What's eating the sparrows?

Welcome to the internet's gathering place for Purple Martin enthusiasts
Post Reply
Robbo
Posts: 624
Joined: Tue Jun 09, 2009 2:53 pm
Location: Leduc, Alberta, Canada.

Hi everyone,
I got a question for anyone that might know the answer. I have been using the songbird essential wire trap this spring and something interesting has happened. A couple days ago I had it elevated in the middle of the yard with a sparrow caught so I left it there for bait, the next morning it was gone? I moved the trap up against the fence yesterday and caught 2 a male and female, this morning all that was left of the female was feathers on the ground and the male was missing it's head and wings. What could be getting at the sparrows and eating them? Trap works great.
2009. 98 eggs, 66 hatch, 61 fledged.
2010. 114 eggs, 89 hatch,70 fledged.
2011. 96 eggs. 80 hatch,68 fledged.Heavy Merlin preditation.
2012. 89 eggs. 56 hatch, good fledge. Guards installed. Merlin not sighted at houses.
2013. First Egg May 24, first Baby June 13.
2014. successful.
2015. successful.
2016. Martin's population decline, suspect new housing in the neighborhood. Merlin eating well also!
2017.Population explosion :grin: . first egg May 25 in a BO-11
2018. Population stable.
Top
twins
Posts: 47
Joined: Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:14 am
Location: new hampshire eastwakefield

sparrow hawks good answer lol
anybody in NH doing purple martin watching and doing house,s and gourds
Top
Robbo
Posts: 624
Joined: Tue Jun 09, 2009 2:53 pm
Location: Leduc, Alberta, Canada.

Good one :roll: .
2009. 98 eggs, 66 hatch, 61 fledged.
2010. 114 eggs, 89 hatch,70 fledged.
2011. 96 eggs. 80 hatch,68 fledged.Heavy Merlin preditation.
2012. 89 eggs. 56 hatch, good fledge. Guards installed. Merlin not sighted at houses.
2013. First Egg May 24, first Baby June 13.
2014. successful.
2015. successful.
2016. Martin's population decline, suspect new housing in the neighborhood. Merlin eating well also!
2017.Population explosion :grin: . first egg May 25 in a BO-11
2018. Population stable.
Top
Daox13
Posts: 18
Joined: Wed May 03, 2017 2:00 pm
Location: Richmond VA
Martin Colony History: 2016 Euro Sparrow struggle
2017 one ASY male nesting... more hopefully to come

Robbo wrote:Good one :roll: .
I would think it might be an land animal such as a coon. they are notorious for ripping body parts off of caged animals. I could very well be wrong though.
There's the right way, the wrong way and then there's my way...........
Top
Robbo
Posts: 624
Joined: Tue Jun 09, 2009 2:53 pm
Location: Leduc, Alberta, Canada.

Don't have Coons here, squirrels though.
2009. 98 eggs, 66 hatch, 61 fledged.
2010. 114 eggs, 89 hatch,70 fledged.
2011. 96 eggs. 80 hatch,68 fledged.Heavy Merlin preditation.
2012. 89 eggs. 56 hatch, good fledge. Guards installed. Merlin not sighted at houses.
2013. First Egg May 24, first Baby June 13.
2014. successful.
2015. successful.
2016. Martin's population decline, suspect new housing in the neighborhood. Merlin eating well also!
2017.Population explosion :grin: . first egg May 25 in a BO-11
2018. Population stable.
Top
Louise Chambers
Site Admin
Posts: 6208
Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2003 1:07 pm
Location: Corpus Christi, TX

maybe a weasel?
Top
handyman315
Posts: 300
Joined: Thu May 12, 2016 11:03 am
Location: SW Ohio
Martin Colony History: Colony established May 20, 2017 after three unsuccessful years. Persistent and aggressive Tree Swallows plagued the site, but beyond learning - and practicing - to control them, was the return in 2017 of a 2016-SY-M previously unable to find a mate. As a handsome ASY-M, he brought along two females and a swagger that soon put the Tree Swallow issue to rest. As the anchor pair, he and his mate hatched all six of their eggs into fat and healthy babies into what settled in to be a three-pair, flourishing new colony with up to 11 birds total, including 3 SY-M trouble makers.

House cat?
2023-42 Nests, 197 Eggs/Babies
2022-48 Nests Fledged 203
2021-43 Nests Fledged 185
2020-31 Nests Fledged 133, three early deaths due to cold & rain
2019-19 Nests Fledged 84
2018-11 Nests Fledged 48, ASY-M Arrived April 6, Despite Snow & Cold, Joined Soon by Mate & Two Adult Pairs
2017-3 Nests Fledged 13, FIRST-YEAR LANDLORD! Resident SY-M from 2016 Returned (as ASY-M) on May 20. At Least 11 Adult Residents
2016 Late-Arriving SYs, Resident Lone SY-M
2015-14 Many Visits
Top
Curtis Reil
Posts: 119
Joined: Mon Apr 29, 2013 7:51 pm
Location: Alberta/Tofield
Martin Colony History: I inherited this colony when I purchased the property from my Great Uncle. To the best of my knowledge, he had hosted Martins since 1977. Housing consisted of three twelve compartment units that he had built. Small compartments, round holes and no way to lower for managing. There were maybe 6-8 pairs here when we moved in. Through reading up on information provided by the PMCA and that provided to me by Bob Buskas, the decision was made to upgrade the housing. We are now fully switched over to North Star houses and hosted 58 pairs this season(2017). 60 compartments open for business and being so close to 100% occupancy, I believe we may expand housing offered next season. Expansion will continue contingent to high occupancy, being able to keep up on management and or until it starts to feel like work.

Robbo wrote:Don't have Coons here, squirrels though.

We do indeed have coons around Rob. I've found 2 dead ones myself and caught several on trail camera. Also know lots of folks who have seen and or shot them as well. I'm over in the Tofield area. Southern Alberta has lots and lots of coons. The population isn't very dense yet but they are around.

Not saying it's a coon indefinitely consuming your sparrows but certainly do not rule them out.
Top
Robbo
Posts: 624
Joined: Tue Jun 09, 2009 2:53 pm
Location: Leduc, Alberta, Canada.

Interesting Curtis,
I live in town here so I sure hope we don't have any in my backyard, that would be bad. One would think that they would rip the trap apart? One thing for is whatever it is got the whole body out of the cage somehow, only feathers on the ground.
2009. 98 eggs, 66 hatch, 61 fledged.
2010. 114 eggs, 89 hatch,70 fledged.
2011. 96 eggs. 80 hatch,68 fledged.Heavy Merlin preditation.
2012. 89 eggs. 56 hatch, good fledge. Guards installed. Merlin not sighted at houses.
2013. First Egg May 24, first Baby June 13.
2014. successful.
2015. successful.
2016. Martin's population decline, suspect new housing in the neighborhood. Merlin eating well also!
2017.Population explosion :grin: . first egg May 25 in a BO-11
2018. Population stable.
Top
asop
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2017 3:19 pm
Location: Delavan

If you have water near by very possibly a mink.
Top
Post Reply

Return to “Purple Martin Forum”