Hawk Problems
I had about 10 martins in and around my set up, then I saw a Red-Sholder hawk sitting on my aluminum house. The hawk was just hunting, unsuccessfully, because no martins were around, and I scared it off. I'm not sure if the martins weren't there because of the hawk, or those martins I saw were just migrating through, and had already moved on. Has anyone had hawk issues and still had a full colony?
I have. The martins will use their own instincts and alerts. If you search the forum you’ll find many good suggestions on ways to dissuade the hawks. Anything from using air horns to decoys to cages around the houses are discussed throughout the forum. But yes, I have hawk problems and a Great Horn Owl problem and lots of martins. Good luck my friend.
Brent
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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
Yes I have a bad hawk problem. I found bolt rockets work great. If you see them perched near by send one inTheir direction it usually sends them running. I have lost several Martin over the last couple of years. It usually the fledglings that they get that leave the nest just a little to so. They end up not being able to fly as well as they thought they could. And when they land In The near by fields they hawks a quick to get them. An air horn works pretty good to. But the bottle rocks get I. Closer proximity to the hawk before it blows up scares them pretty good. If you use a three foot piece of metal or pvc pipe lite it drop it in the pipe and use the pipe to help aim it. Good luck
JHCox
Heiskell TN
JHCox
Heiskell TN
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Stingray
- Posts: 426
- Joined: Wed May 11, 2005 9:45 pm
- Location: Plantation/Florida
- Martin Colony History: 2005 to present
Hello Elmo,
I like many here I have had hawk problems for years..
My martins still return. Last year I watched as a Coopers hawk ambushed two of my martins. One in the morning and the other in the evening as they were coming in. Very hard to see
Coopers hawks like to hide and quickly surprise their prey before they can react.
My small colony is situated in our big backyard in a wide open location facing a big canal.
There are a few deterents you can try. As already suggested, air horns is one of them, but they require monitoring. Lots of experienced landlords here with great suggestions. You can also do a search.
Good luck!
I like many here I have had hawk problems for years..
My martins still return. Last year I watched as a Coopers hawk ambushed two of my martins. One in the morning and the other in the evening as they were coming in. Very hard to see
Coopers hawks like to hide and quickly surprise their prey before they can react.
My small colony is situated in our big backyard in a wide open location facing a big canal.
There are a few deterents you can try. As already suggested, air horns is one of them, but they require monitoring. Lots of experienced landlords here with great suggestions. You can also do a search.
Good luck!
Have a great season!
Plantation, Florida
PMCA member
Plantation, Florida
PMCA member
-
h2y
- Posts: 56
- Joined: Sat Mar 04, 2023 3:34 am
- Location: La Grange, TX
- Martin Colony History: est. 2001.
336 6x12" suites; 8"x5' duct
pipe snake guards; nest 15'
poles to 9'. Pre-spray Bifen
inside houses each year; pre-
load "bedrooms" with pine
needles. Feed crows for hawk
control; Tempo dust for mites.
Does the PMCA lobby to protect the PMs? I contribute to your organization and this would be my primary request as a member: to get these raptors removed from the protected list or, at least, get us an exception. We complain about PM numbers declining; I bet this 1 simple change would reverse that. My brother watches high in the sky, with high powered binoculars, literally 100,000s of hawks migrate south DAILY in September (Corpus Christi observation site alone counted ~225,000 on Sept 27, 2025). There is no shortage of hawks. I understand buzzards being protected, they clean up, but these predators are destructive for PMs and a lot of "good" birds. Cattlemen can protect their herd, is our flock less important?
Use deep housing, long spacious gourds or 2 room suites, to lessen the exposure of your PMs to a housing assault.
Aerial assaults are a different story since the law takes the answer out of our hands. Loud noises help, like others are saying, yet they normally still return. I daily scatter 2-3 lbs of sunflower seeds to attract crows, & other songbirds, but the crows aren't too interested right now. Trouble is a Cooper's hawk is (on PMs) and lately a Black American Hawk has been pursuing them as well. Woe the plight of a PM. Thank God we have the "castle doctrine" for human predator protection.
Use deep housing, long spacious gourds or 2 room suites, to lessen the exposure of your PMs to a housing assault.
Aerial assaults are a different story since the law takes the answer out of our hands. Loud noises help, like others are saying, yet they normally still return. I daily scatter 2-3 lbs of sunflower seeds to attract crows, & other songbirds, but the crows aren't too interested right now. Trouble is a Cooper's hawk is (on PMs) and lately a Black American Hawk has been pursuing them as well. Woe the plight of a PM. Thank God we have the "castle doctrine" for human predator protection.