Non perch ledges

[zip]

I am in the process of building my Mews.
I am placing 1/2" sch 40 PVC in the center of 1" x 4" boards (3 1/2") wide on the inside of my windows.
Since I am drilling the holes in the center of the 1x4 there is a flat space of 1 1/2" from bars in.

I don't want my hawk to try to perch here. If I later free loft my hawk, is this enough of a ledge that the hawk will try to perch?

Is it worth worrying with, moving PVC bars closer to inside?

[yosemity71]

Hi Zip,

The first question I have for you is, do you have a sponsor yet? If you do, great, follow his/her instructions! If you do not have a sponsor yet, you might want to hold off on building your mews. The reason I say that is some sponsors have very specific requirements for your mews.

Now with that being said, I can tell you that my windows are barred pretty much the same as you plan. I had one perch in the corner & one window perch. The last bird I intermewed was tethered for the hunting season & then free lofted for the molt. They can & will try to perch on any available surface! My bird would not only try to perch on that little surface, but would also just grab onto the window bars & hang for a second or two. The bird never injured itself and didn't break any feathers, but the opportunity for both was there.

That is just my experience, other falconers might have a different opinion. My best advice is to listen to your sponsor!

Good Luck!

Dave

[echotadog]

What he said is correct. Wait for sponsor input on your facilities, to save the cost of redoes.

Also I wouldn't use PVC for the window bars. Pvc will weaken in sun and cold weather and becomes brittle, breakable with ease.
I would use galvanized conduit instead, it will last much longer, be more secure, and is close to the same price as PVC. 1/2" conduit runs under $2 for 10 feet.

Yes move the bars closer to the inside edge to reduce them trying to perch . I used 2x2 " pressure treated as my window frame. Drilled the 1/2" conduit center of the board. That was 6 years ago and they still work amd look great.