A little old lady that I helped with her martin colony several years ago called me today all distraught. It seems she suspected something was wrong with the martins in the gourds on her gourd rack and had her husband investigate. He found three rat snakes in the gourds. I realize that is now politically correct to release rat snakes several miles down the road that are found in your birdhouses gorged with martins, but these three weren't rehabilitated.
I don't remember what she said about the martins, whether any were left or they all abandoned. But she did have two birdhouses that were occupied by martins and there weren't any snakes in those.
Just right down the road from her house I had a martin house protected by netting, but I removed that house this year because of Accipiter hawk issues. The bottom section of the pole was still in the ground and the netting was still attached. The lady had the presence of mind to ask me if the netting was to prevent the snakes from climbing the birdhouse pole, and I told her yes. She wanted to know where she could buy the netting, and I told her just to go get the netting off of that pole and use it. That way she could see how it needs to be attached to the pole. That's a lot easier than trying to explain to someone by telephone how to install snake netting. But I told her to get some more netting and get it on those birdhouses ASAP because I'm seeing more snakes dead on the road now. I will try and go check on her tomorrow to make sure she's done everything right in the installation of her snake netting. She is such a sweet old lady and really loves her martins.
People are totally oblivious to the threat rat snakes pose to their martin colony. Nine out of ten will tell you that snakes can't climb metal poles. A neighbor had a rat snake in her birdhouse a few years ago and she said the martins were hovering around the house, "Trying to pull the snake out of the hole." Yeah, right. Another neighbor has 20 poles up with the finest variety of purple martin housing on the market--she will probably host 250 pairs of martins this year--but they are totally unprotected from rat snakes. "Oh, we'll see the snake before it gets into the houses," is her reason for no snake netting on the birdhouses. They weren't going to have Accipiter hawk problems either because, "It's too open for hawks out here," but they got a surprise this year. Sadly, their thriving satellite colony isn't protected by snake netting or SREHs, either.
Oh, well, sometimes it takes a disaster before people finally begin taking precautions. But look at all the martins that have to be wasted first...
If you don't already have snake netting on your houses, please get it up. The weather is getting warmer and the snakes are becoming more active. Believe me, there is nothing more terrifying than doing nestchecks and opening up a compartment door and having a five foot rat snake staring at you.
Sincerely, Bob Bozeman
Three rat snakes in gourd rack
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TrkrBob1949
- Posts: 100
- Joined: Wed May 17, 2006 7:20 pm
- Location: Louisiana/Belle Bower
Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
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KathyF
- Posts: 3522
- Joined: Thu May 24, 2007 1:57 pm
- Location: Missouri/Licking
- Martin Colony History: Colony started - 2007 with one pair
As of 2018 - 84 cavities offered, max # of pairs hosted - 82.
Bob,
Ugggghhhhhhh, I *HATE* snakes. I have snake netting up, but decided to change the design today because of the problems it was causing me with raising & lowering the system.
After finding a snake skin that is over 5' long in my garage this morning, I may even put up another layer of netting.
Thanks for the reminder of what these things can do to our colonies!
Ugggghhhhhhh, I *HATE* snakes. I have snake netting up, but decided to change the design today because of the problems it was causing me with raising & lowering the system.
After finding a snake skin that is over 5' long in my garage this morning, I may even put up another layer of netting.
Thanks for the reminder of what these things can do to our colonies!
"Sometimes", said Pooh, "the smallest things take up the most room in your heart."
2023 - 82 pair
2022 - 80 pair
2021 - 75 pair
2020 - 78 pair
2019 - 80 pair
http://kathyfreeze.blogspot.com
2023 - 82 pair
2022 - 80 pair
2021 - 75 pair
2020 - 78 pair
2019 - 80 pair
http://kathyfreeze.blogspot.com
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The Olsons
- Posts: 3200
- Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 12:57 pm
- Location: North Padre Island, TX
Bob,
I feel really bad for the little old lady and am glad that you were there to help her out and educate her. Hopefully, when you check on her tomorrow she has the netting up and there will be no more snake attacks at her colony.
Thank you for sharing this story with us and for the reminder to please put netting up....I do not know why people do take chances when it comes to their beloved martins. How much does it take to put up some netting and go by "better safe than sorry". Last year when I read about snake attacks on the forum I could not sit still anymore...I had to have netting now and immediately and drove my husband crazy. It had to be done that same day. Well, two days later we found a dead 6' rat snake in the netting of one of the poles. She had two wounds, obviously something pecked on her while she was tangled up. I did not even want to imagine what damage this huge snake could and would have caused, if it would have not been for the netting.
Kathy,
I also had problems with lowering the systems...I attached my netting now with a bungee cord and can just slide it up and down. Just a thought.....
Astrid
I feel really bad for the little old lady and am glad that you were there to help her out and educate her. Hopefully, when you check on her tomorrow she has the netting up and there will be no more snake attacks at her colony.
Thank you for sharing this story with us and for the reminder to please put netting up....I do not know why people do take chances when it comes to their beloved martins. How much does it take to put up some netting and go by "better safe than sorry". Last year when I read about snake attacks on the forum I could not sit still anymore...I had to have netting now and immediately and drove my husband crazy. It had to be done that same day. Well, two days later we found a dead 6' rat snake in the netting of one of the poles. She had two wounds, obviously something pecked on her while she was tangled up. I did not even want to imagine what damage this huge snake could and would have caused, if it would have not been for the netting.
Kathy,
I also had problems with lowering the systems...I attached my netting now with a bungee cord and can just slide it up and down. Just a thought.....
Astrid
Love it or leave it~~~Astrid :-)
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TrkrBob1949
- Posts: 100
- Joined: Wed May 17, 2006 7:20 pm
- Location: Louisiana/Belle Bower
Kathy:
Before I began converting most of my housing to castles and gourd racks with square poles, a lot of it was mounted on 1 1/2" galvanized round pipe. What I did to make it easier to move my netting out of the way was to slip a 2 foot piece of 2" diameter PVC over the galvanized pipe. Then I attached my netting to the piece of PVC, which allowed me slide the PVC up and down the pole as necessary. That allowed me to keep my winch handles out of the netting, which sure eliminated a lot of stress when doing nestchecks on a bunch of poles.
Astrid:
Wow, to catch a snake that soon after installing snake netting. Who would've ever believed? Talking about being lucky, girl...
Sincerely, Bob Bozeman
Before I began converting most of my housing to castles and gourd racks with square poles, a lot of it was mounted on 1 1/2" galvanized round pipe. What I did to make it easier to move my netting out of the way was to slip a 2 foot piece of 2" diameter PVC over the galvanized pipe. Then I attached my netting to the piece of PVC, which allowed me slide the PVC up and down the pole as necessary. That allowed me to keep my winch handles out of the netting, which sure eliminated a lot of stress when doing nestchecks on a bunch of poles.
Astrid:
Wow, to catch a snake that soon after installing snake netting. Who would've ever believed? Talking about being lucky, girl...
Sincerely, Bob Bozeman
Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
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The Olsons
- Posts: 3200
- Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 12:57 pm
- Location: North Padre Island, TX
Bob,
I felt very lucky that day.....
Astrid
I felt very lucky that day.....
Astrid
Love it or leave it~~~Astrid :-)
Snakes are a real problem....
My PM housing is about 5 ft from a pond....I have had rat snake problems every one of my 5 years as a PM landlord.
I had tried the standard predator guards, plastic sheeting in a cone shape around the pole, and large amounts of bird netting (not all at the same time) ....but nothing is totally successful against the SMALL rat snakes....they always seem to find a way.
NEXT YEAR.... I am going to use a SHOTGUN on the small snakes that are swimming around the pond. Maybe that will work!
BTW....I HAD 30 pair of PM's , but now it is only 29...If I'm lucky.
geezer
My PM housing is about 5 ft from a pond....I have had rat snake problems every one of my 5 years as a PM landlord.
I had tried the standard predator guards, plastic sheeting in a cone shape around the pole, and large amounts of bird netting (not all at the same time) ....but nothing is totally successful against the SMALL rat snakes....they always seem to find a way.
NEXT YEAR.... I am going to use a SHOTGUN on the small snakes that are swimming around the pond. Maybe that will work!
BTW....I HAD 30 pair of PM's , but now it is only 29...If I'm lucky.
geezer
#PMCA #birding #birders
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eyeamtheman
- Posts: 633
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 3:21 pm
- Location: Quitman, La
- Martin Colony History: Super colony
Rat snakes..............hmmmm..........
I will NEVER forget my experience 2 years ago, when, after pulling the 5'+ snake out of a T14 compartment and blowing it's damn head off, I noticed the 5 bulges in it's body. Five adults were inside it, and one was just killed as I opened the compartment. ( it uncoiled from it when I opened the door ). 4 nests full of eggs were destroyed.......a couple of the adults were apparently lucky.
Last year I installed a super duper 10 mile fence charger system on all three poles PLUS a large wad of netting above that. Closest I am able to get to it ( through a blade of grass ) to test it is about 5 inches, which means ANYTHING that touches it directly will be STRONGLY discouraged from attempting to climb the pole.........that's IF it doesn't die.
I check it, and the netting daily, and I too repeat the fact that if your martin colony has not been raided by a rat snake, you have adequate protection, or just plain lucky.........
I will NEVER forget my experience 2 years ago, when, after pulling the 5'+ snake out of a T14 compartment and blowing it's damn head off, I noticed the 5 bulges in it's body. Five adults were inside it, and one was just killed as I opened the compartment. ( it uncoiled from it when I opened the door ). 4 nests full of eggs were destroyed.......a couple of the adults were apparently lucky.
Last year I installed a super duper 10 mile fence charger system on all three poles PLUS a large wad of netting above that. Closest I am able to get to it ( through a blade of grass ) to test it is about 5 inches, which means ANYTHING that touches it directly will be STRONGLY discouraged from attempting to climb the pole.........that's IF it doesn't die.
I check it, and the netting daily, and I too repeat the fact that if your martin colony has not been raided by a rat snake, you have adequate protection, or just plain lucky.........
Johnny