Can Purple Martins see well enough in total darkness to switch houses during the night? Would they be able to see the foot of an Owl at the cavity entrance which just might allow them to move to the back of the compartment and avoid being caught? If any one using night vision cameras has had any experience with either instance I would particularly like some information on this to satisfy my curiosity. Of course, I would like to hear from anyone on this subject.
Keith
Can Martins see at night?
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Emil Pampell-Tx
- Posts: 6743
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 1:26 pm
- Location: Tx, Richmond (SW of Houston)
- Martin Colony History: First started in Gretna, La in 1969 with a small homemade house, have had martins ever since at 2 different homes in Texas
I think that they can see fairly well at night. They often switch gourds when its nearly pitch dark. They also leave the housing right before daylight but when its still dark. This movement are favorite times for the owls to snatch a meal. I think that they can see at night but not nearly as well as an owl can see at night.
Maybe when its totally dark to the human eye, that then they cannot see, such as during time periods when low clouds totally block all the moonlight, and you cannot see any light in the horizon
Talk about seeing at night, last week an owl flew into my coax cable that goes to my satellite receiver for my TV. That receiver is only about 4 ft from the house, the coax cable is black, and the owl flew into it so hard that it pulled some of the wire out of the attic of my house. So maybe owls cannot see a black wire at night either. I happened to be looking out of a window when the owl flew past the window. I heard the noise, and saw the coax cable shaking, so I know that it was an owl.
Maybe when its totally dark to the human eye, that then they cannot see, such as during time periods when low clouds totally block all the moonlight, and you cannot see any light in the horizon
Talk about seeing at night, last week an owl flew into my coax cable that goes to my satellite receiver for my TV. That receiver is only about 4 ft from the house, the coax cable is black, and the owl flew into it so hard that it pulled some of the wire out of the attic of my house. So maybe owls cannot see a black wire at night either. I happened to be looking out of a window when the owl flew past the window. I heard the noise, and saw the coax cable shaking, so I know that it was an owl.
Last edited by Emil Pampell-Tx on Mon May 10, 2010 5:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
PMCA Member, 250 gourds, 6 poles, 2traps
Time to get direct TV satteliteEmil Pampell-Tx wrote:I think that they can see fairly well at night. They often switch gourds when its nearly pitch dark. They also leave the housing right before daylight but when its still dark. This movement are favorite times for the owls to snatch a meal. I think that they can see at night but not nearly as well as an owl can see at night.
Maybe when its totally dark to the human eye, that then they cannot see, such as during time periods when low clouds totally block all the moonlight, and you cannot see any light in the horizon
Talk about seeing at night, last week an owl flew into my coax cable that goes to my satellite receiver for my TV. That receiver is only about 4 ft from the house, the coax cable is black, and the owl flew into it so hard that it pulled some of the wire out of the attic of my house. So maybe owls cannot see a black wire at night either. I happened to be looking out of a window when the owl flex past the window. I heard the noise, and saw the coax cable shaking, so I know that it was an owl.
4th season Landlord - new Super Gourd system this year!
March 25 and they have finally arived!
March 25 and they have finally arived!
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Emil Pampell-Tx
- Posts: 6743
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 1:26 pm
- Location: Tx, Richmond (SW of Houston)
- Martin Colony History: First started in Gretna, La in 1969 with a small homemade house, have had martins ever since at 2 different homes in Texas
CHenry, That is exactly what we have: Direct-TV, with a satellite receiver. We live 7 miles from town, we didn't have cable TV here for the first 20 years, but they did install a cable a year or 2 ago, but I kept using the old system.
PMCA Member, 250 gourds, 6 poles, 2traps
Emil, Keep your dish, believe me cable sux