Hawks everywhere

[Martintown33]

I now have a family of 5 Cooper’s hawks actively cruising and hunting in my area .. I took a drive today, and in a 4 mile radius I saw 9 Cooper’s hawks, all cruising at about 50 to 60 feet… 3 circling around my friends 3 gourd rack site..1 cruising about a mile from there.. and the 5 in my area. Bottle rockets are fired when they get in range. It used to be unusual to see a hawk.. in the last few years their numbers just keep increasing. All I have to do now, is go outside and look up., within 5 minutes I will see at least 2 or 3. I need to order more rockets. Its going to be a long Martin season..
Rob

[brent]

Sorry to hear that Rob. Have they been attacking? So far, the hawks have been quiet here. I don’t know if my efforts of being outside and using the air horn have paid off but I was talking with a friend today that I found it unusual not to see the hawks and not to have the attacks that I have had. It’s as though they’ve moved on. As much as I don’t like having them attack I hope that no one is shooting to kill them. Now of course tomorrow might bring a different scenario. I haven’t even seen the large Red Tail Hawks recently either. I wonder if Thomabear is experiencing the same in Cut-Off. Thomabear? Brent

[CTMartins]

They dont like crows so maybe trying a mixed up of fake birds?

[Martintown33]

Hi Brent.. I’ve had 2 attacks that I know of. One successful and one not. But I’m outside a lot shooting bottle rockets at them whenever the hawks start to approach my colony.. so that’s keeping them from coming too close, so far.. I had to order more rockets yesterday..My friend who lives 4 miles away, has lots of hawk attacks on doves, that feed from his ground seed trays, so the hawks haven’t been going after his Martins… I did see 1 large red tail 2 days ago, cruising and circling at about 50 feet.. the 5 Cooper’s that hunt in my area all day, must be a family… I was seeing 2 Cooper’s every day, now suddenly it’s 5.. the fledglings hunt with the parents for a while until they learn and go own their own.. very stressful seeing all these hawks so close all the time.. I’m glad yours have not been around as much..
Rob

[Thomabear]

I haven't had any more attacks but like Rob said they are everywhere. When their young hatched was the worst time I saw last year as they were feeding many mouths and needed more food. I hope this doesn't repeat itself. There is no way these hawks are endangered, at least not in my area. To the contrary it looks like their population is exploding.

[Martintown33]

Agree thomabear., there is no doubt that hawks are no longer endangered.. and I personally can verify their numbers are exploding. I saw 9 Cooper’s in a 4 mile radius yesterday. 3 years ago, I would only see 3 or 4 the whole Martin season. Now I see 3 or 4 in 5 minutes.. all I have to do is look up and wait.. and boom there’s one, then another and on and on.., this goes on all day.. it’s incredible..
Rob

[Martintown33]

5 minutes after I posted the above, went outside.. looked up. First thing I see is a Cooper’s circling at 50 feet over my colony. Shot 2 rockets at him.. he headed off but he’ll be back.. unbelievable.. constant hawks.. I’m glad I ordered 400 more rockets. I’m going to every one of them..
Rob

[C.C.Martins]

Rob, stock up my friend, I'm suspecting it will be like the mite, sparrow and starling battle every year.

[Martintown33]

Hi Tom.. I did stock up…. yep… It will be a battle.. I have enough rockets to last til my next supply of 400:rockets comes in.. these hawks will get rocketed up the wazoo , non stop., whenever they get in range..
Good luck,
Rob

[Martintown33]

Tom.. 10 minutes after I posted above.. went outside , looked up, the family of 5 Cooper’s circling 40 feet above me.. saw one dive to the ground.. disappeared behind a roof top. Don’t know if he got what he was diving at.. Got 2 rockets off at the others. They are relentless.. they leave when I fire rockets at them, but Keep coming back despite getting bombarded everyday.. all I can do is keep bombarding..
Rob

[Rediwill]

I have a few hawks in my area but with the birds with nestlings and two pairs of martins they drive them off pretty fast. I stopped feeding genera mixed bird feed and now only give thistle and safflower for finches and cardinals. The more birds eating on the ground seems to pull the hawks in. I did put hawk/owl guards on half my gourds and will add 1-2 more guards each year until all gourds protected. I stay active around yard and I worry more about crows that are hunting the robin nests under all the decks in my housing area.

[birdman in buckhead]

I lost a bird yesterday to a ^%$#$%RT%^Y&U*UII((*&%$%^&*()O(*Y^&^ HAWK! That makes 2 so far this year, and there are no hatchlings, yet. That's when I normally have a hawk problem. Now I see a fly by at least once a day. I'll definitely try bottle rockets. I'm going to need something other than the scarecrow, decoys, air horn, and windmill toys to keep the hawks away after fledglings are here. 20 pair of birds so far and 15 eggs.

I don't mind so much when I believe the hawks are feeding their young, but don't like it at all when hawks eat adult martins as their food source. And especially hate hawks that eat my birds within a few feet of the housing.

[Martintown33]

I’m very sorry to hear about your attacks.. so infuriating to me.,, but Agree… I’ve got a family of 5 Cooper’s hawks that actively hunt , cruising and circling , often very low and way too close to my site, every single day, all day, from 9 am til 6 pm… I’ve had to order another 400 bottle rockets. I order them online from US FIREWORKS… only thing is you have to live in a state that allows fireworks, to be shipped to you. I’m in Louisiana, so it’s legal to have them shipped here… the rockets keep them away temporarily, but they always return.. I keep firing rockets at them.. it’s a never ending battle…
Good luck,
Rob

[birdman in buckhead]

Hi Rob - I was born and raised in Baton Rouge. There's not many things that aren't legal in LA! Do they still have drive thru daiquiri cafes?

I now live in GA and believe it or not, fireworks are legal. I'll go get some bottle rockets this weekend. GA has to be one of the most conservative states, if not THE most conservative states in the U.S. - unless the subject is firearms where almost everything you want is legal except fully auto weapons. The state just started allowing Sunday sales of alcohol a few years ago, but only after 12:30 PM and only in certain counties - gotta keep drunks out of Sunday morning church service. Well, except for the priests. LOL!!

[Martintown33]

Ha! Sounds like you know Louisiana well! And yes, they do still have drive through daquiris.. lol… glad you can get your bottle rockets.. they are a help.. I feel like, at least I can get up in the air, and fight them on their level.. so frustrating when you see them circling and hunting your colony, and nothing you can do.. being able to scare them away ( albeit temporarily) , with the rockets, does ease the frustration and give your martins a bit of protection.. USFIREWORKS.COM is the best place I found online..
Good luck,
Rob

[Jones4381]

Dang...sorry for the worry and misery you guys are going through down there with the Hawk situation. You sound like an extremely dedicated supporter and caregiver of your colony and the species overall in general. The more I get involved in this hobby and conservation effort (primarily for the happiness it brings when things are going good) the more I'm amazed at the people like Rob, Brent, and Birdman and how loyal and committed they are to their birds. It's a lot of work, dedication, and love that goes into this (that I'm learning and witnessing). Just wanted to say for most of us that's following ya'lls post that were amazed at the diligence, dedication, and commitment being shown and wanted to pass along some positive vibes and energy for your efforts....really just wanted to say Good Luck and were rooting for ya.

[Martintown33]

Thanks a lot Jones… agree, one just can’t help but love these entertaining, interesting birds.. even though they are here only 6 months of the year, I love them like pets.. their loyalty, to travel thousands of miles to come back every year, makes it impossible not to get attached to them and want to do everything possible to protect them..
Rob

[Jones4381]

They enrich our lives