Apparently the raccoon predation was just too much for the purple martins at the Davie Road Racetrac gas station. They are no longer roosting at that site. I went on Friday night and the few purple martins that flew over head, never came down to the trees. The dead martins on the ground were still there, but no fresh kills. Apparently the roost was abandoned shortly after my visit on Saturday June 13.

Fortunately for all us purple martin lovers, a fellow PMCA forumite “Stingray” was shopping in the area and happened upon the new roost location. It is now located at the “Tower Shops” just South of 595 on the East side of University Drive, in the same plaza as Home Depot. The chances of finding the new roost location is almost a miracle in my book and the disappointment I felt this Friday is now replaced with excitement again. woo hoo! I can’t wait to go and see the new spot. I hope the folks at the Tower Shops greet the purple martins with the same welcome attitude that they enjoyed at Racetrac Gas station. The potential for a negative response is high considering there is no overhead cover to protect any shoppers from the rain of bird poop that they will be experiencing.

I have been ridiculously busy trying to prepare an article for you on emergency care of purple martins…I should say, first responder care of purple martins. I went to Folke Peterson Wildlife Center on Friday and met another one of their wonderful Veterinary Technicians, Faith, who let me photograph the HY purple martin while he was force fed. He is still not accepting food from the hemostats and his outlook is poor. Other than the fact that he is being force fed three times a day and can not fly, he appears calm and comfortable. A perfect gentleman.

Other interesting finds at the Wildlife Center was a Chimney Swift nestling that was brought in recently. Eyes shut and chattering loudly, the little nestling looked so out of place in his box. My heart bleeds for this little guy. For great information on Chimney Swifts and what you can do to help these birds visit ChimneySwift.org  I was shocked to find out that contrary to what I had read on the swifts breeding range, South Florida, the West Palm area to be exact, has a nice little colony of swifts that live out my way. I am eager to convince my husband of the need to put up a Chimney Swift tower! I am so excited for this project for next year. Can you imagine THAT on a webcam?

Another interesting patient at Folke Peterson was a juvenile NightHawk. Which is quite the coincidence considering that I recently wrote a blog entry about these illusive birds that I NEVER thought I would see so close. Like a pet rock, it sat in its cage with its big eyes staring back at me. A curious bird and not very bird looking at all, up close. Faith told me of the odds against rehabilitating this bird and all birds that are strict aerial insectivores. A diet that is never fully able to be replicated, humans can only come up with a fair approximation of the dietary needs of such birds. I hope this one makes it too.

Blog Contents © 2009 PurpleMartinArt.com

As you know, on Saturday I dropped off a HY purple martin that I found at the Davie Roost. The apparent trauma of a tree collision (?) the martin was unable to fly and seemed to be slightly uncoordinated. I brought him to the Folke Peterson Wildlife Center where he was given some medications and observed. Today I received bad news. Apparently after he failed a flight test, he had an X-ray taken and it was found that he has a crushed shoulder. Unable to be fixed surgically, he is doomed; and though calm and comfortable, his days are numbered. I am upset at the news and so looked forward to releasing him back at the roost to join his comrades. I am so sad to think that he will meet the same fate as those that were littering the floor. Another fallen martin, another statistical failure and another purple martin that will never fly across the Equator. I will tell you when his hour comes.

The colony remains busy in the morning but quiet as evening approaches and I am looking forward to going to the roost again. I have been unable to locate any raccoon repellent at the local Lowes, hardware store, feed store, Dicks sporting goods or Bass pro shop. The ideas I have received include moth balls, metal flashing, Vicks vapor rub, large cat (like lions and tiger) feces, traps and chaining a large dog to a tree under the colony. Unfortunately, I have been unable to come through on many of those ideas. The folks at one animal removal service told me that since the raccoons have discovered the richness of the roost, that a chemical/scent repellant will be useless.

Davie FLORIDA Premigratory Roost

Today has to be one of the highlights in my short yet thrilling experiences as a Purple Martin Landlord. Tonight at 7pm my husband and 2 young boys took me to the RaceTrac gas station on Davie Road in Davie, Fl. It was the most spectacular thing I have ever seen. And to think that this roost is SMALL!!! Photos can not do it justice. I tried taking photos and I felt like I was trying to photograph the Grand Canyon with a Polaroid. I can only wonder the splendor of a large roost like those in Texas, Louisiana or Pennsylvania. My husband took a guess and says somewhere around 5,000 birds or so. In a photo I took I counted 200 martins in that small area alone. And the sky was covered with them. I highly encourage any local birders to check out this most amazing show.

On a sad note, as I walked about before the martins came in force I noticed the ground under the trees that the martins are roosting in, was littered with dead martins in various stages of consumption. Piles of feathers, martins with heads chewed off, wings and other bits and pieces covered the grass. I was aghast and at first I assumed that Owls were arriving at night to feast on the martins. That may well be the case but then my husband pointed out the real culprit. A large raccoon scampered across the parking lot and climbed the first tree. It became quite apparent that the raccoons are having a nightly banquet of bird. Of course they don’t have the decency to finish one birds before killing another. I walked from bird corpse to bird corpse wondering what I could do…trust me, I had some crazy thoughts.

As I walked about taking photos I noticed one of the “corpses” was looking back at me. Laying on its back with his head turned so he could see me, a fledgling Purple Martin lay moving his short feet in a bicycle riding fashion. I approached slowly and thought it would right itself in time to fly off, but it did not. I picked him up and gave him a look over. A perfectly alert little HY purple martin. His eyes are sharp and his temper was quick but when I tested his wings he did not seem to even want to flap them. Weak or injured he is now resting comfortably in a dark box with a crop full of mealworms and scrambled eggs. I will take him to Folke Peterson Wildlife Center in the AM to be checked out. If all looks good I hope to return him to the roost to join the other martins.

It is late and my heart is happy so off to sleep. I will post more pictures of the roost in an upcoming blog entry. So check back soon!

The fledglings are clambering all over the gourd racks and the house causing a ruckus all day long. The rain has been falling on and off for the last 2 days and they seem to be enjoying the it. All it takes is me stepping on to the back patio and I set them off in a slurry of purple. The flock moves en Mass except for the remaining parents that are still feeding nestlings. More than half of the nests have fledged and my season will be starting to wind down shortly.

The Red Shouldered hawk is persistently attacking the colony and I can only assume that it has been successful, though thankfully I have yet to witness a successful attack. Yesterday I witnessed 3 such attempts that set the purple martin off in an alarming cacophony. I am sure that now having said that, I have jinxed myself and come tomorrow morning I will see the blasted hawk plucking a martin right before my eyes. Please knock on wood!

I have had so many “firsts” this year. First snake attack. First dead nestling on the ground. First pair to actually nest in the gourd hanging on the 5 foot shepherds hook. First nest check with my son. First time broadcasting the webcams. Never mind all the milestones and “firsts” with the website and blog. I already am missing my birds and can’t wait to show them again next year what a wonderful place this is to call home.

©2009 S.Halpin/PurpleMartinArt.com

The Red tailed hawk continues to make half hearted passes at the purple martins but I have yet to actually witness any kills. (knocking on wood frantically)  I have seen the hawk looking for the mockers nests and perched low in branches looking for snakes and what not. Today’s pass at where the mockers are nesting was too close for comfort. Though I do not think he actually found the nest, he was looking and the mockingbird parents were being brave, if not foolish in their attempts to distract the hawk. Pass after pass the mockingbirds dove his head, a small annoyance to the hawk. The hawks gaze was intense and though I am unsure if he actually saw the nest. It could be that he was not interested in eggs and is just keeping up to date with the happenings in the nest. Perhaps he will return when the nestlings are a more satisfying meal. If the neighborhood crow does not get there first.

The martins are doing well and today I saw Chimney Swifts for the first time. I have heard people describe them as flying cigars before, but today I realized what an apt and fitting description that really is. Almost as if the have no tail and wings fluttering faster than a martins, they twittered loudly. The martins flew about not as interested in the swifts as the swifts seemed interested with them. They stayed, flying about for about 3-4 minutes until finally flying off. Not a very attractive call, the twittering reminded me of the clicking of dolphins. But then again, compared to my beloved Purple Martins, no bird sings as sweet.

I did the last nest check yesterday that will be done for a while on the gourd rack that is on the birdcam/colonycam. The nestlings in gourd #9 are now 28 days old and they are looking like they could go at any time.  To prevent premature fledging after I lowered the rack (oh so quietly) I placed a sock in the gourd opening. I had tied a string to the sock so after the check was doen and the gourd rack raised up, I could gently pull on the string to remove the sock. All went well on the check and the babies looked wonderful. No bugs, fat and lean with hints of blue showing on their fresh new feathers. The next time I see them, in early 2010, they will be sun-bleached brown.  

There are at least 5 nests that seem to be abandoned. There are 3 scenarios I believe could be at play for this situation. It could be a case of egg dumping or it could be young inexperienced SY’s playing house or lastly, drought affecting food supply thus reducing clutch rates. Whatever the case may be, I have come to terms with my goal of reaching the magical 100 mark having to wait till next year.

No more snake attacks and the bird/snake netting along with the spray foam in the holes of the S&K predator pole guard will let me sleep at night. In the picture you can see the white dried foam coming out of the holes in the guard that allowed the snake to pass through. The foam is commonly found in hardware stores and a common brand name is “Great Stuff insulating foam sealant” or “Handi-foam”. It actually comes in handy for several things and I have heard of some folks using it to modify cheap plastic purple martin houses to increase the insulation and help keep internal temps comfortable. One thing I should mention to those considering an inexpensive purple martin house. Consider the amount of effort you will put into the house modifying it and the life expectancy of the house itself. If you expect to get more than a handful of seasons out of the house you may very well be overly optimistic. Sun and UV rays can change plastic and you may notice discoloration or loss of opacity and brittleness. Though some may disagree, more light means more heat and it is generally agreed upon that darker is better, when it comes to the interior of a purple martin house. The plastic can always be painted with a product like Fusion paint for plastic but again, now you are adding your time and money into the upkeep. My point? Always consider these factors when deciding what kind of Purple Martin house you want to buy. Want to read more about deciding on a purple martin house? Click here for an article on “what you will need” which talks about all the different types of housing, pros and cons to help you decide.

Nest check results for 5/1/09

Total eggs:  57       Total young:   59        Total nests:   26

Good LORD! My days of shooting targets with my faithful M16 rifle in the U.S.Army are long gone. Heavy emphasis on LONG. I have been driving myself insane looking at the growing flock of European Starlings that are feeding on my lawn every single day.

 Morning, afternoon and evening they come for a bite. I put out my trap, not a look. I took aim with my old pellet handgun-a joke. I even tried with a slingshot…that is just dangerous in my hands. I could not even get close. So after listening to some good advice given on the Purple Martin Clubhouse forum, I go against the advice and go cheap. Who needs a >$300.00 pellet gun anyway?  I purchased a Remington 77 Airmaster from Walmart. At $75.00, how could I go wrong? I excitedly got it ready, attaching the scope, ready all instructions, popping out the screen on the starlings favorite side of the house. Then I proceeded to work my untoned triceps to the point of complete muscle fatigue. The instructions read pump at LEAST 3 times to 10 times. SO I stuck with 6 pumps. Unfortunately after the first pump my arms were shaking like a bowl of Jell-O. After the 20th or so, pellet I decided that this is a gun for the young and I didn’t feel so young anymore. At least not after pumping that thing up. Wow, was I sore! My arms could not be lifted higher than my waist. It took all my strength to lift the box back in my car to take it back to Walmart for a refund. So back to square one.

Did I then go with my fellow landlords experienced and fine advice? Heck no! I am a woman and a wife. What does a man know anyway? (just kidding) But unfortunately, no I did not listen. Instead I went to the brand new Dicks and browsed their selection of pellet rifles. They had several cheap models that I thought were somewhat equivalent to the Remington…but this time I was going to move up to something better. Right? Spend a little more, get something better. That was my plan. Just how much more though…hmmm.

 This time I purchased a Crossman G1 Extreme. Good weight, felt “substantial”, mega big cool scope. Made the Remington scope look like a Timex next to a Rolex. OK, so off I go. I had a little quickness to my step, my arms were beginning to feel alive again. Straight home to the window.

I was impressed at the break barrel pump which meant only one pump. I like that! No more gym membership included with purchase. One pump and shoot. OK, take aim, breath, exhale, squeeze…KAPOW!!! Good grief! Are you joking me? Did I mistakenly buy a real gun? My first reaction was to run to the restroom. My second reaction was to check the ceiling for the pellet, my next reaction? Pack that thing up and RUN, not walk, back to that store. Laughing all the way and secretly glad that I was not home, just in case the police come driving by looking for someone shooting a gun.

Next plan? Start saving my quarters.

A big thank you to those that emailed me about my recent snake attack. I should apologize to the snake that I vanquished to the City dump.

Like I told Dave J, I know better than to kill the snake. It was a case of projection- at anger towards myself. So much for “Don’t hate the player, hate the game.” I doubt I will now start killing every snake I see. I usually catch them and then hold them for my 2 kids to touch and squeal over. Also in retrospect, should have known the snake must have gone partway up that pole before, as the last time I did a check there were none of the small tree frogs that like to sleep under the guard during the day.

Regarding the inadequate S&K predator guard on one of the last remnants of S&K at my site; I sprayed foam insulation into the openings on the adaptor to close the passageway the snake must have used. I also placed snake netting below. In the pic you can see the gap that is formed when the circular opening of the guard is attached to the triangular pole adaptor that is underneath. Not only is their a gap there but then there are several small openings that are part of the design of the adaptor itself. The adaptor is actually the same piece that is used as one of the older S&K gourd racks. When in use as a gourd rack the rods that the gourds are hung on go through these openings. When used as an adaptor for the guards, there is nothing to block these openings and a small snake can pass through. As my experience has shown a small snake can easily kill just as effectively as a large snake.

when used as a gourd rack

 The spray foam insulation seems to have closed off these openings and be an easy fix. Also snake netting is in place anyway. 

A big thanks to Bob n Jo in Iowa, for letting me place a link to their FREE Purple Martin Bird House on my other website, purplemartins-r-us.com. It is a 7 page PDF plans to construct chalet style houses out of insulation foam board. If any of you complete this project, I would love to hear about it.

©2009 Blog contents S.Halpin/PurpleMartinArt.com

A whopping 3 Martins on the wires for less than 5 minutes. That was it.

I have been thinking a lot about Owl Protection for next year. I have several options…and so do you.

I strongly encourage all those that do not have predator protection in place to give it some thought. The work that Purple Martin Landlords go through to attract these birds is significant. The damage an Owl can do over the course of a few nights is devastating. With a few simple deterrents you can save the lives of many martins.

Its amazing the animals around us that we are not aware of. We look out our windows or get out of our cars and we have no idea the eyes that are watching us. I did not think there were that many Owls out here where I live until I spoke to a nice man at the local grocery store. He proceeded to tell me of the 4 nest boxes he had on his property…about 2.5 miles from me, that fledged baby Horned Owls every year. I was amazed since I figured that since I had never heard “hooting” that there were no Owls. WRONG! I have read many a posts from landlords who lost their entire colony to some predator or the other. Purple Martins just don’t pick up and leave. Something drives them away. Be it snakes, raccoons or Owls (to name a few) There are creatures rooming around in the dark scouring the neighborhood for an opportunity. And trust me, being 15 feet in the air is not protection.

Here is a short list of things you can do to protect your colony from Owls. (Many Thanks to the PMCA, Purple Martin Research Group and the Purple Martin Clubhouse)

1. ENLARGE THOSE COMPARTMENTS! 6×6 is so 20th century and so unsafe. 6×12 is the way to go. A simple feat to enlarge existing compartments. Some housing systems (Like Quad Pods) use a baffle to deter Owls. That is simply a plastic barrier, withing the compartment that prevents the owl from seeing past it and into the compartment itself.

2. USE TUNNELS! The tunnel can work like a baffle in some respects, preventing the owl from seeing all the way in the compartment. Mainly the tunnel makes it difficult for an Owl to reach in and pull out birds with his talons. An Owl can reach all the way in a 6×6 compartment and pick off every last bird. With a tunnel, the birds have some measure of safety.

3. WHITE NOISE! Do you have a pool? Is the pump near the martin housing? If so that is a perfect way to mask the noise of the birds “talking” at night. And YES, they do talk. And yes, an Owl flies around listening for just such sounds. Other ways to make white noise are fountain pumps or waterfalls. Even a sound machine sold at your local Wal-Mart or Target can be used to make white noise. Cost is under $15. Or how about a cheap radio set in between stations. (As long as your neighborhood is safe enough that it won’t get stolen) Usually if the radio is playing static, no one will really mess with it. (who wants an apparent broken radio!)

4. WIRE ME UP! 3″ x 4″ hardware cloth or ‘chicken’ wire can make a great owl guard. Wrapped around the housing, the martins will quickly learn to navigate the wire and have a safe escape if an Owl comes calling. You can also purchase Owl Guards that are made specifically for your housing that wraps around it-serving the same purpose.

5. LIGHTS ! Many have found that flood lights, either on all night or motion activated can somewhat deter Owls. Apparently the lights can spoil an Owls stealth approach. My philosophy is-every little bit helps.

There are a few other things that you can do to help. Make your gourds as “swing-free” as possible. (Thank you Mr.Pampell!) Look into a product called Niteguard. It is an artificial “eye”, a blinking light that simulates the eyes of an owl on the top of the housing. Owls stay away from other Owls. So if the Owl thinks there is one parked on top of your Martin house, he will keep going. (Thanks Lisa) Though some say this does NOT work, others say it does. You decide. I would not trust it exclusively to protect from owls.

So those are my tips on Owl Predation Prevention. And you all know how much an ounce of prevention is worth!

I have been working hard on the website. New Purple Martin Polymer jewelry has been added as well as some beautiful Swallow apparel. Check it out http://purplemartins-r-us.com.

Talk to you soon.