much more room to enhance a brood while at the aforementioned time, allowed the martins to dorsum out of the accomplish of whatsoever potential marauding predator such as an owl or hawk.  It was also determined that if the smaller compartments in purchased houses were enlarged by drilling a 2" hole into the dorsum compartment and endmost off the back entrance hole, 100% of the time the martins would build their nest in that dorsum compartment.  Again, kind of a no-brainer.  It was safer.  If your firm nonetheless has the old 6" x half dozen" compartments and you lot're interested in doing this to your business firm, wait here

Thus, with these new findings, many commercial housing manufacturers incorporated this into their designs as well and it's those houses that the martins have no problem setting upwards residence, so obviously, if you lot're looking for new martin housing, these are the houses that you should expect for.  Notwithstanding, there are still those manufacturers that don't pay attention to these new findings and their housing is yet manufactured to the 'former and outdated' standards.

And so, do I take a favorite?  Admittedly!  The crescent/round hole tunnel shown here has go my favorite.

Why?

Because information technology does a couple of different things.

1-past simply placing this over the original entrance hole, information technology makes Whatsoever compartment deeper.  My own testing here on my houses has shown that the martins actually prefer these compartments.

2-this tunnel comes with BOTH a crescent AND a round hole already molded into them with plugs included.  IF for some reason, the landlord doesn't feel comfortable with using the Crescents just yet, they can but plug the pigsty they don't want.  Nevertheless, I assure y'all, the martins volition readily utilise the crescents and THAT keeps the starlings at bay.

three-information technology comes with both internal and external ribbed porches, thus giving the martins plenty of traction to enter and get out.  It even has a rough ridged tiptop for whatever martins to sit down on and baby-sit their entrance.  I've even put some of these on some of my natural gourds and they've proven to be very popular in my colony.  ALL my wooden houses now have these and I have to admit, they have proven to be popular.

I have BOTH the Clinger version tunnel shown above and the Crescent version shown here and they both work, still, I exercise like the round hole option.  WHY?  Because I still work for a living and can't always be effectually to defend my colony, and if  I do happen to have a starling show upwards and not want to exit, I can get in a starling trap by simply allowing the starling to enter the round hole and get caught in the trap I put on the inside of the compartment.  One time caught and dispatched, I but revert it back to a martin compartment.  Simple every bit that.

So, is the round hole chosen out in all the books wrong.  NO!  In that location are still plenty of places where starlings haven't become an upshot even so and it's perfectly fine for folks to employ them.  In fact, I nonetheless accept them in my own house design.  However; I built in the option of calculation the crescent tunnel to the front of my house, just in case.  Folks tin start out with the round holes and if starlings exercise show upwardly, information technology's but a matter of adding the tunnels to keep them at bay.

So in that location you have it, a little info on the unlike entrance styles.  Along with this, there's lots more data about all the unlike styles online if y'all want to do a picayune searching.  Read it all so make an informed decision.

Oh, and if you lot do settle on the tunnels every bit I have, they can be purchased from South&K Mfg out of O'Fallon, Missouri.

http://www.sk-mfg.com

whittingtonwilicul.blogspot.com

Source: http://chuckspurplemartinpage.com/srehentr.htm