MOUNTING AND USING THE "NB-COMPACT" TRAP

The NB-Compact was designed to be a pole mounted trap although you could probably use your imagination a little and mount it under an eave or wherever you think it would be effective. Mine sits atop a pole 9' above the ground mounted much like a Martin house.

Whatever mounting system you employ just be sure that the screws or bolts you use to secure it are not so long as to interfere with the workings inside the trap. Same goes for the screws that hold on the porch (optional) or the pipe that transports the trapped bird to the cage below.

Speaking of that pipe.... The photo shows my method of doing it but this is another place where you can use some imagination. In fact, a pipe like this is not required.

You could mount the holding pen to the back of the trap but as I mentioned earlier you would have to climb up to the trap to remove the bird. You would also have to fashion some sort of trap door on the exit hole so the "entrapped" could not get back into the box and escape through the entrance hole.

Starlings in particular can figure out a trap door in short order, I would strongly suggest using the pipe. My model actually worked better when using the "pipe method". When the holding cage was mounted on the rear of the trap the captured birds made too much noise. The ones you were trying to catch paid way too much attention to the cage and not enough to the front of the trap. Now that the cage is 4 to 5 feet down the pole I rarely see a Starling go down to investigate. They seem drawn by the noise but they go first to the roof or porch. I often see them "listening" at the entrance hole before going in. Perhaps the sound of the decoy birds transfers up the pipe and gives the illusion that the sounds are coming from within the box itself. I'll get a $750,000 government grant to study this and report back to you.

When I designed mine I had envisioned a 90-degree elbow made of clear plastic or Plexiglas mounted over the exit hole. It would angle downward where it would couple to regular PVC all the way down to the pen. I wanted the elbow to be clear because a bright escape route is what the Starling or Sparrow would be looking for, clear would allow the light to come through.

As it turned out I settled for a 48" section of 4" diameter clothes dryer vent pipe and a 90 degree aluminum elbow, clear pipe and fittings were nowhere to be found except for the ones made for Hamsters and the size was too small. I found a 90-degree aluminum elbow made by "Builders Best." The part number is 10008. Found it at our local "Home Depot" store.

Most any store that deals with plumbing, ducting or major appliances should have what you need. The one I found was easily converted so that one end had a flat flange which made mounting it to the back of the trap easy. Again, be sure the screws you use do not go too far into the interior and block the mechanism (This message brought to you again by the Department of Redundancy Department). In fact when attaching anything to the trap you might use small headed bolts and go from the inside outward with it.

A 48" straight section of metal, smooth wall dryer vent pipe connected perfectly to the other end of the elbow and was the ideal length to carry the bird down to the holding pen below. Slick "smoothwall" pipe prevents the bird from climbing back up the pipe and for this reason no trap door is needed when using this method.

The only trouble with an elbow of this type is that it's opaque. No light can get through. The problem can be solved by drilling about 50 holes 1/8" in diameter in the corner of the elbow as shown in the photo. Your 4" diameter pipe (or PVC) will attach to the other end of this elbow and run parallel to your mounting pole down to the holding cage. Build a wire mesh holding cage and attach it to the mounting pole at a level that's in easy reach for you. Cut a 4" diameter hole in the top of the cage for your pipe to hang through.

You're done!

During the time of year when the Martins are gone you could mount this thing anywhere you want. However when they're here I would suggest putting it in a spot where Martins rarely tread like near a tree and possibly at a lower height, anything to discourage the Martins from entering it. I put mine up while the last few young Martins were learning to fly and even though the trap was surrounded by tree branches and only 9' up, one of the young ones couldn't resist it and he got caught.

I would imagine that some of the more curious Martins will end up in this thing next year so that makes checking this (or any trap) on a daily basis very important. This brings me to a question that I could use some input on. Recent studies have shown that a certain sized "elliptical" or "horizontal oval" Martin house entrance hole may repel Starlings because they cannot fit through it. The flatter and thinner Martin can.

Has anyone mounted such a hole on the HOLDING CAGE OF A TRAP as an escape just incase a Martin should become captured? And more importantly....will it keep Starlings IN the cage. I get this feeling a Starling might still fit through it when his life depends on it! Of course the smaller Sparrow would surely get away. Would love some input on this subject. In the mean time I'm going to work on a device that will disable the trap when no one is there to keep an eye on it. Probably a cable activated do-hicky that will lock the can in the up position.

I really didn't know just how many Starlings were in the area till this thing was installed. In only 3 weeks it's captured over 60 Starlings and that surprises me. On three occasions I came home to find 7 in the holding pen. Just like any repeating bird trap, IT ALWAYS WORKS BETTER IF ONE BIRD IS LEFT IN THE PEN AS A DECOY. It may mean feeding and watering him to keep him going but the rewards are worth it.

Not everyone uses traps in the management of their Purple Martin colony; perhaps it's the expense or the complexity that keeps them from it. I sincerely hope that NB-Compact was presented in such a way that it may change a few minds. It's a very simple trap to build; it's effective, and CHEAP! A little bit of plywood, a coffee can, scrap lumber and hardware...that's it, the only thing I had to buy was the 4" vent pipe and the elbow. Everything else was found in the corner of the work shed or in the junk drawer (your scrap pile may vary).

If you've got a Starling problem this just may be the ticket. Combine this with a good Sparrow Control Program and you should have a "pest free" colony next Spring! Good luck!

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