EMERGENCY...HAWK ATTACKING MY HOUSES

[Danno in VB]

I need help figuring out how to keep a persistant Red Tail Hawk from attacking my houses. I have (2) 12 room S&K houses. Are there any plans for a Hawk or Owl guard that will keep this menace at bay?

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

It helps somewhat to enclose the houses in a wire cage, using wire that has 2in x 4in rectangular openings. Keep the wire cage about 5in from the porch if you can make it that way

There is no guaranteed way to stop hawks.

[Louise Chambers]

This post has helpful ideas:

https://purplemartin.org/forum/viewtopi ... prehensive

Converting from 12, smaller rooms to 6, double size rooms increases safety of the martins, since they can place their nests farther from entrances.

Wrapping a wire cage guard around the houses is highly recommended: http://www.purplemartin.org/forumarchiv ... guards.htm

[KathyF]

I've shared some ideas here too. You have a lot of options. The good news is that a Red Tail isn't near as fast as a Cooper's or Sharpie with which I'm dealing with 3-4 times a day.

http://kathyfreeze.blogspot.com/2014/03 ... m-owl.html

[Roymg]

I need help figuring out how to keep a persistant Red Tail Hawk from attacking my houses. I have (2) 12 room S&K houses. Are there any plans for a Hawk or Owl guard that will keep this menace at bay?

Some problem to have.

I've gone outside in the mornings and late evenings and stood guard near the bird house. Sometimes I see the hawk before he attacks and sometimes he is too fast for the eye, but when I do see him coming I clap my hands together and he usually takes notice and turns away. Of course the birds go crazy when this happens. I think I have only lost a couple and I have not seen this hawk attack again lately. It was mostly in the early months that he came around out of the trees. I'm sure he will be back when the young ones take flight.

[Danno in VB]

Thanks Lousie.

Helpful as always. It looks like after the colony all arrived and the nest were selected. My martins went into defense mode. The hawk only gets half way across the lake before my little "air force" leaps into action and attack him in force.
As a precaution I have made the wire cages and await the eggs and hatching.
I have 10 nests so far, no eggs yet.

Thanks again.

R/

Dan

This post has helpful ideas:

https://purplemartin.org/forum/viewtopi ... prehensive

Converting from 12, smaller rooms to 6, double size rooms increases safety of the martins, since they can place their nests farther from entrances.

Wrapping a wire cage guard around the houses is highly recommended: http://www.purplemartin.org/forumarchiv ... guards.htm

[Danno in VB]

Thanks for the suggestion.

R/

Dan

I've shared some ideas here too. You have a lot of options. The good news is that a Red Tail isn't near as fast as a Cooper's or Sharpie with which I'm dealing with 3-4 times a day.

http://kathyfreeze.blogspot.com/2014/03 ... m-owl.html

[Laverne]

I agree with Kathy.

The big ole Redtail is no threat to the Purple Martin. I have a pair of Redtails nesting in a pecan on the edge of our property. The PMs ignore them. The Coopers is a different story. Redtails prefer small mammals. Coopers eat birds. Learn your hawks and owls and rest easy. You are not in control of nature. You cannot legally kill the hawks and the birds need their predators just like every other wild species. The predators take the sick, old, and weak before they have to suffer. The bigger your colony becomes, the more you will see. It is not all roses and sunshine. I love nature and every aspect of its beauty leaves me with a sense of awe. The closer I get, the more it touches me. Enjoy...♥

[John Miller]

I don't think red tail hawks are usually a threat to martins,. I have had them nesting in hollering distance of martin housing with no problems, and have read that the larger hawks will chase Cooper's Hawks out of their territory, but not sure on this. The martins will give chase, but seems to be more of a game. That said, a red tail hawk might learn to pull older martin babies out of shallow house units with round holes, but even that would be uncommon. In Forest Park, St. Louis, they prefer squirrels, muskrats and bullfrogs - yum.