Update on killing Martins

[Carol Haff]

Made some phone calls about the airport firing fireworks rockets at the birds. Talked with our President Joe here at PMCA. He informed me that if the airport had a permit to fire the rockets there"s nothing that can be done. I called the airport & suggested to them to purchase speakers & try to find a recording of owl hoots, the sound of hawks or buy rubber snakes to put in the top of the roost trees. I don't know if this would work, but worth a try. We went back to the airport last evening the birds are still there and all their efforts to disperse the birds were in vain. These birds are not budging, they are bound and determined to roost. They might as well give up trying with the rockets. All the rockets are doing is keeping them flying until dark, & I'm afraid they will loose precious body fat they need for their journey back. I am so sad for them. Their numbers are really down, they have so many obstacles to overcome & now with hurricane in Texas also. All we can do is pray for them. I did get a video of the roosting & rockets being fired. Will send to PMCA. By the way the airport does have the permit. We did not witness any birds killed last evening.

[Dick Sherry]

This airport roost situation has been extremely frustrating. Carol and her husband, Don, have been tremendous in their efforts to protect the martins, but it seems that an airport has special abilities to drive away "problem species" that other locations don't. The efforts to contact a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service enforcement officer have been in vain - no response to voice messages left at several offices (there aren't very many of them and they are really scattered). State wildlife officers don't have the jurisdiction for Federal violations, and we only have two game rangers for a very large area. We really wish the martins would move on south, but Hurricane Harvey is affecting the area they would most likely be heading towards. It has been a disappointing martin season here, and the roosting experience for the martins has to be the worst in the 30 years I have been watching over their roost sites. Next year has got to be better.

[Matt F.]

Keep up the great fight Carol and Don Haff, and Dick Sherry!
Hopefully others have as well, but I just sent the following message to Tulsa's FOX32, NewsOn6, and KJRH channel 2:

Tulsa Airport crews are using certain "techniques" to disperse a roost of federally protected Purple Martin birds.  These "approved" techniques they are using are maiming and killing these beautiful, Neotropical, migratory birds.  Here is a thread from the Purple Martin Conservation Association's website, where some local bird watchers describe what's going on:
http://www.purplemartin.org/forum/viewt ... =2&t=33713
Please help.
Thanks so much

[taxidermy lady]

This is a shame! There's only one way to stop it the right humane way and that's get rid of the trees their roosting in! SIMPLE!

[marcus]

Why could they not put bird netting over the trees?

[BioJoe]

The PMCA administration and PMCA members in the Tulsa area are closely monitoring the situation and in contact with staff at the Tulsa International Airport there.

The PMCA has spoken with airport officials multiple times. They are bound by FAA regulations to actively deter potential wildlife hazards. If they fail to do anything to discourage the birds, they will be at fault in the event of an aircraft accident. We reassured airport representatives that the roost will be short lived and warned them that martins are stubborn and trying to discourage them would only keep them stirred up in the airspace for longer each night.

The use of pyrotechnics to harass nearby martins, although difficult to watch and certainly stressful to the martins, is a technique that is legal for the airport to do. However, the incident in mid-August in which martins were directly struck and injured by the devices is not (without Federal permit). The PMCA and others were quick to inform the airport staff of this and there have been no further reports of direct injury to the birds.

To clarify the protection status of Purple Martins: Unfortunately, outside of the nesting season the Migratory Bird Treaty Act offers less protection to our martins. Technically, to the letter of the law, after the nesting season is complete the protections to martins are reduced to a prohibition on possessing, injuring, or killing but not harassing.

This is a very difficult situation for all involved. We have tried to suggest alternatives to avoid stress to the martins, and actions directly injuring the martins have ceased. I think everyone’s hope is that the martins move their roost elsewhere next year. Of all the locations that they could have selected to roost, it’s difficult to conceive of a worse option.

At this point, time is the only solution to the issue. The martins will be moving on soon. We continue to monitor the situation closely, and we will continue to advocate on behalf of the martins. That is our mission at the PMCA.

[taxidermy lady]

Thank you for trying to make this better for our feathered friends Joe!

[William Bagwell]

To clarify the protection status of Purple Martins: Unfortunately, outside of the nesting season the Migratory Bird Treaty Act offers less protection to our martins. Technically, to the letter of the law, after the nesting season is complete the protections to martins are reduced to a prohibition on possessing, injuring, or killing but not harassing.

Interesting. Is the reverse also true? ie. various migratory predators of Martins can be harassed outside of their respective nesting season.

Just curious, do not have Martins yet and the pair of tree swallows we did attract did an excellent job of running hawks off. Witnessed this once and noticed attacks on our plastic decoys totally ceased while the TRES were present.