Hawk Problems?
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LarryL-MN
- Posts: 52
- Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2004 2:08 pm
- Location: Minnesota/Brainerd
- Martin Colony History: Built first house in 1972 and have had Martins ever since. Became an active landlord in 2002 after finding the PMCA web site.
Try supplimental feeding. I was loosing 5 or more Martins a day to Cooper's Hawks. We had a 5 day cold spell and I lost many birds. I tried putting dead Martins out in the yard and sure enough the Cooper's came and got them. I do not know what I will do next year. I may have to try getting them to take chicken legs. Freeze up those dead starlings, they make good hawk food.
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Peggy Riley
- Posts: 885
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 1:21 pm
- Location: TX/Tolar
Well Larry, I think that would just make things worse and they'd be returning all day long. Eventually the PM's would leave the site for good.
Just my two cents worth!
Peggy
Just my two cents worth!
Peggy
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Louise Chambers
- Site Admin
- Posts: 6208
- Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2003 1:07 pm
- Location: Corpus Christi, TX
Larry,
That must have been a very frustrating situation. I agree that feeding the hawks could be counterproductive - you will be conditioning them to come to your yard for food (although one could say that having the martins there has already done that). I remember a NY landlord who left sparrows he'd shot out for the crows to scavenge. That backfired during cold weather when weak martins were on the ground - to the crows, no difference between house sparrows and martins.
Have you tried putting up a flock of martin decoys? So many landlords have found that helpful. It gives the martins a chance to get up in the air, while the hawks go after the slow, perched martins.
With the cold weather, the martins were probably stressed and weak to begin with, a tough situation but you did your best.
Next year, we are all hoping for good weather all season long, wouldn't it be nice?
Louise
That must have been a very frustrating situation. I agree that feeding the hawks could be counterproductive - you will be conditioning them to come to your yard for food (although one could say that having the martins there has already done that). I remember a NY landlord who left sparrows he'd shot out for the crows to scavenge. That backfired during cold weather when weak martins were on the ground - to the crows, no difference between house sparrows and martins.
Have you tried putting up a flock of martin decoys? So many landlords have found that helpful. It gives the martins a chance to get up in the air, while the hawks go after the slow, perched martins.
With the cold weather, the martins were probably stressed and weak to begin with, a tough situation but you did your best.
Next year, we are all hoping for good weather all season long, wouldn't it be nice?
Louise
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James Strickland FL
- Posts: 2249
- Joined: Thu Nov 13, 2003 8:04 pm
- Location: Reidsville NC
- Martin Colony History: 2017 Had a lot visitors no Matins nesting, hoping 2018 will be different.
2018 Had 1 pair
2019 had 30 pair
Larry I would not put food out for hawks. It like a bird feeder. You put one up to get bird to come, the same will happen with the hawks. I put up decoys and the hawks hit them before the martins show and the hawks see that they are not food and will leave and hunt other areas. Also hawks go after slower pray and will hit the decoys more that getting the martins.