Damn crow!

[Stingray]

A few seasons ago my colony had some crow raids. One of my neighbors witnessed a crow flying off with a baby martin.
I installed owl guards after the season ended and that seemed to help.
This season there has been a pesky crow landing on the gourds hanging on to the guards. I've chased him off a couple of times and the martins have mobbed him several times, but he persists.
My martin babies are fledging and apparently sitting on the gourd porch when the crow attacks. I watched him take one two days ago as I walked outside. My neighbor texted me that she just watched the crow take another one. Apparently this crow has found easy pickings. It is terrible to witness this. We work so hard for these little guys it's painful to see them become a meal for a predator.
I know some folks believe that crows help martin colonies by keeping hawks away.
I couldn't disagree more.
They may chase hawks away if they have a nest nearby, but they themselves are also a threat to your colony.
Crows are not your friends. They are super intelligent opportinistic predators and they love baby martins.

I know it's nature, but it still stinks!
On the upside, We did a nest check yesterday and counted 63 young with quite a few of them ready to fledge.
Some already have.
Good luck to all. :

[h2y]

Sorry to hear of your terrible plight with crows. Unless you are prohibited by neighborhood laws, use their super intelligence in your favor: blast a shotgun on sight, not to kill, but to educate. It might take a few blasts since you have stated you have a large murder of them.

Also, how close are your gourds to your house? Crows here like to keep their distance, ~50 yards, from humans. My PM houses average ~25 yards from my house so we just don't have problems with them. That said, early this year, there was a black hawk or crow bothering a martin. I was able to fire a shotgun warning shot and it hasn't been back.
.
Anyway, hope your site is unrestricted rural so you can utilize weaponry. Otherwise, I, personally, wouldn't host them as I have to shoot pesky sparrows almost daily. I'm actually surprised the PMs remain here.

[Dave Reynolds]

.. Stingray ... I feel your pain.. My brother lives in Winter Haven, and he has the same trouble with crows at his colony.. It stinks.. Have a good season...

Dave

[Stingray]

Sorry to hear of your terrible plight with crows. Unless you are prohibited by neighborhood laws, use their super intelligence in your favor: blast a shotgun on sight, not to kill, but to educate. It might take a few blasts since you have stated you have a large murder of them.

Also, how close are your gourds to your house? Crows here like to keep their distance, ~50 yards, from humans. My PM houses average ~25 yards from my house so we just don't have problems with them. That said, early this year, there was a black hawk or crow bothering a martin. I was able to fire a shotgun warning shot and it hasn't been back.
.
Anyway, hope your site is unrestricted rural so you can utilize weaponry. Otherwise, I, personally, wouldn't host them as I have to shoot pesky sparrows almost daily. I'm actually surprised the PMs remain here.

H2y,
Thanks for your reply.
Discharging a weapon is definitely prohibited where we live. I have a C02 pellet gun that I've used for starlings which have not been an issue this season, but the crow has not shown up while I'm sitting outside.
I have not heard or seen the murder lately and it is hard to miss!

My gourd racks are both less than 20 yards away from our home and less than 10 yards from a huge canal behind our home. Ideal for martins.

Aside from being vigilant, using my pellet gun or an air horn to scare him off, I cannot think of any other options.

Appreciate your feedback.

[Stingray]

.. Stingray ... I feel your pain.. My brother lives in Winter Haven, and he has the same trouble with crows at his colony.. It stinks.. Have a good season...

Dave

Hi Dave,
Thanks for your post. I appreciate your reply and feel for your brother.

It's been a pretty good season up until now!

Regards,

[h2y]

Stingray, well your hands are a bit tied but hopefully you get a chance to use an air horn when they show. Better yet, if the neighbor would be receptive to tooting one too. Our son recommended removing the "bell" off the horn, saying it really makes it obnoxious.

Your setting sounds idyllic; I, for one, would enjoy seeing pictures of your's, and others', "slice of PM heaven", irregardless of how modest or grand.

Good luck!

[John Evans]

Fish crows. are the reason I stopped hosting martins. We live on a golf course and have lots of crows. Our gourds were 25 feet from our house. They would wait in a big oak tree on the fairway and wait to see the young heads pop out and then strike. Parents could not protect them. Once the found an easy meal they would hang around all day.
We gave our 10 gourds and 12 room trendseter to a man from Ohio so he could carry on.

Miss them but we have a few colonies in the area so see them all the time.

Good luck

John

[Stingray]

Fish crows. are the reason I stopped hosting martins. We live on a golf course and have lots of crows. Our gourds were 25 feet from our house. They would wait in a big oak tree on the fairway and wait to see the young heads pop out and then strike. Parents could not protect them. Once the found an easy meal they would hang around all day.
We gave our 10 gourds and 12 room trendseter to a man from Ohio so he could carry on.

Miss them but we have a few colonies in the area so see them all the time.

Good luck

John

Hello John,
Thanks for your post/reply.
I'm sorry that you had to give up the martins but glad that you're still able to enjoy them.
I have only one individual (and that is one too many) that has been visiting.
Besides being a little extra vigilant, I'm going to try to figure out what I can do for next season to thwart these types of raids.
I recently saw pictures of gourds that had what appeared to be a little roof over the porch. Seems like that might help in at least slowing them down giving the young birds time to react.
I will try to find those. Maybe someone here has found a good deterrent that they can share.

Thanks again.