Purple Martin Response To Hunting Merlin

[Steve Kroenke]

Purple Martin Response To Hunting Merlin

I knew it had to happen soon as we now have 30+ purple martins in residence and all these martins just can’t keep quiet! Plus they are flying all around our colonies, fighting over cavities and the males are chasing the females. All this activity is bound to interest OTHERS and these OTHERS have different intentions!

Well today was for the most part great for the martins until about 5:30 pm. The martins were beginning to come in for roosting and some had even landed on the housing. They were vocalizing and socializing and showing no signs of apprehension.

Suddenly my faithful male bluebird emitted his high pitch whistle alarm vocalization which means an Accipiter hawk or merlin is on the prowl. The martins went berserk, bolted from their housing and started climbing at a terrific rate of speed.

Sure enough coming across the pasture in front of our two martin colonies was a magnificent female merlin. Her body was sleek and long wings were tapered to a point. She was hunting.

The merlin is a small bird eating falcon that has a speed few birds can match in level flight. Martins, swallows, and swifts are often hunted because these birds fly in the open and merlins do the same. Falcons have long wings and are not like the Accipiters which can hunt in trees. Merlins hunt in the open.

Fortunately the martins responded in time to get above the merlin and one male martin even mobbed her as she continued flying away from our colonies. But her appearance terrified the martins and they formed a unified flock that circled HIGH up over our colonies. They would NOT come down as martins KNOW the danger a merlin presents.

In fact martins recognize a dangerous raptor from a not so dangerous one. The long tails, short rounded wings and small/medium size of the Cooper's and sharp-shinned hawks mean DANGER. The long pointed wings, sleek body profile and small size of the merlin mean DANGER. The short tails, long broad wings, and large bulky size of the red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks mean much less danger and the martins know it. Martins KNOW which hawk species is a direct threat to them based on thousands of years of association with these raptors.

I watched the martins' flight behavior and they would suddenly start climbing as fast as they could and disappear from sight. Then in a few minutes they would gradually drift lower but their flight was still one of extreme apprehension. Perhaps the merlin was still flying somewhere nearby and the martins saw her.

This went on for about 30 minutes and it was getting darker. I tried to see if the merlin was perched in the top any nearby trees but I saw nothing. Merlins will also fly in a wide circle around a martin colony and wait for the first opportunity to streak down and try to pluck a martin out of the air near the colony or above it. Last year a male merlin would perch in the top of a tree several hundred yards from our colonies and launch savage attacks on martins that left their nests. This merlin flew at a speed you would just have to see to believe and the martins were no match for him! But the martins were more agile and I watched them out turn the merlin many times and eventually escape.

Finally just before dark all the martins came screaming down on our colonies and quickly entered their nests. It is at this time when Accipiter hawks are very dangerous. These hawks will be inside the colony in a flash and try to grab a martin that is trying to get inside its nest. Martins are highly vulnerable to hawks in the evenings at roosting time when the hawks have the element of surprise on their side and can get close to their prey.

I stayed out in the open between our two martin colonies during the entire time the martins were high up until they finally dropped down like rockets to their nests. The merlin did not return and I hope she has moved on. I will see what happens tomorrow!

Steve

[Eddie McKnight]

Steve, what you describe is so accurate. I have 2 very tall pines about a 100 yards away, and that is where they will hide until dusk. On several occasions they have dived at a high rate of speed right over my head to attempt to grab a martin going in for the night. The wire mesh I have put around the houses and gourd racks have at least prevented a martin grab off of a porch, but of course, some of the younger ones will actually perch on the wire.

I do understand survival of the fittest, but it doesn't make you any happier.

[Steve Kroenke]

Hey Eddie,

You most likely have Accipiter hawks that attack you martin colony in the evenings. This is either a Cooper's or sharp-shinned hawk. These hawks are masters at ambush hunting, particularly in dim light conditions where the hawks can get close to their prey.

These hawks will sit in nearby trees and launch their attacks just at the right time when the martins are coming in to roost. They will even fly to a gourd rack or house and perch there in the early morning and wait for the martins to come out. Any martin that flies "under" a waiting hawk is nearly always doomed.

Martins are highly vulnerable just as they are trying to get into their cavities at roosting time. These hawks can be inside the colony before the martins know it and once the hawk is literally "on top of the martin" then the hawk usually get his/her meal.

If martins are delayed in entering their cavities or the martins will not "go to bed quickly" and fly around the colony in the diminishing light, then the hawk will go after these martins.

I usually manage to stop many evening Accipiter hawk attacks by moving around the perimeter of my colony and actively clapping my hands and screaming at any hawk that is inside the site. Last season, I stopped a big female Cooper's hawk four or five times even though she once was chasing a male martin not more than 30 feet from me. She would always break off her attacks when she saw me. I never saw her succeed in catching a martin and she finally left after I ran her off a number of times.

But these hawks can still "ignore" a human landlord and attack with impunity! Not all these hawks have that deep fear of humans and these are the hawks that can be most difficult to thwart.

I believe you are doing all you can to minimize Accipter hawk attacks on the martins. Martin colonies are now becoming targets of Accipiter hawks all over North America as these hawks grow in numbers and learn to associate martin housing with food. I have lost untold numbers of martins, both adults and mainly fledglings to Accipiter hawks in my colonies. It is the "law of the jungle"!

Good luck in 2012.

Steve

[tonyg]

Hey Steve, I was reading through the Archives and came across a post of yours about managing a SPMC back in 1999...What I found amusing was the line about NEVER doing it again...that old adage Never say Never certainly applies here.. and I for one ( and all the purple martins) am glad you changed your mind..have enjoyed reading and learning from the "master" since I found this forum...I to am finallly getting up to that (SPMC) 90 cavitity range now after 74 cavities (62 pairs) last year...being a 57 year old young buck,I hope I am up for the challenge ..but as much as I love this hobby I am gonna give it my best shot for as long as I can handle it...take care, Tony.

[Steve Kroenke]

Hey Tony,

Yes, I remember those "famous last words"! How soon we forget!

That was way back in time in Florida and I wasn't retired then. So I couldn't provide as much security for my large martin colony. Plus my colony was tree encroached and that made it even more of a problem for winged predators.

However, now living in northwest Louisiana, being retired, and having a wide open location, the conditions are better for having a super purple martin colony relative to predation issues. Yet, there are still winged predators around! But the problem is not near as bad as it was in Florida.

So I have a super purple martin colony here! I am sure as I get older or have health issues I will start downsizing my colony to make it more manageable. But right now I can still handle it!

You have the right attitude toward your growing martin colony and desire to offer good quality housing and manage your colony as best as possible. A major component is what you feel comfortable with. As long as your colony is raising martins with minimum predation and other issues and you are happy, then go for it. You are still "a young fella"!

We will be looking forward to hearing reports about your martin colony this season, particularly since you have upgraded your housing systems and increased the number of cavities.

Good luck in 2012.

Steve