Crows

[Carlton]

Is anyone noticing that the crows are worse this year than usual? I am observing just a constant predation on songbirds throughout my neighborhood by both fish and American crows. It is so upsetting seeing baby robins etc. being carried off in the claws of the black raiders. The parents and other birds are in hot pursuit but it is too late at that point.

My MSS-12 has an owl cage around it but I need to put some wire over my MSS-8 before the young venture out on the porches to fledge. I hope the young do not stand out on the porches of the T.H. gourds very long or they just get zapped right off by a fast moving crow. I have the curved metal owl guard over my Clinger entranced/no porches natural gourds.

[Robbo]

Hi,
We have alot of crows/ ravens ? here. I have never seen them bother Martin houses...... but my friend down the road watched a Raven attack and eat a sparrow nest . YEAH ! Dirty buggers!

[Guest]

Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 12:57 pm Post subject: savage wild kingdom

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This am saw a huge crow pluck a young flegeling in flight from a group of martins, take the young bird to the sea wall and while surrounded by about 8 large adult martins, tear the flegeling a part. The crow then flew with the remains to a telephone wire and continued dinning. All the martins followed and continued to squawk but it didn't phase the crow.

With so many youngsters around who can't fly as well as the adults, this is just nature but tough to see.

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

We have many crows, but I have never seen them bother the martins. Crows will eat anything, so if they have an opportunity, I suspect that they would do it. I heard the crows one day, and went down to the pasture to see why they were making a noise. There were 2 redshouldered hawks there, one was raiding a crows nest, the other was standing guard. One hawk caught 1 young crow, and flew off with it, the crows were chasing the two hawks. The hawks went to a nearby tree and ate the baby crow. I saw the hawks, probably the same one catch a squirrel, and it was eating it while sitting on a tree limb. That is nature, they eat what they can catch.

[Matt F.]

Keep in mind, crows are probably the only flying predator of Martins, that is able to be hunted (during non-nesting seasons), OR, if they are committing some type of depredation in certain situations.

Here's what the Federal Law states:

Section 20.133 provides States with the opportunity to set sport-hunting seasons without notifying the service. These seasons must comply with certain restrictions:

Crows shall not be hunted from aircraft.

The hunting season or seasons on crows shall not exceed a total of 124 days during a calendar year

Hunting shall not be permitted during the peak crow nesting period within a State and

Crows may only be taken by firearms, bow and arrow and falconry

Section 21.43, which covers depredation situations, provides for the taking of crows without a Federal permit, when crows are found committing or about to commit certain depredations upon ornamental or shade trees, agricultural crops, livestock, or wildlife or when they are concentrated in such numbers as to constitute a health hazard or other nuisance. For instance, a crow in the proximity of an agricultural field with documented depredation damage would likely be considered as "about to commit depredation"; whereas a crow in a forested area or on a game management area would not likely be considered in the same way. Provision would include that: a) none of the birds killed or their parts are sold or offered for sale b) anyone exercising the privileges granted by this section shall permit any Federal or State game law enforcement officer free and unrestricted access over the premises where the operations have been or are conducted and will provide them with whatever information is required by the officer concerning said operations and c) that nothing in the section authorizes the killing of such birds contrary to any state laws or regulations and that the person needs to possess whatever permit as may be required for such activities by the state concerned.

Personally, I would definitely classify a crow attacking any Martins, or Martin housing, as a depredation situation covered by the above CFR section.

(If I'm wrong, and get caught shooting a crow that's attacking a Martin house, I'll try to post an update as soon as possible, from whatever federal penitentiary I wind up in )

[FlaSpartan]

This is my fifth year as a PM landlord here in Central Florida. This is not the first year we've had crows around, but this year I watched one grab an ASY off one of my houses and carry him off. Maybe it was a Fish Crow & not the American Crows I'm used to seeing, but I'll never take them lightly again!

[Carlton]

http://audubon-omaha.org/bestofbbml/crows.htm

[Guest]

I did get a few pictures, crows are bad news. One photo has bird standing over kill, the other he flew to the phone lines to finish his meal

[Brad-AL]

Matt, what you posted is interesting. I am an avid hunter and I didn't think that in Alabama there was a closed season on Crows, so I just took a look at the states game regulations and sure enough there is no closed season on Crows in Alabama. I would be interested to know how our state got an exemeption from that law. I know that there are many commercial pecan orchards in our state, that might be a reason the feds allow Alabama to have no closed season. Crows can wipe out a good pecan crop. Even with no closed season, we sure have plenty of Crows to go around. Not many folks crow hunt anymore.

[Guest]

The Black devils get nothing but a cross-hair at Hamm'sville.

My four grand babies love the animals on my place. While mowing I found a rabbits nest. My babies loved watching the bunnies grow till they witnessed the crows tearing them apart and eating them. They were heartbroken! When they carried off one of my fledgers it was onnnnn. I eliminate them when possible.

[Matt F.]

Matt, what you posted is interesting. I am an avid hunter and I didn't think that in Alabama there was a closed season on Crows, so I just took a look at the states game regulations and sure enough there is no closed season on Crows in Alabama. I would be interested to know how our state got an exemeption from that law. I know that there are many commercial pecan orchards in our state, that might be a reason the feds allow Alabama to have no closed season. Crows can wipe out a good pecan crop. Even with no closed season, we sure have plenty of Crows to go around. Not many folks crow hunt anymore.

That's interesting about Alabama. I double checked the Texas laws, and they seem to mirror the federal regs, in saying you can shoot crows anytime - as long as they are committing some type of depredation.
They can also be hunted, but only during their non-nesting periods.

There must be some leeway given to the states.