What is Male Porch Domination / What Are Porch Dividers

[Terry Suchma]

Dear Professor Birdsit,

Saw 3 scouts while I was out cleaning my PM houses. I have a 2 layer castle type about 8 feet off the ground and a 2 layer apartment house(3 straight across,front and back) about 8 1/2 feet off the dround. they were occupied except the 2 middle units that face the morning sun.

Any idea why those would stay empty.

I never check during the season as the birds "dive bomb" us if we get to close.

Annie in Goodland


Dear Ms Annie,

It is BIRDBRAIN not BIRDISIT! Ohhhhhhhhhhhh! It sounds so close to Birds&it!! Well, I never!!

It has been a proven fact for many a martin moon that in houses with several compartments along a contiguous porch, that the middle holes in such housing setups are not typically taken by any martin pairs.

WHY?

Because the males exhibit a behavior called Male Porch Domination.

Egads, "What is Male Porch Domination?"
Male Porch Domination is the domination by adult males that nest in the outter compartments of the empty center hole. If your house has three compartments on one contiguous floor, then #2 will not typically be taken and nested. However, the two compartments on the outside will. That would be #1 and #3 leaving #2 empty.

The domineering adult males will defend the middle compartment so no martin pair will take it. This pretty much leaves out all subadult males and their females.

In order to fix this situation, it is easy. Landlords should consider making or purchasing porch dividers.

OK, what are porch dividers?

Porch Dividers are partitions between the compartments similar to privacy walls between townhouses. When Porch Dividers are installed on a house with compartments on a contiguous porch, the adult males on the outside compartments (#1 & #3 units) cannot defend what they cannot see on the other side of the Porch Divider.

Porch Dividers will increase the residency rate in a martin house. Typical residency rate in a house with compartments on a contiguous floor is from 50%-65%. Residency rates with porch dividers increases the residency from 75%-100%.

I can attest to this as many other landlords with this information can also. I never had 100% residency rate, but I did have 90% success in filling all my compartments.

So, Annie, my dear, it is not the sunny side that deters martins, it is the fact that the contiguous porch is not private. Martins are like their humans; they like the privacy.

And, more, males like the privacy that affords their female mates of better protection from the prying eyes of the males martins at the colony. In addition, martins, again, like their humans, like more personal space.

HOW TO MAKE PORCH DIVIDERS

Buy a roll of aluminum flashing from Home Depot, Lowes, Etc.

Measure from the porch floor to the ceiling.

Measure from the railing to the house wall.

Cut these demensions out of the flashing and sand and smooth all sharp sides.

Place flat porch divider between the inside wall and the door of #1 compartment and close door. Now, pull out the porch divider to meet the railing.

Poke a hole with a pencil at the bottom of the porch divider next to the railing and with plastic coated wire, thread through hole and attach porch divider to the railing for stability.

Make 8 porch dividers for a 12 room house (e.g., Trio MSS-12)

With the installation of the porch dividers, you will have a wall between the compartments now, making the center hole more private for new coming martins to join your colony.

As for the "dive bombing" behavior, Annie, my dear, martins, not all martins, but some defensive parent martins will dive bomb any humans or pets underneath the birdhouses when they have young in their nests. I would opine that you may have more of a problem in this regard because your houses are installed a little closer to the ground than most.

Your houses are installed 8 feet off the ground and the normal height of martin houses is from 10-20 ft. So, you are closer to the fearful martins when you are in your yard.

Despite the dive bombings, if you have an easily accessed martin house or gourdrack, you really should do regular nestchecks. Doing regular nestchecks in the season (before the oldest young in the house are 20 days of age--after that, do not disturb the birdbox again) will troubleshoot major problems before they become MAJOR.
__________________
Academically yours,
Professor BirdBrain

[PaulaZ]

Dear Professor BirdBrain,

I am surprised you did not advise Annie to wear a hat if she is predisposed. If she is really worried about head hits, she may want to purchase or borrow a construction hat. I imagine a construction worker would happily give her one for free if she explained what she needed it for. Big burly men usually get a huge kick out of weird bird ladies. I speak from experience.

I had my first experience with major dive bombing when I began doing weekly nest checks of Tree Swallows (TRES) in Ohio. It took me a couple of years to be able to monitor the boxes without ducking as they swooped, clicked, and brushed my hair. They never hit me in the head, however, and I was determined to enable myself to meet their onslaught head on and eye to eye without flinching. I discovered that a couple of marguaritas ingested before an early evening nest check did the trick. I was emboldened and steadfast. I had a strange desire to yell "Toro!" or "ole!" as they headed for my eyes, but other than that, I did not move a muscle. As always, they veered off at the last possible milisecond, and I have been able to monitor without hard hats or alcohol since that day with no flinching.

I have only actually been hit in the head by a male Eastern Bluebird who was feeling rather stressed when picnic tables and protective caution fencing were installed near his nest box this spring in anticipation of the Powell Festival (20,000 people partied near his box).

Of all the birds I monitor, PUMA are actually the most docile. I do have one male who dives and screeches at me, but I give him the thumbs up, and declare "Ole!" We seem to have an understanding...

Respectfully,
Miss Chievous
(Paula)

[Terry Suchma]

Dear Paula,

I believe a late answer is better than no answer.

Porch Domination behavior is behavior exhibited by adult males in a colony that prevents other males, chiefly subadult males, from nesting in houses with contiguous porches.

For instance, in Trio houses, such as MSS-12s, MSS-8s, and other houses with contiguous porches, the compartments are lined up on the porches Unit #1; Unit #2; and, Unit #3. There are no demarcations on the porch to separate any of the units from the one next door. Typically, the center hole (Unit #2) of a floor with three compartments is usually not taken. This is because adult males in the end units (Unit #1 and Unit #3) will defend the hole next to them and no allow any martin male and female to take this hole. This is Male Porch Domination behavior.

The cure for Male Porch Domination is to install a porch divider or wall between Unit #1 and Unit #2 as well as between Unit #2 and Unit #3.

What the male martins cannot see on the other side of the porch divider, they will not defend.

Dividers can be purchased from martin vendors. They also can be made easily by landlords.

Purchase, or perhaps, you have, aluminum flashing. If you do have to purchase flashing, it is reasonably affordable. It is soft so you can make holes in it and it can be cut with old scissors.

1. Measure from the floor to the ceiling of the porch.
2. Measure from the railing to the front wall of the house and add 1"
3. Make a template from these two measurements
4. Cut out your dividers from the flashing.
5. Sand well all cut edges
6. Insert the porch divider between the inside wall of Unit #1 and the door and pull out to the railing.
7. With a pencil or something else that is pointed and sharp, poke a hole in the bottom front of the divider panel (close to the railing).
8. Use plastic coated wire and insert though the hole and secure to the railing. Make sure wire ends will not harm birds or get caught up in their feet and claws.

In a Trio MSS-12 house, you will need 8 porch dividers, 2 for every floor.

Without porch dividers, average residency in a Trio MSS-12 is 55-65%.

With the addition of porch dividers, the MSS-12 may now enjoy the residency rate of 75-100%.

Porch Dividers are a good tool also to keep young nestling wanders within their compartment porch boundaries also. They not only save nestling lives, but keep the nestlings from wandering into other compartments with small, younger nestlings and commandeering all the incoming food causing the younger, smaller baby birds to become weakened, and, in some cases, they smaller young can die.

[PaulaZ]

Terry,
Thank you so much. This explains a lot. I have a couple 12-compartment houses that have been reduced to 6 compartments (doubled them up). I imagine porch dividers on these would be a good idea also and will try to make some this spring.

Paula