Help needed Indenifying a bird

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James A Lenz
Posts: 120
Joined: Thu Mar 30, 2017 7:30 am
Location: AL, Athens, Limestone County
Martin Colony History: 2017 New Landlord 11 cavities offered 3 pair fledging 8.

Hello everyone hope you all are enjoying your birds or getting ready to start very soon. I have a bird that is just showing up on my rack that looks like a tree swallow on steroids. It's as big as a Martin and it will chase my Martins and match them move for move. It takes the Martins ganging up on the bird to run him off. It is dark gray and white in the markings of a tree swallow but it has a white tip on the very end of its tail. It doesn't have any green or blue just a dark gray. At first glance you would swear it's a Martin but it's white under chin and breast are bright white like a tree swallow. It bothers me because it isn't afraid to just show up on my rack with several Martins and just sit there but when noticed they start to chase him off but he turns the table and chases the martin. HELP!
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AkitaSan
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue Mar 20, 2012 10:10 am
Location: Michigan, Southeast

That is the marvelous Eastern Kingbird. We welcome them here as they are aggressive towards hawks. I haven't figured out yet if they are "playing" with the Martins or harassing them, but in either case the Martins tend to ignore them. I wish we had more of them.
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James A Lenz
Posts: 120
Joined: Thu Mar 30, 2017 7:30 am
Location: AL, Athens, Limestone County
Martin Colony History: 2017 New Landlord 11 cavities offered 3 pair fledging 8.

AkitaSan wrote:That is the marvelous Eastern Kingbird. We welcome them here as they are aggressive towards hawks. I haven't figured out yet if they are "playing" with the Martins or harassing them, but in either case the Martins tend to ignore them. I wish we had more of them.
Thankyou Akita San I will look up more info on our guest.
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Mhoover
Posts: 213
Joined: Wed May 30, 2012 10:30 am
Location: Indiana/Monticello - White County
Martin Colony History: Started with 2 pair in 2014 - 7 eggs -7 fledged

I have a pair nesting in the area and they seem to like to tease the martins. They are also insectivores and excellent flyers but the ones here have never harmed my martins.
2017-5 pair
2016-4 pair- 18 hatched-18 fledged
2015-1 pair -Both ASY- 6 eggs-5 fledged
2014-2 pair- 1 ASY-M/SY-F-1 ASY pair - 7 eggs-7 fledged

PMCA Member
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James A Lenz
Posts: 120
Joined: Thu Mar 30, 2017 7:30 am
Location: AL, Athens, Limestone County
Martin Colony History: 2017 New Landlord 11 cavities offered 3 pair fledging 8.

Mhoover wrote:I have a pair nesting in the area and they seem to like to tease the martins. They are also insectivores and excellent flyers but the ones here have never harmed my martins.
Thankyou Mhoover Yes he seems to get a kick out of seeing if they notice him and then he chases them.
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AkitaSan
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue Mar 20, 2012 10:10 am
Location: Michigan, Southeast

James, your description is one I'll remember: "a tree swallow on steroids." Very good, indeed.
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James A Lenz
Posts: 120
Joined: Thu Mar 30, 2017 7:30 am
Location: AL, Athens, Limestone County
Martin Colony History: 2017 New Landlord 11 cavities offered 3 pair fledging 8.

AkitaSan wrote:James, your description is one I'll remember: "a tree swallow on steroids." Very good, indeed.
Well Thankyou us southerners have a way don't we? I swear I thought the Eastern king bird looked just like an over grown Tree Swallow. It's like tree swallows revenge, a genetically enhanced tree swallow that torments Martins for all their domination of the tree swallow population from the beginning of time. Frankin swallow! LOL!
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handyman315
Posts: 300
Joined: Thu May 12, 2016 11:03 am
Location: SW Ohio
Martin Colony History: Colony established May 20, 2017 after three unsuccessful years. Persistent and aggressive Tree Swallows plagued the site, but beyond learning - and practicing - to control them, was the return in 2017 of a 2016-SY-M previously unable to find a mate. As a handsome ASY-M, he brought along two females and a swagger that soon put the Tree Swallow issue to rest. As the anchor pair, he and his mate hatched all six of their eggs into fat and healthy babies into what settled in to be a three-pair, flourishing new colony with up to 11 birds total, including 3 SY-M trouble makers.

My Dad, born in 1922, called the Eastern Kingbird a "Bee Martin" . . . the name has been mentioned before on this Forum.

In our area, Southern Indiana, the name seemed to come from the farming community where the "Bee Martin" was often seen perched on fencing.

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=ht ... jwSilafQCg
2023-42 Nests, 197 Eggs/Babies
2022-48 Nests Fledged 203
2021-43 Nests Fledged 185
2020-31 Nests Fledged 133, three early deaths due to cold & rain
2019-19 Nests Fledged 84
2018-11 Nests Fledged 48, ASY-M Arrived April 6, Despite Snow & Cold, Joined Soon by Mate & Two Adult Pairs
2017-3 Nests Fledged 13, FIRST-YEAR LANDLORD! Resident SY-M from 2016 Returned (as ASY-M) on May 20. At Least 11 Adult Residents
2016 Late-Arriving SYs, Resident Lone SY-M
2015-14 Many Visits
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