This year all metal
houses have been replaced with 3 new wooden vertical
houses with cavities that measure 7x10", 5 compartments per house.
Along with the prototype houses from last year with
slightly smaller 6.5x7.5" compartments there are 30
compartments total. The houses are clamped together
on the poles so that they can be raised and lowered.
They are heavy but still manageable and better than
climbing a precarious ladder attempting to do nest
checks. Hope the birds like their new
accommodations this year.
Since the scouts were
observed on 3/27/04 I have not seen any additional
sightings as of today, 4/5/04. May be some moving
in as the temperatures are supposed to be in the mid
60's the next couple of days. Tuesday morning,
4/6/04, ASY male flying around houses and investigating.
No starling problems as yet but 2 pairs of sparrows need
to be dealt with.
Had a productive day at
the site today 4/10/04; 2 sparrows bit the dust,
adjusted SREH's so starlings couldn't enter as one got
in and had to widen one a bit as an ASY male couldn't
get out easily. Replaced nest box pine needles and
installed 3 egg shell feeders made out of plastic ice
cube trays. To top it off picked off a starling
late just before martins went in for the evening.
4/16/04: Tonight
after work I stopped by the colony to see if any more
birds arrived on the southerly wind today. Indeed some
had and as I watched them flying around one of the
houses I witnessed some interesting behavior.
Two ASY males were fighting over a compartment and
locked up and landed on the grass almost directly below
the house. They fought for at least 2 minutes on the
ground (much longer than I have ever seen a martin on
the ground before). They finally broke up and as they
started to fly back up to the house a hawk (not sure
what kind) appeared out of nowhere. It attacked one of
the ASY males that had been fighting, chased it about 20
yards after which the exhausted martin landed on the
ground again, too tired to fly any farther, and that was
it. I jumped out of my car and ran towards the hawk but
it was too late, the hawk and dead martin flew off
toward some trees about a half mile away. I have to
wonder if the hawk attack was opportunistic sensing the
martins may be tired from fighting or whether it was
just chance. Seems like the martin should be able to out
fly the hawk under normal circumstances.
The remaining martins took off in unison and chased the
hawk away and then circled high above the colony
obviously quite agitated.
About 7:00 pm I returned and at first was concerned as
there wasn't a martin in sight. Then they started to
show up and gradually came in for the evening. I noticed
one female (a partially melanistic one I recognized as
possibly the same one from last year in the same
compartment) frantically going from hole to hole
chirping and looking inside each one. I can only guess
this was the mate of the ill-fated male that was the
hawk attack victim. She finally settled in her normal
compartment at dark, still upset.
I know these things are natures way but it is still
distressing to see something like this happen. Why can't
the hawks go after the @!#&Y$) starlings instead? I'm
sure being a female she will eventually find another
mate. Hope the rest of the colony is more aware now of
the impending threat that may return for more victims.
