Dead martin in gourd

[Jim Rockford]

I've had two pairs of martins showing serious interest in my setup (Trio Grandpa with two Big Bo gourds attached) this weekend. I saw the first martins of the season about 10 days ago but they were apparently migrating and I went several days without seeing anything. Moreover, I've seen almost no starlings or HOSPs this year.

Anyway, I checked my setup today and found a dead ASY male in one of my gourds. I had been watching a male and female go in and out of it all morning, so I thought I'd check for nest-building activity. Imagine my surprise when I saw the dead bird! The dead bird's eyes had been pecked out and it's head was bloody with most of the feathers gone.

I'm thinking that two males had laid claim to that gourd and one was killed defending it. Perhaps the birds that were flying in and out today were trying to remove the body? The dead bird had not been dead for too long, I don't think. This particular gourd was occupied last year and six babies fledged from it.

Anyone ever experience anything like this? Again, I haven't seen a single sparrow or starling anywhere near my setup for at least 3 weeks.

Thanks, Ed

[Spiderman]

If you don't have serh openings that is probably the result of a starling. Often the starlings will investigate cavities at 1st light in the morning and will go undetected by us.

We have found Martins dead in our houses this time of year but they were undamaged. I thought it was the result of the long migration and while it is sad, it is best that they die now before the young are depending on them for food later in the season.

Good Luck with your Martins for 2010

[Jim Rockford]

Thanks for the reply, Spiderman, but all my compartments have sreh's. I've never had a starling enter one of my compartments. Usually they give up and fly over to my awaiting nest box trap, where I take care of them.

I suppose a starling could have squeezed in and did this, but I highly doubt it.

[Guest]

Male House Sparrow. Their testosterone is way up this time of year. He got in there with the martin and killed him. Or he ( the martin ) was injured before he went into the gourd and died as a result of an attack by a starling or H/S.

[Sharon - Central TX]

About a week ago we decided to check all our gourds to see if there was anything unusual. One gourd had a LOT of blood all over the insides but there weren't any birds in it. We have WDC openings in ours so I wonder if there was a fight between a martin and a sparrow or if two martins were fighting. Whatever happened, I'm glad I didn't see it because based on the amount of blood, it wasn't good.
Sharon

[Guest]

Ed,
FWIW, this is the 1st year I have seen a ES breech a cresent entry on a Super Gourd. Takes him about 2 seconds to get in.
Sounds as a sparrow got in with the PM.

Chuck

[Jim Rockford]

Ed,
FWIW, this is the 1st year I have seen a ES breech a cresent entry on a Super Gourd. Takes him about 2 seconds to get in.
Sounds as a sparrow got in with the PM.

Chuck

I'll tell you, Chuck, I'm no expert, but I have been a landlord for four years and in that time I couldn't help but learn a bit about HOSP (and ES) behavior. HOSPs show a marked preference for house compartments over gourds. I've read that it happens, but I've never seen a HOSP enter a gourd. Second, once a HOSP ejects a martin from a compartment, he takes over that compartment and you can't help but notice him. Indeed, you can't get rid of him unless you kill him. Third, this year has been very strange. I've not seen a single HOSP near my set up in at least 3 weeks, including today. That's very different from the last 3 years, at least for me.

My gourds have crescent entries, and they're very difficult for an ES to enter. I've never seen it happen. I have a nest box trap mounted on my fence near my set up, and what normally happens with ESs is that they'll struggle to enter either one of my gourds or a house compartment, see the nest box trap, and they'll head straight for it.

I'm not around my setup 24 x 7, so it's certainly possible that a HOSP or an ES did the dirty work, but I'm really leaning toward the case of a martin killing another martin over housing. Have you seen this happen before?

Oh, and where I had two pair around my house the last couple days, now I have nothing. We'll see what develops. A strange year for me, for sure.

Ed

[wyatt]

Jim,

I had the same thing happen in a T-14 with WDC entrance - eye pecked out and bloody head. I have never seen a starling or a house sparrow so I don't think it was either of those. I did have lots of migrant Purple Martins trying to enter the already occupied apartments so I believe it was the PM's fighting each other.

[billb]

The eyes pecked out doesn't sound like martins, but I wouldn't rule out the male PM fight scenario too quickly. I witnessed a pretty good fight between 2 ASY males last week. The fight took place in one of my small 6x6 aluminum house compartments. It lasted at least 15 minutes with feathers flying, wings protruding from the opening and the gaps around the removable front wall. I thought at first it was wing entrapment, until I saw one try to get loose and reallized there were 2 birds involved. Actually, one got free, turned and went back in the resume the fight.

In the end, 1 managed to break loose from the other and fly off. Both birds had some white patches in their purple coats where feathers/down used to be.

[Michael Sanford ~ OK]

European Starling.

[CHenry]

Ed,
FWIW, this is the 1st year I have seen a ES breech a cresent entry on a Super Gourd. Takes him about 2 seconds to get in.
Sounds as a sparrow got in with the PM.

Chuck

I'll tell you, Chuck, I'm no expert, but I have been a landlord for four years and in that time I couldn't help but learn a bit about HOSP (and ES) behavior. HOSPs show a marked preference for house compartments over gourds. I've read that it happens, but I've never seen a HOSP enter a gourd. Second, once a HOSP ejects a martin from a compartment, he takes over that compartment and you can't help but notice him. Indeed, you can't get rid of him unless you kill him. Third, this year has been very strange. I've not seen a single HOSP near my set up in at least 3 weeks, including today. That's very different from the last 3 years, at least for me.

My gourds have crescent entries, and they're very difficult for an ES to enter. I've never seen it happen. I have a nest box trap mounted on my fence near my set up, and what normally happens with ESs is that they'll struggle to enter either one of my gourds or a house compartment, see the nest box trap, and they'll head straight for it.

I'm not around my setup 24 x 7, so it's certainly possible that a HOSP or an ES did the dirty work, but I'm really leaning toward the case of a martin killing another martin over housing. Have you seen this happen before?

Oh, and where I had two pair around my house the last couple days, now I have nothing. We'll see what develops. A strange year for me, for sure.

Ed

I just put up my supergourds this year and already had HOSPs making nest in two of them. I saw one going in and out so i lowered the rack and inspected it. They hadn't gotten very far in nest building but they were building.