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.