The Best Hawk Deterrents and Maybe The Best Ever?

[birdman in buckhead]

Greetings Fellow Landlords,

It is my experience that hawk attacks are inevitable, but controllable to a certain degree. The cooper's hawk is so fast, there is no time to alert the martins or stop the hawk before the attack is over. I haven't found a way to prevent attacks unless you put a screen completely surrounding the PM housing, but that isn't practical in my opinion and would make doing nest checks a real pain.

I have seen attacks this year, but I haven't seen a successful attack or evidence of one. Loud noises seem to have a good effect of scaring a hawk into not returning. I always keep an air horn nearby and blow it 4 or 5 times after an attack. Another noise making method is firing small 1" firework mortars in the direction that the hawk left. They explode about 100 feet away from where they're lit. I’ve fired off a few 4" mortars in the past if the hawk is persistent, but they are very loud and could present a fire hazard.

This year, I may have found the best deterrent yet!!! I made a good "scarehawk" using a Halloween mask of Kamala Harris (that's enough to scare anything), but I think any human looking mask will work. I used wheat straw to stuff the mask, shirt. and pants. It sits in a chair holding a shovel, and I constantly change its location around the housing. It's very realistic looking. I also hung some fluorescent-colored barricade tape from its neck. I haven't experienced a hawk attack since putting it out 2 weeks ago!

[paule]

I found a 6' Tyrannosaurus Rex figure at Good Will that I will be putting in the back yard. You know, big butt and small hands. ;-)