"I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief.
For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free." ~Wendell Berry


Tuesday, November 25, 2014

The FOB - Part 2

Now that I'm on vacation this week, the continuation of building the FOB has been my highest priority.  I do not want to wait until March and have to be doing this out in the snow!
As mentioned in my last post (http://kathyfreeze.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-freeze-owl-block-fob.html ), I had cut a couple of 18" arms to which I could test-mount the fencing.  It worked, so this past weekend, (and after sending Mr. Freeze back to the hardware store to get the right size nuts that I needed), I was able to cut and drill the rest of the arms and mount them to the gourd rack.
I then remounted all the gourd arms and made sure the nuts were tightened down so the arms would not rotate and allow the gourd to tilt downward.
The extra 18" angle arms are added to help extend and keep the fencing off the fronts of the gourds on the ends.  Holes drilled in the end of each 18" piece will be used to secure the fencing.
I then mounted the 6' aluminum angle arms between the main arms and carefully measured where I would drill the holes that would allow me to mount those without having to cut more metal, yet it would sit securely on the ends without slipping off.  Okay, I lied - I don't "measure carefully" unless Mr. Freeze insists that I need to.  And he said I didn't really need to, so I didn't.  I SWAGged it and it worked out.  I drilled a hole on each end of each arm and mounted them, butting one against the other.
The 4, 6' aluminum angle pieces are strapped down using zipties after drilling a hole in each end.  The pie-shaped top for this section was cut so that there would be no jagged edges.  They may overlap with the next piece a bit, but that's ok.  I'll also cut some 4"x4" holes in the top.
Right now, everything is secured using zip ties to ensure the design will work.  I haven't decided yet what the permanent solution will be.  I want to put this baby into practice and see what or if I will need to change something to accommodate my propensity to move quickly when doing nest checks while at the same time, not having to brush against mite-infested gourds.
I had been dreading facing two other challenges - figuring out how to get the maximum coverage from above without having to do a lot of cutting and what to use to cover the 'nibbins' when I cut out 4"x4" squares.  Today, the clouds parted and it all became clear.  Once I realized that I needed a 45 degree -pie-shaped section of fence and to do that, I needed to "cut two across, down one", I tossed the ruler, the square and the angle-thingy that Mr. Freeze gave me and started cutting.  I now have a roof over the top that will prevent the owl from dropping down inside the cage.  And I can secure it to the 6' angle arms, that I mounted earlier to keep it from floppin' around.
As for the covers of the nibbins in the newly cut 4"x4" openings, I have Mr. John Barrow to thank for that idea.  I am not ashamed to say that yes, I consult with a lot of friends to 'brainstorm' when I don't have a clue how to proceed.  John sent me some suggestions and armed with that information, I went to our local hardware store.  After the laughter died down from my trying to explain what I needed, they helped me find exactly the right material - easy to cut and cheap!  This trim is used to help start siding - commonly called "undersill trim".  I cut out a piece to try it and it snaps right on.  The best part is it doesn't try to rotate or pop off!  My hardware store sold me a 6' length for $2.50.  Yep, nothing like shopping "local"!  Thanks, John!
I have lots more cutting and some fine-tuning to do and I need another roll of the wire to finish, but basically, this is what my purple martins will return home to.  I'm only now starting to feel a lot better about their return next year.

6 comments:

  1. I admire your ability to design and also construct whatever is necessary to protect your purple martins!

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  2. Hi, Kathy. I have a martin colony in Minnesota. I have 3 Trio (modified) and 1 Lone Star Goliad aluminum houses. I outfitted all of them with owl guards using the same wire material you are using, which solved the owl problem. I have two comments on your owl guard design. 1) In Part 1, you said you were going to cut out every other wire to make the openings 4x4. That would be a lot of work, and wouldn't accomplish much (other than making it lighter). The martins can easily navigate through the 2x4 openings. 2) I've read that martins are spooky about changes to their housing. Have you considered holding off installing the side panels until after a few of your martins have returned in spring?

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  3. Hi Peggy - thanks for your comment! I had the wire material on my Trendsetter last year and you are right that they can navigate the 2x4 openings. I have modified my plan somewhat and decided to make less 4x4 openings but still make some. They do a lot of teeter-tottering when they try to land on the thin wire, so to make it wider for landing, I want to add the trim pieces and honestly, it's easier to put in a 4" length of trim than a smaller 2" piece. The second reason is that I believe the owl will still attack my cage, just as he did on the house last year and some of the martins will inevitably flush out. I think that it would be easier for them to flush out through a 4x4 hole in a panic. And you're right, as much as possible, I do want to make it lighter - we have a LOT of wind here, as I bet you do too in MN!
    As to your second point, you're right - they get spooky with changes, so I am going to hold off. I'm only going to mount the top caging after they return, then put the sides on. Right now, I'm just cutting & fitting, so I'll be ready to mount everything quickly.
    Thanks for your comment! I'm so glad to hear your caging has solved your owl problem!

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  4. Thanks Kathy; we see very few owls, but they must be around because we get scouts with little follow up.

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  5. Good morning,
    Hopefully the Great Horned Owl is not disturbing your sleep this martin season.
    I've been trying to attract Purple Martins for 16 years and this year they have set up house keeping. I'm happy they are here but now I've got to rig up some shade cloth to try and keep them cool, it has already been 90 degrees here in Georgia. They won't fledge until the middle of July and I don't know if I can set the gourd rack up in the living room to take advantage of the AC.
    What is the thickness of the aluminum angle? I could read 1 label and it was 1/16" for the 18" section. Is the 6' piece the same thickness?
    What are quick release clips and how are you using them?
    Thank you.

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