Help design an artificial House Martin nest! (1 Viewer)

[Fokke]

Hi all!

I'm currently doing a master thesis on designing a new artificial House Martin nest and I would love to get some input from fellow bird enthusiasts!
I'd like to hear about your experiences with house Martin nests in general (are there any problems you had with your nests, did they get preyed by owls, woodpeckers, etc..) and if you have or would use any artificial nests. I think it is also very interested to hear if you have designed and built your own artificial nest and if they did or didn't work.

I'm very much looking forward to your responses

Best regards,

Fokke

 

[Mono]

In the UK artificial House Martin nests are readily available to buy, don't know if that is the same in Sweden.

Nest Boxes for House Martins, Swifts and Swallows

House Martins, Swifts and Swallows build nesting sites in colonies, therefore require a specific nesting box.

www.birdfood.co.uk

I have improvised a replacement nest but I don't think it would work commercially!

House Martin transplant!

Last week my wife phoned to tell me that a house martin nest at the school where she teaches had fallen down. The young had been collected and placed in a box. I went to the rescue! Together with a parent we gave the chicks a drink and fashioned a replacement nest out of a sweet container. We...

www.birdforum.net

 

[Fokke]

In the UK artificial House Martin nests are readily available to buy, don't know if that is the same in Sweden.

Nest Boxes for House Martins, Swifts and Swallows

House Martins, Swifts and Swallows build nesting sites in colonies, therefore require a specific nesting box.

www.birdfood.co.uk

I have improvised a replacement nest but I don't think it would work commercially!

House Martin transplant!

Last week my wife phoned to tell me that a house martin nest at the school where she teaches had fallen down. The young had been collected and placed in a box. I went to the rescue! Together with a parent we gave the chicks a drink and fashioned a replacement nest out of a sweet container. We...

www.birdforum.net

I see the same sorts in Sweden. What I'm aiming my project at (and forgot to mention) is that I'm trying to see if there is a way to design the nest to not look natural anymore, but still be attractive for the birds to use. Most people that already appreciate the House Martins won't mind the clay structure on their houses but the problem is that there are many people out there that do. I'm trying to see how they can be encouraged to participate in the conservation of the HM without having to settle for natural, or natural looking, nests.

 

[Fokke]

In the UK artificial House Martin nests are readily available to buy, don't know if that is the same in Sweden.

Nest Boxes for House Martins, Swifts and Swallows

House Martins, Swifts and Swallows build nesting sites in colonies, therefore require a specific nesting box.

www.birdfood.co.uk

I have improvised a replacement nest but I don't think it would work commercially!

House Martin transplant!

Last week my wife phoned to tell me that a house martin nest at the school where she teaches had fallen down. The young had been collected and placed in a box. I went to the rescue! Together with a parent we gave the chicks a drink and fashioned a replacement nest out of a sweet container. We...

www.birdforum.net

But it is very interesting to see how the birds don't even mind an ice cream tub, even though their chicks being in it might have weighed in their decision making. I wonder if they'd use it from the start if it was hung up where they'd prefer to nest.