Watch Out for Snakes

[oifisher]

I noticed that the birds left the colony earlier than usual this year. They usually stay around another 3-4 weeks. I hadn't done a nest check in awhile b/c I didn't want the fledglings to fledge prematurely.

So, I did a nest check today. I found a 4 1/2' copperhead coiled in the back of one of the cavities (T-14). I used pruning shears to get it out and kill it. I read that copperheads don't climb. Don't believe it. This was a copperhead: stnd markings on the upperside, and black and white squares on the underside.

The snake climbed a 18' wood pole and avoided a predator shield. I hadn't used mesh to deter snakes b/c we live on the coast and don't have rat snakes. No snake problem for 10 years. Will use the netting next year.

When I do nest checks early in the season, I reach into the nests to count eggs, in areas that I can't see. Won't do that again.

I found 3 dead birds in 3 separate cavities, out of 18 cavities. Parents probably abandoned them. I know that we had many fledglings, but don't know how many the snake got--eggs or young birds.

Last year we lost several fledglings to mites. The box was covered with them. This year, not a single mite was visible. Then, the snake. Martins don't have an easy life.

[DebA]

Did you say four and a half feet? Uck. That's a lot of snake to be in the back of a cavity. This is my worst nightmare. I have a stove pipe guard but no netting either. I would just freak out if I opened the house up and a snake was face level with me.

I did some reading on Copperheads and Wikipedia had this:
Roughly 90% of its diet consists of small rodents, such as mice and voles. They have also shown fondness for large insects and frogs, and though highly terrestrial, have been known to climb trees to gorge on emerging cicadas.

Where's a locust when you need one? Again...uck. Glad you weren't injured. Oh...I am a believer in Sevin dust for mites. Helps me to know they are comfortable.

I wish you better luck with your next season.

Deb

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

I am afraid of copperheads and never heard of one in a martin house. It would be terrible if they start entering martin housing. I am sorry to hear that you found the snake in the cavity.

I checked on the length of them, most are between 18 to 24 inches long. It is extremely rare to find one that is 3 ft long. On the internet, one source said the maximum length is 45 inches long. Now I have some doubts if you actually had a copperhead because of the length of your snake (4-1/2feet long).

Rat snakes can be brown and look a whole lot like a copperhead. Would it be possible that rat snakes could be in your area? Rat snakes are numerous in the Carolinas.

[starling shooter]

I had a Great Plains Rat Snake in a gourd this year....they do not look, markings wise, like the black rat snake who is usually the culprit.

From the length, sounds like it was not a copperhead. Way too big.

[Courtney-NC]

Have you thought about it being a red rat snake aka corn snake instead? They are commonly mistaken for copperheads. If you do a Google search you can see some good images of the corn snake. They will climb trees and poles. Sorry that this happened to you, that is very frustrating indeed.

[MamaBruff]

I was reading through volumes of info on PMCA this spring, and in an old 2002 Update ... the best "nugget" I came away with was from James Hill, and it went something like this: "If you have a tragedy with your birds, it is likely due to some mismanagement on your part as landlord. After you stop beating yourself up about it (which you deserve), you must think of ways to prevent it from happening again. Your birds depend on YOU to provide safe housing."

[Siberman]

I have personally killed a 36" copperhead on the ground . Biggest one I've ever seen and I live in Copperhead Kingdom . Your description of the black and white belly makes me question the ID though.

Was the head triangular ? Were the pupils slits ( like cat eyes) ? Did it have a small indentation ( pit ) between the nostril and eye ? Next time take a picture.

[oifisher]

I misidentified the snake, as several folks suggested. It was a rat snake.

I saw a 2' snake on the deck (8' off the ground) this morning and examined it closely after killing it. It was a baby, identical to the big one that was in the martin box. It clearly was a rat snake.

Sorry for the misinformation.

We've never seen a rat snake in the 15 yrs we've lived here. Bottom line is that snake netting is needed to guard the box from snakes.

[DebA]

Ah...very true Bob. Well, better a rat snake than a copperhead anyways. We vacation to Broken Bow OK and stay at the same cabin. The cabin owner is a man named Owen. A widower that we just adore. So even though we are on vacation we help him out. Mark was mowing and saw a copperhead in a stream that was a few inches deep right near a cabin that was having a family with children arriving. So he used the hoe that Owen has on his lawn tractor to kill it. It was a stout short squat thing. I've never seen one until then. Mark was in shorts and tennis shoes and he said that thing had a lot of fight in him. I told he was an idiot.

Mark is the type that doesn't usually kill snakes, well non poisonous ones anyway. But with the little ones coming he didn't want to take a chance. I also saw my first blue racer down there. Now that was an interesting snake to watch. Glad it wasn't chasing me.