Let's Get It Straight On Crows Being a Good Thing

[birdman in buckhead]

Hi Folks - In my opinion there has been some confusing information today on this forum concerning attracting crows to martin colonies to prevent hawk attacks. in my five years of being a martin landlord. I can say my martins don't seem to like crows, at all! And I've read on other sites that crows will raid purple martin nests, eating eggs, hatchlings and adults. This does not support the suggestion of crows being a good thing that protects martins from hawks.

I think some clarification is needed from experts and the more experienced landlords.

Thank you!

[flyin-lowe]

I would never call myself an expert.......All I can say is I have been housing martins at too different locations for quite some time. I have never seen a martin harmed by a crow and I have never witnessed a crow raid a nest to eat eggs or young. I have seen crows sound the alarm and give my martins a head start when a hawk gets into the area. So my experience has been there are benefits to having crows around.

[Whippy]

I'm no expert but I have been quite observant over the years.

Crows in the city seem to be a bit different than those country crows. The city crows get plenty of "scraps" so to speak that pretty much reduces the need to hunt or rob nests etc. These scraps could be dumpsters, trash cans, land fills, tossed out fast food as well as pet foods throughout the neighborhoods. We have plenty of road kill squirrels around here as well. Why go through the extra effort if it's just handed to you?

The crows at my ranch are a bit different. They'll take every opportunity they can get to get a meal which includes predation, scavenging, and taking advantage of feed crops and game feeders. I don't have a colony set up at the ranch because I'm not there a lot so I can't say they would be a bother to the martins but I expect they just might be.

A crow is a crow. It's black has feathers etc. but I truly believe behavior differs from region to region as well as from city to rural. They'll do what they need to do to survive in any environment and I believe different environments require different survival methods.

Also. What's the difference between Crows and Hawks as it relates to Martin predation? You probably won't go to jail for shooting a crow to protect your Martins.

That's my two cents worth.

Coolwhips

[paule]

I posted this about crows four years ago. You can search Oh No Crows! if you want to read the whole thread.
Paul

Wed May 02, 2018 10:28 pm
I just need to vent! This afternoon I saw what looked like a martin coming in from up high when all of a sudden out of the blue comes what looked like a crow. Looked like material dropped from the bird’s beak as it swerved and the crow had it. I grabbed the binoculars as the crow landed on a neighbor’s roof. It was a crow but could not make out what it had for sure. It flew off to a nearby tree. As I grabbed a pistol I asked the wife to look up the crow season on the DNR site. It ended in March. Through all the ruckus it dropped what was left of its prey. I picked it up and it was an ASY female martin. One of our babies bringing in nesting material. Believe me when I say that can leave your stomach in knots. I always figured I might witness a hawk doing this but not a crow. I searched the site and found no reports of a crow catching an adult martin on the fly so I decided to start a new post. As I was observing another crow with nesting material in its beak, I followed it a couple of blocks away where it was building a nest. Soon after another crow approached and started scolding me. The only two American crows I saw. I am fearful this may become a problem rather than an isolated incident. I have found crows to be quite intelligent and never bothering the martins. Many earlier posts on the forum has found them to be beneficial in getting hawks to move on. Any insight on this matter?
Thank you in advance.
Paul

[Keith]

Crows nest every year not far from my colony and for over 30 years never had an issue. When the crow has a nest and any hawk gets close by the crows 6 or 8 show up and chase the hawk away. Certainly gives my colony a heads-up.

[Bird Brain]

Crows in the city? Never saw a crow in the city. Suburbs maybe, but not the city. Those are probably grackles. Crows are more aggressive to hawks than any other bird. How is a crow going to raid a martin nest? How does a crow get through that little martin sized entrance hole? Now that I gotta see. If a crow can catch a martin in flight, that martin gettin old and slow or something. It's past its prime that's for sure. Crows and martins don't compete for anything that I'm aware of.

[paule]

"If a crow can catch a martin in flight, that martin gettin old and slow or something."

That female martin was carrying nesting material to build her nest you "Bird Brain". LOL

[MartinBro]

As I grabbed a pistol I asked the wife to look up the crow season on the DNR site. It ended in March.Soon after another crow approached and started scolding me.

So before you went outside with your pistol, you stopped and asked your wife to look something up on the computer? Crow season ends in March? What about wabbit season? You grabbed a pistol to shoot a crow? Good luck with that! You got scolded by a crow while packing a pistol? Did you say “GO AHEAD CROW, MAKE MY DAY?” LOL

[paule]

As I grabbed a pistol I asked the wife to look up the crow season on the DNR site. It ended in March.Soon after another crow approached and started scolding me.

So before you went outside with your pistol, you asked your wife to look something up on the computer? Crow season ends in March? What about wabbit season? You grabbed a pistol to shoot a crow? Good luck with that! You got scolded by a crow while packing a pistol? Did you say “GO AHEAD CROW, MAKE MY DAY!” LOL

That Colt 45 ACP 1911 has been accurized at 50 yards. I am well known to plink house sparrows off the troyer gourds with my 177 Beeman Tempest pistol. The wife and I were sitting on the patio and she was already on the laptop surfing when we both saw the crow and heard the martin scream. I hope that answers some of your questions. I have been shooting really long range objects since the late 1960's. So, “GO AHEAD, MAKE MY DAY!” LMAO

[Thomas Maddox]

Crow hunting with a Colt 45! I want videos!

[paule]

Crow hunting with a Colt 45! I want videos!

Now that could get me in some trouble. Semper Fi

[birdman in buckhead]

Hi guys. Happy Thursday!

This/was a very good discussion. Yes, most all who replied are “experts” in my opinion. It appears to be a split decision, probably due to conditions being different in different situations. The only conclusion I can make, based on the fact that all landlords are in this for the betterment of purple martins and their colonies, will make the crow/no crow decision based on that fact.

Personally, I will not try to attract crows near my colony because I see no benefit – only possible problems. I have never witnessed crows sounding the hawk alarm or chasing and dive-bombing hawks like martins do. If my birds are perched on the housing, they don’t seem too concerned with crows flying by. If they are in flight, they will give a squawk or two and escort the crow away from the colony, but nothing like they act when a hawk is nearby. Also, crows will eat just about anything, so I would not put purple martins off their menu

[MartinBro]

Crow hunting with a Colt 45! I want videos!

A 45 for a crow! “DO YOU FEEL LUCKY, CROW? MAKE MY DAY.” Why not just fire a bazooka and throw in a grenade to make sure! LMFAO

[BioJoe]

Fish Crows are much more of a risk to martins than American Crows. American Crows in the area of a martin colony can absolutely be a benefit as a hawk warning system.

[colliemom]

Different type crows in Southern states. I also like having my American crows around. My experience has been
that they chase off more hawks than I can. I even put out crow decoys to help attract them - not that I need to here
because they are plentiful. A few years back, one of the bird viruses killed off all of our crows so I'm happy they
are back now. Can't explain what happened in Iowa though.

[paule]

A quote from Oh No Crows! " I now have a love hate relationship with crows. As a child I nursed a broken winged crow back to health. That critter followed me everywhere and became one of my favorite pets. It even mimicked a few words." I guess one bad crow does not make all bad crows.

[dsonyay]

Fish Crows are much more of a risk to martins than American Crows. American Crows in the area of a martin colony can absolutely be a benefit as a hawk warning system.

Took the words outta my mouth. I’ve seen these “fish crows “ wreak havok on PM sites in the mandeville La area along the lake.

And around my house in Broussard La I’ve never noticed any problems between PMs and crows. But I’ve seen PM take off after crows on ocassion which makes me think they don’t particularly like them

[William Bagwell]

No Martins yet so can not comment on that aspect. Here on our little hobby farm have seen crows chasing hawks many times. Always the larger hawks, never seen them go after the smaller hawks that are the greater threat to small birds.

At work (15 miles away and very rural) witnessed a crow come inside a warehouse and eat baby Northern Rough Wing Swallows. Adults would chase the lone crow in flight then mostly ignore it while it was resting. Several employees discovered they could 'help' the swallows by making the crow fly. Going to plead the fifth on who and what they were doing. Crow eventually left and never returned.

Have to vote mixed bag based on my observations.

[Archer]

In Manitoba I have not seen crows as a threat to my colony. They do provide a deterrent to the owls though. Just this morning I saw them harassing the Great Horned Owl that sometimes comes around. They make a big racket when they find an owl. So around here, I like to have crows around.

[SSMartin]

Eastern fish crow will raid a Martin nest. I have seen them cling to porchless round hole gourds and start yanking nesting material trying to reach the goods inside. I noticed large mud dams in these nests I assume to prevent such intrusions.

Old style houses with 6x6” compartments good luck crows will clean you out.

SREH, tunnels, and large gourds/ expanded double room houses will make their efforts futile.

Funny the martins pay them no mind until they start laying eggs then any near the site is dive bombed.