What is happening to my decoys?

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Dohcsvt
Posts: 11
Joined: Mon Mar 27, 2023 1:05 pm
Location: Suffolk, Va

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Hello, this is my second year of trying to get PMslast year I simply put up a house, this year I bought decoys and the dawn song and daytime chatter CDs. Well, my decoys keep getting discombobulated. I assumed it was other birds landing on them, so I rotated them inward (facing the house) and it keeps happening. I am 90% sure it is mocking birds landing on them :lol: has anyone else had this issue?
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C.C.Martins
Posts: 3368
Joined: Fri Apr 14, 2017 11:15 am
Location: Corpus Christi Tx
Martin Colony History: 2016- Visitors.
2017- 5 pair. 15 fledged
2018- 18 pair. 85 fledged
2019- 17 pair. 81 fledged
2020- 25 pair. 111 fledged
2021- 28 pair. 118 fledged
2022- 33 pair. 151 fledged
2023- 33 pair. 165 fledged
2024- 40 pair. 185 fledged
2025- 40 pair. 181 fledged
HOSP:
Home colony: mix natural, super, Troyer and excluder gourds, enlarged compartment house. All SREH.

Satellite colony: Oso Bay Preserve: 49 PMCA excluder gourds; 16 room Lonestar Goliad with Modified Excluder entrances.
2019: Visitors
2020: 3 pair, 11 fledged
2021: 10 pair, 30 fledged
2022: 11 pair, 35 fledged
2023: 18 pair, 101 fledged
2024: 39 pair, 181 fledged
2025: 51 pair, 216 fledged
PMCA member

Hahahahaha!!! Yes! Had a couple start looking like bats, problem was they were on a gourd rack and I couldn't get them straight so there my purple martin bat hung upside down a full season. This year I drilled right through the rod and screwed it in.
Could zip tie it to your rail if you can't screw it in?
A good house sparrow is a dead house sparrow.
HOSP: 17. Starlings: 23
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jhcox
Posts: 801
Joined: Thu May 26, 2016 9:23 am
Location: tennesse
Martin Colony History: Started colony in 2014. 0 pairs
2015 0 pairs
2016 0 pairs
2017 0 pairs but visitors
2018 1 pair fledged 5
2019 10 pair
2020 25 pair
2021 42 Pair
2022 60 Pair
2023 72 Pair
2024 74 pair
2025 78 pair

Check the decoys for claw marks on the back and head could be hawk or owl attacks.. Those little decoys have saved a lot of martins for me. Mine are scratched all to pieces. Seems like the hawks and owls go for the last bird to leave the perches. Hope this is not the case for you. But when i get home and my decoys look like that its a dead give away that there have been birds of prey at my colony that day.

God bless and have an awesome martin season.
JHCox Heiskell TN
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Thomabear
Posts: 484
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2020 10:10 am
Location: Cut Off, Louisiana

I had the same issue using the cheesy mounts that come with the decoys and don’t hold very well. I finally upgraded the mounts with metal clamps.
2019- 6 Pair, 30 Fledged
2020- 8 Pair, 32 Fledged
2021- 10 Pair, 39 Fledged
HOSP count 130, Starlings 2
2022- 31 Pair, 146 Fledged
HOSP count to date 17, Starlings 1
2023- 28 Pair, 124 Fledged
HOSP count 47, Starlings 1
2024- 40 Pair, 192 Fledged
HOSP count 37
2025-42 Pair, 202 Fledged
HOSP count 46
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Phil01
Posts: 346
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2020 6:42 pm
Location: Fernandina Beach FL
Martin Colony History: 52 Cavities offered.
24 unit gourd rack with Troyer Horizontal and Vertical Gourds. K-18 gourd rack all Troyer Horizontal Gourds. Sunset Inn aluminum house with 4 Troyer Horizontal Gourds.

2020- 1 pair, 4 eggs, fledged 3
2021- 3 pair, 15 eggs, fledged 8
2022- 5 pair, 26 eggs, fledged 21
2023- 10 pair, 53 eggs, fledged 27
2024- 26 pair, 125 eggs, fledged 83
2025- 32 pair, 182 eggs, fledged 134
2026- Added a Troyer K-18 all Troyer Horizontal.
PMCA Member

That’s what I looked like after a night of partying overseas… lol
PMCA member
Fernandina Beach, FL
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Thomabear
Posts: 484
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2020 10:10 am
Location: Cut Off, Louisiana

Phil01 wrote: ↑
Fri Mar 15, 2024 7:05 am
 That’s what I looked like after a night of partying overseas… lol
LOL, I remember those days.
2019- 6 Pair, 30 Fledged
2020- 8 Pair, 32 Fledged
2021- 10 Pair, 39 Fledged
HOSP count 130, Starlings 2
2022- 31 Pair, 146 Fledged
HOSP count to date 17, Starlings 1
2023- 28 Pair, 124 Fledged
HOSP count 47, Starlings 1
2024- 40 Pair, 192 Fledged
HOSP count 37
2025-42 Pair, 202 Fledged
HOSP count 46
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Phil01
Posts: 346
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2020 6:42 pm
Location: Fernandina Beach FL
Martin Colony History: 52 Cavities offered.
24 unit gourd rack with Troyer Horizontal and Vertical Gourds. K-18 gourd rack all Troyer Horizontal Gourds. Sunset Inn aluminum house with 4 Troyer Horizontal Gourds.

2020- 1 pair, 4 eggs, fledged 3
2021- 3 pair, 15 eggs, fledged 8
2022- 5 pair, 26 eggs, fledged 21
2023- 10 pair, 53 eggs, fledged 27
2024- 26 pair, 125 eggs, fledged 83
2025- 32 pair, 182 eggs, fledged 134
2026- Added a Troyer K-18 all Troyer Horizontal.
PMCA Member

Yes sir, the good ole days! WAY too painful the next day now! lol
PMCA member
Fernandina Beach, FL
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C.C.Martins
Posts: 3368
Joined: Fri Apr 14, 2017 11:15 am
Location: Corpus Christi Tx
Martin Colony History: 2016- Visitors.
2017- 5 pair. 15 fledged
2018- 18 pair. 85 fledged
2019- 17 pair. 81 fledged
2020- 25 pair. 111 fledged
2021- 28 pair. 118 fledged
2022- 33 pair. 151 fledged
2023- 33 pair. 165 fledged
2024- 40 pair. 185 fledged
2025- 40 pair. 181 fledged
HOSP:
Home colony: mix natural, super, Troyer and excluder gourds, enlarged compartment house. All SREH.

Satellite colony: Oso Bay Preserve: 49 PMCA excluder gourds; 16 room Lonestar Goliad with Modified Excluder entrances.
2019: Visitors
2020: 3 pair, 11 fledged
2021: 10 pair, 30 fledged
2022: 11 pair, 35 fledged
2023: 18 pair, 101 fledged
2024: 39 pair, 181 fledged
2025: 51 pair, 216 fledged
PMCA member

Phil,
Too funny, had to laugh a bit at that one. Our flight chief would take one look and make us stand in the very back of formation, with mouths shut. God forbid we had a run that day.
A good house sparrow is a dead house sparrow.
HOSP: 17. Starlings: 23
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Phil01
Posts: 346
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2020 6:42 pm
Location: Fernandina Beach FL
Martin Colony History: 52 Cavities offered.
24 unit gourd rack with Troyer Horizontal and Vertical Gourds. K-18 gourd rack all Troyer Horizontal Gourds. Sunset Inn aluminum house with 4 Troyer Horizontal Gourds.

2020- 1 pair, 4 eggs, fledged 3
2021- 3 pair, 15 eggs, fledged 8
2022- 5 pair, 26 eggs, fledged 21
2023- 10 pair, 53 eggs, fledged 27
2024- 26 pair, 125 eggs, fledged 83
2025- 32 pair, 182 eggs, fledged 134
2026- Added a Troyer K-18 all Troyer Horizontal.
PMCA Member

Tom, Yep, don’t breath on anyone and never when you have PT the next day! lol
PMCA member
Fernandina Beach, FL
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Dohcsvt
Posts: 11
Joined: Mon Mar 27, 2023 1:05 pm
Location: Suffolk, Va

Thanks for the feedback, maybe I will try to configure a small hose clamp in some manner.

Also, thank you guys for your service! I am a Navy vet myself.
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Phil01
Posts: 346
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2020 6:42 pm
Location: Fernandina Beach FL
Martin Colony History: 52 Cavities offered.
24 unit gourd rack with Troyer Horizontal and Vertical Gourds. K-18 gourd rack all Troyer Horizontal Gourds. Sunset Inn aluminum house with 4 Troyer Horizontal Gourds.

2020- 1 pair, 4 eggs, fledged 3
2021- 3 pair, 15 eggs, fledged 8
2022- 5 pair, 26 eggs, fledged 21
2023- 10 pair, 53 eggs, fledged 27
2024- 26 pair, 125 eggs, fledged 83
2025- 32 pair, 182 eggs, fledged 134
2026- Added a Troyer K-18 all Troyer Horizontal.
PMCA Member

Thank you for your service as well sir. Retired Navy here. Moved down to FL from Virginia Beach and lived in Chesapeake for a while too. I know exactly where Suffolk is, very pretty countryside there. Good luck this season, hope you get a bunch of Martins!
Phil
PMCA member
Fernandina Beach, FL
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Dohcsvt
Posts: 11
Joined: Mon Mar 27, 2023 1:05 pm
Location: Suffolk, Va

There are no claw/scratch marks on the birds. I found some coax cable clamps from a project and decided to use them. They definitely clamp tighter, and I did not have to build up the railing diameter with tape. We’ll see how this works.
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As a side note, I got my first bluebird egg of the season laid today😊. They seem to get a little earlier every year 🤷‍♂️
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Bshortt
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2020 10:00 pm
Location: Virginia
Martin Colony History: 2021-Established 1cedar house (12) 6x6x12 compartments. No takers.
2024 -Site change 2024 after mentor consult and added 4 vertical gourds below -visitors only but cool!
2025 - switched to Gemini gourd rack 12 vertical artificial gourds round, sreh, obround and crescent holes. Decoys and audio attractors. Success!!
3 nesting pairs-8 eggs, 7 hatched, 7 fledged
2026- 24 sreh artificial vertical and hotizontal gourds with porches and 1/3 with owl guards.
ES-38, HSP-2

You may have a hawk or owl using it for what it is there for: to fool them into going after it instead of your birds. I have not one but 2 videos of a Cooper’s hawk attack and subsequent confusion about why he/she could not pick it up!
I also have video of high winds gradually flipping my decoys over.
Best of luck with your 2026 season!
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mjfog
Posts: 443
Joined: Sat Dec 30, 2017 3:40 pm
Location: Palm City, FL
Martin Colony History: 2018 will be my first try. 6 S&K B09s. 29 eggs - 8 fledged
2019 - 12 Troyer Horizontals with tunnels, 6 S&K B09s and 12 B011s all with tunnels. 43 eggs - 36 fledged
2020 - Rack 1 - 6 B011s, Rack 2 - 24 B011s, and Rack 3 - 24 Troyer Horizontals. All gourds have tunnels, porches and crescent/Conley 11 entrances; racks have predator guards. 161 eggs - 88 fledged.
2021 - 54 gourds-214 eggs, 184 hatched, 168 fledged.
2022 - 3 racks of 24 gourds. 363 eggs, 294 hatched, 278 fledged.
2023 - 3 racks of 24 gourds. 321 eggs, 276 hatched, 246 fledged.
2024 - 3 racks of 24 gourds. 330 eggs, 283 hatched, 250 fledged.
2025 - 3 racks of 24 gourds. 347 eggs, 281 hatched, 266 fledged.

Hope you don't run into problems with starlings and house sparrows - those big round entrances look mighty inviting for the bad boys. Do you have a predator guard below what we can see in the photos? These two mentioned threats could turn out to be more trouble than up side down plastic martins. Mike, Palm City, Florida
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