New Martin Game....Drop the Bug!
I have a playful Martin. He had a Dragon Fly in his mouth and would fly up to about 35 feet and drop the bug. After it dropped about 2 ft he would swoop down and recapture it. He continued to do this over and over. Has anyone else witnessed Drop the Bug?
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Laverne
- Posts: 2216
- Joined: Thu Jan 08, 2004 1:58 pm
- Location: TX/Alvin
- Martin Colony History: Erected 1st house in 1997. Birds were checking it out before Mike got down from the ladder. Six cavities had a little colony 1st year. Grown to 88 cavities all gourds with near 100% occupancy. Most important factor for success is rain = bugs.
Yes, I have seen "drop the bug" and "drop the leaf"... I think they do this to get a different grip on it. Or maybe they do this to kill the bug before swallowing it or feeding it to their babies.Whatever the reason - the agility PMs exhibit during flight is beautiful and amazing!!
Sincerely,
Laverne
Laverne
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Louise Chambers
- Site Admin
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- Location: Corpus Christi, TX
I think sometimes they do it for fun, too - we've seen one martin drop a leaf, another swoops in to catch it, then drops it again - and another joins in to take the leaf.
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John Miller
- Posts: 4863
- Joined: Mon Mar 22, 2004 9:11 pm
- Location: St. Louis, MO
I think Laverne is right. they are trying to kill it. Dragon flies otherwise can bite.
this morning I was using a spotting scoping trying to read bands..standing there for countless minutes and bored. A robin a few feet in front of me on the ground pulled a big fat worm right out of the earth and commenced to stab and stab it for the longest time until it no longer had any wiggle. (I had time on my hands.) Maybe birds know to slay their prey before feeding it to babies.
John M
this morning I was using a spotting scoping trying to read bands..standing there for countless minutes and bored. A robin a few feet in front of me on the ground pulled a big fat worm right out of the earth and commenced to stab and stab it for the longest time until it no longer had any wiggle. (I had time on my hands.) Maybe birds know to slay their prey before feeding it to babies.
John M
Robins... its so dry/hot here already, they come flying up to my sprinklers when they see them come on. Pretty much empty my bird baths out daily.
2010: two pair nested, 1 bird fledged.
2011: starlings/sparrows destroyed nests. I shut down the house early to save PM lives.
2012: new T-14 with SREH, & a Beeman R7. Four fledged this year.
2013: Destroyed many house sparrows, but fledged 21 PM's!
2011: starlings/sparrows destroyed nests. I shut down the house early to save PM lives.
2012: new T-14 with SREH, & a Beeman R7. Four fledged this year.
2013: Destroyed many house sparrows, but fledged 21 PM's!
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scottfreidhof
- Posts: 348
- Joined: Fri Sep 21, 2007 7:13 am
- Location: Kentucky/Morehead
Martins drop cicadas after the initial capture in order to recapture them in a position that allows for a head-first swallow. The same technique may be necessary for large dragonflies.
Could definitely be multiple reasons.
Making sure a larger bug is dead, definitely seems logical.
One thing in support of the "fun" or "playing" theory, is while watching operations yesterday evening, I noticed an ASY male leaving his nest with a fecal sac.
He flew up, and away from the housing a bit, and dropped it as they normally do.
He then darted back down, and caught again!
Flew up again, and dropped it - this time letting it fall to the ground.....or probably onto someone's car.....
Making sure a larger bug is dead, definitely seems logical.
One thing in support of the "fun" or "playing" theory, is while watching operations yesterday evening, I noticed an ASY male leaving his nest with a fecal sac.
He flew up, and away from the housing a bit, and dropped it as they normally do.
He then darted back down, and caught again!
Flew up again, and dropped it - this time letting it fall to the ground.....or probably onto someone's car.....
If you can believe this I saw a female playing with a fecal sac a few days ago. She flew out of the house and climbed up and dropped it from about 80 yards up, then swopped down caught it and repeated the process again. Playfulness or practicing flying skills 
2016- 10 pair
2015-9 pair
2014-4 pair and a bluebird brood
2013- 9 pair
2012- 7 pairs - fledged 39 plus a bluebird brood in a gourd;
2011- 3 pairs - fledged 13 young:
2015-9 pair
2014-4 pair and a bluebird brood
2013- 9 pair
2012- 7 pairs - fledged 39 plus a bluebird brood in a gourd;
2011- 3 pairs - fledged 13 young: