I have a second year "colony" that is being harassed by a crested flycatcher. First year (last year) I had 6 nesting pairs, and this year there appear to be 3-5 pairs living in the T-14, but not nesting yet.
The flycatcher harassed the martins this year for 2-3 days, but didn't drive them away (so far). Now, the flycatcher is building a nest in one side of the T-14 that the martins are not using. Several martins are on their porches while the flycatcher is building a nest--not being harassed for now.
Last year, a flycatcher harassed them, and I took action that I immediately regretted. They are very pretty birds.
Will the flycatchers become more aggressive once they lay eggs and drive the martins off? If so, any suggestions on how to handle the problem?
Thanks
PS: Last year was my first year. I wouldn't even have gotten started, and certainly wouldn't have had successful fledglings (starling problems) without access to the information on this web site. Y'all are doing great things for martins.
Bob
Advice on Competition from Great Crested Flycatcher
-
Louise Chambers
- Site Admin
- Posts: 6208
- Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2003 1:07 pm
- Location: Corpus Christi, TX
Bob,
Mary Dawnsong posted some links on this topic a couple of days ago?
So those should help you out. Generally speaking, at established sites, Tree Swallows, bluebirds or flycatchers are not going to run off the martins or harm them. Flycatchers can be feisty, but martins with site fidelity can probably handle things ok. PMCA's founder, Jamie Hill, had a GC Flycatcher pair claim at gourd under his T14 a year or two ago and the martins and flycatchers all fledged young successfully. It is just at new sites, with no breeding martins with site fidelity, that other birds can interfere with the martins.
GC Flycatchers can usually be provided with a gourd or nest box of their own, away from the martin poles, for their own use - that's the route I would go if possible. They are really beautiful birds and so noisy - they are also good allies against hawks and will help mob them.
Louise
Mary Dawnsong posted some links on this topic a couple of days ago?
Mon May 01, 2006
Hi,
I have no experience with Great Crested Flycatchers, but there are some excellent older posts on this forum about them. Click on:
http://www.purplemartin.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=210
So those should help you out. Generally speaking, at established sites, Tree Swallows, bluebirds or flycatchers are not going to run off the martins or harm them. Flycatchers can be feisty, but martins with site fidelity can probably handle things ok. PMCA's founder, Jamie Hill, had a GC Flycatcher pair claim at gourd under his T14 a year or two ago and the martins and flycatchers all fledged young successfully. It is just at new sites, with no breeding martins with site fidelity, that other birds can interfere with the martins.
GC Flycatchers can usually be provided with a gourd or nest box of their own, away from the martin poles, for their own use - that's the route I would go if possible. They are really beautiful birds and so noisy - they are also good allies against hawks and will help mob them.
Louise
-
Guest
Where is Cathy Brouse from PA? This is her area of expertise! If you search for posts by Cathy, you should be able to access her information. She had trouble with Great Crested Flycatchers, and put up housing just for them.
One of my Commandments is "NEVER allow any other bird to nest in Purple Martin housing." I would not advocate lethal control for GCFL; as Louise says, they are beneficial birds. Also, as natives, they are of course protected by the Migratory Bird Act (Federal law) but they can be very competitive for martin housing. Putting up housing in their preferred habitat and denying them access to your PM set-up should do the trick.
See this link - http://www.birds.cornell.edu/birdhouse/ ... accts/gcfl for more information on GCFL and this one http://www.birds.cornell.edu/birdhouse/ ... re/habitat [Scroll down to Great-crested Flycatcher] for nest box information. Both are from the Cornell Lab Ornithology's Birdhouse Network site. PLEASE NOTE: GCFL require a 1 9/16" round entry hole, and European Starlings can squeeze through a hole this size. If you are putting up housing for GCFL, you need to keep the EUST out.
One of my Commandments is "NEVER allow any other bird to nest in Purple Martin housing." I would not advocate lethal control for GCFL; as Louise says, they are beneficial birds. Also, as natives, they are of course protected by the Migratory Bird Act (Federal law) but they can be very competitive for martin housing. Putting up housing in their preferred habitat and denying them access to your PM set-up should do the trick.
See this link - http://www.birds.cornell.edu/birdhouse/ ... accts/gcfl for more information on GCFL and this one http://www.birds.cornell.edu/birdhouse/ ... re/habitat [Scroll down to Great-crested Flycatcher] for nest box information. Both are from the Cornell Lab Ornithology's Birdhouse Network site. PLEASE NOTE: GCFL require a 1 9/16" round entry hole, and European Starlings can squeeze through a hole this size. If you are putting up housing for GCFL, you need to keep the EUST out.