first ever hawk attack at my colony

[Veronica G]

Last evening I went as usual to watch my martins come in for the night when I noticed an unfamiliar bird perched on my neighbor's PM house two houses down. Since it was almost dusk, I couldn't make out any details, just the outline of the bird. So I started walking over to my neighbor's house to check it out when suddenly the bird took flight after a martin and I realized what it was - a hawk!

I started running, which flushed out all the martins perched on my housing I think the martin the hawk originally went after got away, but just barely. But now there were a bunch of martins in the air with a hawk! I lost sight of the hawk after it flew over another neighbor's house. I don't know if caught any martins or not. I never saw the hawk again.

The martins that were in the air circled in what can only be called a formation, very quietly, for a very long time. They finally swooped down like they meant to land but didn't. They disappeared and never came back home. I stayed out for quite a while waiting.

So now I'm at work having these horrible visions of a hawk raiding my martins while no one is there to protect them. Since this is my first hawk attack, I don't know what to expect from the martins. Will they come back??? Will the hawk be back???

Sorry for such a long post, but I had to get if off my chest! Thanks for listening.

Veronica

[adrianhans]

Veronica,
I have seen lots of hawks this year. In fact, I have seen two of my martins picked off so far. Last year, one was attacked while I was feeding. What a guilt trip!!! We have tried everything to ward off the attacks. We station ourselves all over yard and deck. We never see it until after the fact. It swoops in low and fast over the brush line or between the houses. I used to get so upset losing a martin. Those that I tried to save from hypothermia, starvation, or hawks just tore me up each time. This year, I have hardened my heart and girded my loins for such losses. I tell myself that it is the nature of things. I only want the smartest and fleetest of birds to propegate my colony and ensure the best of genes are carried on. In fact, each night, I yell at the couple of remaining martins sitting on the rack to get into a gourd because I know what is in store for them. They perch there aimlessly and never know what hit them. It is the worst kind of extravagance, but soon a wiser bird will take its place. I know this makes me sound like a meany, but it is the best way I can deal with the cruelty.
I hope since the hawk came up empty, he will move on to easier pickings.
Your martins already sound pretty savvy against attacks. And, don't those hawks migrate out of here soon?

[Tim Mangan-Kansas]

Veronica:

Unfortunately, you are now experiencing one of the harsh realities of being a martin landlord. During my third year when I had 36 pair, the attacks were everyday, several times a day for a month, if not longer.

You can be on patrol during early morning and late evening, which are prime times for attacks but I have witnessed attacks at all times of the day. Being in Texas, possibly your hawk is migrating through but their range seems to be expanding in all directions more each year.

My martins will take to the sky during an attack. They will give the warming call and circle high up over the hawk if it landed in a nearby tree. When the hawk takes off from the tree the martins will again start with their warning call and chase the hawk from high above. Once the hawk has left the general vicinity of the martin housing my martins will return, on average, between 20 to 30 minutes later.

When I come home, I can now tell when there has been a hawk attack by the actions of my martins; how they are flying high overhead, very verbal, etc. When they come in, they make several fast low fly throughs before landing on the housing. When they do land, in the evening, they go straight into a compartment as they know the hawk is around.

Keep in mind that hawk attacks on martins is a year round concern for them. S.A. has over 30 species of hawks and I am sure many of them feast on martins. Fleeing from a hawk is not something they deal with only here in the U.S.

Good luck and the only thing that helps me is to realize it is going to happen and there is very little I can do about it.

Tim

[Louise Chambers]

hi ladies

It could be up to a month or so before the hawks head north. In the meantime, adding some decoys can help. Being out in the yard in AM and PM can too. We have a long stick with plastic ribbons tied to the end, we can swish that in the air to alert martins. Best thing is noise - clap your hands and yell. Another good item to have is a portable boat horn, a small can of compressed air that lets out a good loud blast. If you spot a hawk, a toot from the horn can startle it long enough to help martins get up into the air. External guards, wire cages around housing, are a good aid for landlords with hawk problems all season.

We've learned to watch the areas where our hawks tend to try and sneak in. I'm glad there are plenty of other birds besides martins around - grackles, doves, pigeons, and many more of them than martins - for the hawks to eat.

[Matt F.]

Here are the ranges of the two, most notorious, Martin-attacking hawks - the Sharp-shinned Hawk, and the Cooper's Hawk.
These maps (from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology) give a pretty good idea of who has to deal with migrants temporarily passing through, and who is stuck with year round residents.

[blanchar40]

Over the years I have used all the noise makers, laser lights, whistles, horns & I patrol my colony constantly when there is any kind of Martin activity. I have hinged 2 2 foot 2X4's together to make a clapper. This makes a sound just like a rifle shot. If you have a lurking hawk it helps to open the clapper like a giant bird beak and go after the hawk very aggressively. Putting a coat of varnish on the wood makes the gunshot sound even louder. If you try this you should let your neigbors know because the police can show up looking for the source of the shots being fired. In my 8 years as a martin landlord the hinged 2X4 is the best deterrent I have found.

[Veronica G]

Thank you everyone for your kind responses, and thanks for the great ideas.

Adrian: You don't sound like a meany - I have to learn to get used to these things I guess and build a thicker skin.

Tim: I sure hope this guy migrates outta here soon! Him and all the red-winged blackbirds that have crowded out my goldfinches!

Louise: You're right about there being plenty of other birds for the hawks to eat! Especially grackles. I think there are about a million of them hanging out in the trees and power lines in my neighborhood. Thanks for the tip about the air horn. I have three sitting in my office right now. I will take one home.

Matt: Thanks for the maps. I think it may have been a sharp-shinned hawk, but I'm not completely sure. If it was, he should be outta here soon *fingers crossed*

blanchar40: That sounds like a good idea. I will have to put one of those together. But it sounds like informing the neighbors is definitely called for. They're used to seeing me doing crazy things, though - talking to birds, doing nest checks, flinging crickets in the air...

[Matt F.]

Matt: Thanks for the maps. I think it may have been a sharp-shinned hawk, but I'm not completely sure. If it was, he should be outta here soon *fingers crossed*

No problem. Here are a couple of other very informative pages about those two, very similar looking species:

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutB ... Dtable.htm

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutB ... rphoto.htm

[Keith]

Hello Veronica,
I don't want to sound too discouraging, but we believe that the Hawk situation will only get worse over the coming years. I'm basing everything I say here on what I have observed personally over the last several years. Forty years ago my parents and some close neighbors never had these attacks on their colony that were witnessed. Then some twenty years later, an attack was sometimes noticed. Then here in the last ten years, myself, some relatives and neighbors have noticed more problems each year. We as Purple Martin landlords can do only so much to help our birds survive but it is disheartening to see these hawks and owls just set on our housing for their next meal. Modern housing has helped a lot but will not solve the problems if the next twenty years show increases in the hawk population that the last twenty has. I am a bird lover but personally believe there needs to be a balance had as we see with other species that the Conservation Department implements with Deer, Rabbits, Squirrel, Crows, etc. The map that Matt posted shows that these two spices of Hawks are here in Mo. year around and they do nest here. Many songbirds here besides the Purple Martin we believe are affected as most have open nests and are easily detected by the sharp vision of Hawks. I know some landlords will not see a problem here but in reading several posts here on the forum, the overall problem seems to be increasing in other areas as well. Love the Purple Martin!
Keith