Any success stories using straw man as a hawk deterrent
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Trishy
- Posts: 451
- Joined: Thu Jun 12, 2008 10:25 am
- Location: Wisconsin/Shell Lake
- Martin Colony History: Colony started in 2009 with 2 pair.
Currently I have 3 gourd racks with 24 gourds. One gourd rack will be for sy arrivals only.
Bo Eleven gourds 20
I have an extremely aggressive hawk this year, and I am just about at the end of my rope. Last night he came in 4 times in a 2.5 hour period. Today I made a straw man to hopefully give me and the Martins a break. They are constantly on guard, and I feel really bad for them. Most of the babies will fledge this week. Just trying to help Mom and dad live long enough to get the job done.
Trish
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C.C.Martins
- Posts: 3368
- Joined: Fri Apr 14, 2017 11:15 am
- Location: Corpus Christi Tx
- Martin Colony History: 2016- Visitors.
2017- 5 pair. 15 fledged
2018- 18 pair. 85 fledged
2019- 17 pair. 81 fledged
2020- 25 pair. 111 fledged
2021- 28 pair. 118 fledged
2022- 33 pair. 151 fledged
2023- 33 pair. 165 fledged
2024- 40 pair. 185 fledged
2025- 40 pair. 181 fledged
HOSP:
Home colony: mix natural, super, Troyer and excluder gourds, enlarged compartment house. All SREH.
Satellite colony: Oso Bay Preserve: 49 PMCA excluder gourds; 16 room Lonestar Goliad with Modified Excluder entrances.
2019: Visitors
2020: 3 pair, 11 fledged
2021: 10 pair, 30 fledged
2022: 11 pair, 35 fledged
2023: 18 pair, 101 fledged
2024: 39 pair, 181 fledged
2025: 51 pair, 216 fledged
PMCA member
Hi, feel your pain and hope you and your birds get through this. I tried it, even put on a bright safety vest and put him in a chair outside...moved him around too. I dont think it did any good as far as a deterrent...it did help to socialize the martins, if I put on the safety vest and walked around they barely looked.
Give it a try but move it around often, best bet is to learn where the attacks are coming from and be out there when the hawk makes its attacks. Get a stick with a long streamer of some type and use that too. you could buy some dove decoys and put them up, but again you have to move them around.
One land lord recently put up a large wire mesh between the trees and his colony, it worked very well according to his reports.
Its rough and hope your birds do ok.
Tom
Give it a try but move it around often, best bet is to learn where the attacks are coming from and be out there when the hawk makes its attacks. Get a stick with a long streamer of some type and use that too. you could buy some dove decoys and put them up, but again you have to move them around.
One land lord recently put up a large wire mesh between the trees and his colony, it worked very well according to his reports.
Its rough and hope your birds do ok.
Tom
A good house sparrow is a dead house sparrow.
HOSP: 17. Starlings: 23
HOSP: 17. Starlings: 23
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~Ray~Gingerich
- Posts: 2122
- Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2004 10:24 pm
- Location: Delaware/Dover
Sorry this is happening, hawks are bad news at fledging time, they try to pick off the newly fledged birds because it's easy pickings for them.
If you know the area the hawks are hiding out at patrol the area with a clapper (2 blocks of wood banged together) to drive them back and away from the area where they might be sitting to eyeball your colony.
If you know the area the hawks are hiding out at patrol the area with a clapper (2 blocks of wood banged together) to drive them back and away from the area where they might be sitting to eyeball your colony.
~Ray~ Gingerich
1999 1pair, 2006 2 pair, 2008 2 pair,
2009 23 pair, 2010 39 pair, 2011 67 pair,
2012 115 pair, 2013 160 pair,
2014 152 pair, 2015 174 pair, 2016 178 pair
2017 187 pair, 2018 200 pair, 2019 171pair
2020 233 pair
1999 1pair, 2006 2 pair, 2008 2 pair,
2009 23 pair, 2010 39 pair, 2011 67 pair,
2012 115 pair, 2013 160 pair,
2014 152 pair, 2015 174 pair, 2016 178 pair
2017 187 pair, 2018 200 pair, 2019 171pair
2020 233 pair
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Wildriver
- Posts: 31
- Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2016 2:48 pm
- Location: Luck Wisconsin
- Martin Colony History: Landlord of colony started in 1940 by grandfather. Completely lost colony due to houses that did not provide protection from owls.
New T-14 houses installed. 100% full with no nest abandonment due to owl guards, predator lights and decoys.
Starting new colonies in Minneapolis with new T-14 houses. Planning on community martin houses in park system. Re-claimed wetlands next to city lakes would be excellent site. Currently their are No colonies in Minneapolis, MN. Hoping to have same success as I had in Western Wisconsin
I had same experience with hawks last year. The coopers hawk would come in and take my adult martins even if I was in the yard next to the houses. The decoys on the top of my perch rods seemed to help the most. The hawk always goes for the slow bird. My colony is south of you on Bone Lake. This year I have not had any hawk or owl issues because of the large number of bald eagles that sit in the white pine trees above my colony. The young eagle are constantly flying around my houses but do not bother the martins. The martins definitely keep their distance. In the early morning before the sun comes up, the eagles are chirping loudly in the tree tops and the martins are singing too. It is the best way to wake up! Just love it.Trishy wrote: ↑Sat Jul 14, 2018 5:40 pmI have an extremely aggressive hawk this year, and I am just about at the end of my rope. Last night he came in 4 times in a 2.5 hour period. Today I made a straw man to hopefully give me and the Martins a break. They are constantly on guard, and I feel really bad for them. Most of the babies will fledge this week. Just trying to help Mom and dad live long enough to get the job done.