Another Anti Hawk Move

[Eddie McKnight]

After every effort in the book to slow down or prevent hawk attacks, I found that the wire guards around the racks cause the martins to pause just a moment at nightfall when they are trying to get in - just long enough to be grabbed by a smart raptor. So I copied what someone showed here last week, by making an opening in the wire that's 4 x 4 inches. It's big enough for the martins to scoot in faster, and not big enough for any hawk to get in. I put a piece of white aluminum at the bottom of each entrance hoping they will eventually learn to recognize and scoot in the bigger hole.

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

That white aluminum should help them recognize the opening quickly. I hope that it works. I like the idea of a larger opening. If a small hawk or owl makes it thru the opening, the martins should be safely inside the gourds. No matter what we do, eventually a hawk or owl will catch one.

I remember once, I lowered the rack to do a few nest checks. A female martin that was sitting on eggs flew out, over the house. Just as she got near the large tree in the front yard, a hawk grabbed her. We all hate to see things like that happen. I don't know why she flew so near the tree, we have open flyways. I think that is why I sometimes find a nest of unhatched eggs in a nest at the end of the season.

[Laverne]

Me, too, Emil. The loss of a few adult birds every season is expected. Sad, but true... and part of their lives. But, I can honestly tell you that it is rare. Some years all I find is one egg here and one egg there and we know that is normal.

I noticed there are little spurs of wire sticking out where you removed the section of wire. Please bend these over or trim them off so they can't put an eye out. Thanks...

[Eddie McKnight]

I did on most of them. Don't you know the one I took a picture of would be the one I missed....

[john e]

How do the hawk get the martins? In flight or only when they are perched and not aware. Last night, just before sunset I saw 4 birds flying low over my head. One was a hawk. The other three were martins, right behind him, with all three of them whistling like crazy. It was like they were running him out of town!

[Laverne]

My favorite move is the "ferris wheel". The Purple Martins will fly above the hawk and swoop down actually hitting him sometimes. Five or six birds will do this in succession and it reminds me of a ferris wheel ride. It's pretty scary though, because some hawks will turn over and try to grab the martins when they get close.

Purple Martins spend a lot of time running from and then chasing hawks.

[Eddie McKnight]

Some attacks have been in mid air, but most are at that very last moment when they come in for the night and mometarily have to adjust to get through the wire guard. Having the bigger hole should prevent that as soon as they learn to use THAT opening.... thus the white piece of aluminum to eventually recognize the large opening.

[Craig Dyer]

Once I observed a dozen or so martins mobbing an accipiter (coopers or sharpie) in flight. One of the martins momentarily got in front of the hawk & was snatched effortlessly by the hawk's talons. The hawk made a beeline for the woods, and an easy meal. Mobbing a hawk can be risky business for a purple martin.

[Louise Chambers]

Eddie,

You've put a lot of thought and hard work into this and I think your latest modifications are good ones. Having a larger place for martins to zip inside the cage, the tail prop/marker - should help a lot. And thanks for sharing it with everyone so others can benefit too.

[Eddie McKnight]

Thanks, Louise. At least now, the hawks are only catching martins in midair. I can't control that part of nature, so the survival of the fittest will have to prevail.