Recent content by NatureFriend

There are thousands currently being used of the PE design. Reportedly they can last 20 years. I am trying to come up with a vent for these existing and surely thousands more to be sold over time. I have a good idea now what needs to be done to make the vent more effective. Thank you

Baluncore, I have one (final) question. You suggested thinning the wall of the upper chimney. Was the purpose to encourage more heat absorption thus increasing the stack effect? If so, could increasing the surface area for heat absorption by adding short, black ridges along this section...

Thank you all.

So many good ideas here. Lnewqban, Google failed me on "precary". Would having the chimney exit the gourd more towards its' peak resolve your concern? Baluncore, my guess is it's injection molded. The gourds have a seam where the two halves have been joined. The inventor told me several...

HDPE w/ UV inhibitor.

I'll get back to you on the plastic.

p.s. When I've made some adjustments, I intend to devise an experiment to test the new against a standard. That will be a later discussion but my guess is it will involve data loggers which I know little about. That will be a later topic...I don't want to wander off this topic:wink:

I am not fixated on one solution. I do many things to assure maximum brood success e.g. nest checks, changing nest material, controlling parasites, controlling predators, controlling competition for housing, bird banding, rescuing jumpers, supplemental feeding, etc., etc. One issue that has...

I actually have experience dealing with Honeysuckle. You did not mention whether the plant was alive or dead. That is a big difference in the force required to remove (my physics answer). I would also suggest you are " p...ing in the wind" if you are trying to eradicate it if you are pulling...

Baluncore, you are right about the parasites. I was only attempting to stay focused on the heat venting issue. It is easy to get off topic by all the alternative things one can do to improve brood success. I have also thought about your suggestion about tapering the stack. I could do this by...

Lnewqban, I wasn't clear. The weep holes at the bottom of the gourd are intended for drainage only. Not for air induction or circulation. Drilling additional holes along the gourd body would be problematic. The picture is in fact snow but nesting season is late spring into summer. Yes, the...

Rive, are you suggesting altering the placement of the housing to provide adequate shade? Unfortunately, the PUMA will not tolerate being too close to trees and are attracted to open areas. The going theory here is that predators hang out in "shady" places. Agreed, there are other things that...

I had researched manometers but also doubted the cheapies would register much, if at all. Will look into MAF. Good suggestion on the thin walled verticle. I'll look around for a source. Are you suggesting the taper be larger at the top or the bottom? My guess is top. I was going to try to...

Lnewqban, The "T" coupling or "vane" sits loosely on the verticle pvc so it is able to orient into the wind. It works well. There are 4 small weep holes at the bottom of the nest cavity for drainage. Nesting material stacked on top make them ineffective for ventilation. The manufacturer of...

Ah, so it is a Venturi air pump design I seek that can operate at normal air speeds? Can they? Based on the sketches online the windward and leeward side of the cone can be equal in diameter? Not constricted at one end as I have it in my prototype. Is the length of the cone critical or just the...