Guess what this is.......

[dicklaxt]

It won't be to hard for those in the know but I find that most don't know about this sort of thing.

dick:)

[colelover178]

yeah i have no idea lol

[Dadecountyanthony]

It's an anemometer :)

[dicklaxt]

Here's a clue or two.

It is in my back yard,the top is 16 feet tall(off the ground) and the whole assembly can be lowered to the ground via ropes and pulleys. I have another with 12 gizmos and another with 4 gizmos for a total of 36 gizmos.

dick

[LensBaby]

I some type of antenna for radio's etc.

[dicklaxt]

Last clue

The users travel up to 8000 to 14000 miles to and from every year.

Answer at 6PM today Texas Time

See Ya

dick

[dicklaxt]

There is a small very delicate bird called a Purple Martin who migrates from Southern Brazil to the NW Territories in Canada and all points in between in the USA.They usually arrive in Texas and East to Florida in mid to late January and leave for their trip south to Brazil in August.

This bird is a true insectivore,they will not eat seeds or berries.In and during their yearly migrations and nesting areas they are subject to great losses due to inclement weather,drought,starvation,predation etc.

What you see in the pic is their housing where they nest.Those of us who offer this, are called Landlords.These are man made gourds, made from High Density Polyethelene. We provide nesting material with in,devices to deter snake,owl and hawk predation and suplemental feeding of meal worms and crickets,when needed.The gourds are usually purchased plain and the Landlords add their own preference of entry type,porches,vents,rain hoods,tunnels, etc.They have large screw on covers that can be removed for nest checks and overall monitoring of a clutch of eggs from egg laying to leaving the nest which is about seven weeks.

The survival rate is not very good from year to year,it is less than 50% so they are doomed to exstinction in another 4 or 5 hundred years unless they are helped along. The current count is estimated to be between 8 and 12 million.The average life span is only about 5 to 6 years.It is estimated that there are presently over a million Landlords in the USA.

They are a joy to watch in there stay with me each year,they will return sometimes to even the exact same cavity. I successfully fledged about 80 young from 128 eggs last year. We had a drought at the time and the insect hatch was very low so a lot of the young didn't make it.It is especially a treat to watch the little ones make their first flight into the world.

If you or anyone you know would like to enter this wonderful hobby I would be glad to assist in any way I can with reference links and advice..A point of how addictive this hobby can be there is a man in Tennesee who offers over 700 cavities for nesting at his site.

BTW,this pic was shot with a Nifty Fifty.

dick

[dicklaxt]

Heres a couple of pics,nestlings waiting for dinner and a newly hatched