Snake attack already! :( aftermath advice?

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CNO~La
Posts: 145
Joined: Wed Nov 19, 2003 2:12 am
Location: Baton Rouge/Louisiana

Martins have been plentiful here and in full nest building mode. looks like I have about 20 or more birds. Was planning to do nest check this weekend and hoping for real early eggs. Up at 6:00 am this morning and turned on gourd camera. As usual, male was out and female inside. Turned back on around 8:00 am when daughter woke up and saw a object in front of camera moving slowly. Ran outside and saw birds outside of house preening and singing normal chatter. I lowered the house and coaxed the snake out and sent him back to Hell. Found dead female inside. Her head was matted down and my thought was that he tried to eat her???? No idea if they had any eggs......

I cleaned out the gourd with water and towels and replaced all the nesting material. Is that good enough? My understanding was that if Martins saw or sensed snake, they would abandon the entire house. They returned to house when I raised it and appear normal. The male returned too and keeps looking in gourd hole, but won't go in.

I have netting bunched up on bottom of poles and was going to re-install my PMCA guards this weekend also. Thought I was good till egg laying began. I feel bad. :cry: He was a pretty small rat snake and imagine he was able to slip through the netting. I have two different sizes combined in the bunch.

On a happier note, did find first egg in the other house.

I have pics of everything and will try to attach.

Thanks for all the help this Board does.
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dsonyay
Posts: 1677
Joined: Fri Jul 02, 2010 3:10 pm
Location: Louisiana/Broussard
Martin Colony History: 2010-2014 located in Slidell LA. Gourd rack with 16 gourds. Max of 2 pairs during this short period in Slidell. Plenty of fledglings.

2014-present.. moved to Broussard LA. Same Gourd Rack but added a 6 room house (modified from a 12 room)

2020: after a long drought of nothing, 4 pairs and 4 nests, 23 eggs total.
6 fledges.

2021: 9 pair, 47 eggs
36 hatchlings
30 fledged

2022: about 12 pairs.. many eggs, all fledged.. only had one hatchling die.. probably because of our schnauzer. :(

2023: 16 pairs. So far about 60 chicks with about a dozen eggs to go.

2024: 13 pair. About 60 eggs
2025: 14 pairs .. 69 eggs.

wow Todd- thats not good to hear. I remember seeing the snake guards on your pole and thought that would be enough. I always wondered if a thick coating of grease on the pole right above the net would be a good second barrier just in case. Maybe you could also lay down a big barrier of snake repellant around the pole?

Might be time to buy a good metal gaurd or add more netting.
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flyin-lowe
Posts: 3789
Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2006 8:49 am
Location: Indiana/Henry Co.

How big is the "ball" of snake netting. If it is too small the snakes will just go around it instead of trying to go through it. If the dead PM was wet and matted down I would say the snake had either eaten in or was in the process of eating it and the regurgitated it. I know sometimes they do this right after they eat if they sense danger.

I am not sure if martins witnessing a snake is enough to cause them to abandon the site. Hopefully not.
2026 HOSP 27
2025 62 pair HOSP 20
2024 60 pair, HOSP 44
2023 60+ pair, HOSP 8
2022 60 nests with 262 eggs, HOSP 14
2021 62 pair, HOSP 9
2020 42 nest, HOSP 8
2019- 31 pair
2018- 15 pair 49 fledged
2017 3 SY pair, 12 eggs , fledged 10. 4 additional lone SY's
2016 1 pair fledged 4
2015 Visitors
2014 Visitors
2013 Moved 6 miles, 1 pair fledged 2.
2012 30 pair fledged 100.
2011 12 pair 43 fledged.
2010 5 pair 14 fledged.
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Emil Pampell-Tx
Posts: 6743
Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 1:26 pm
Location: Tx, Richmond (SW of Houston)
Martin Colony History: First started in Gretna, La in 1969 with a small homemade house, have had martins ever since at 2 different homes in Texas

The only thing that will probably happen is that the male will abandon that cavity. The snake probably will not affect the other martins at all since you found it so quick. You are lucky that you found it. I had the same thing happen to me, a small snake made it thru a small crack in the pole guard. I doubt that the other martins can smell the snake, so there should be no problem.
PMCA Member, 250 gourds, 6 poles, 2traps
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wyatt
Posts: 823
Joined: Thu May 17, 2007 1:24 pm
Location: Florida/Tallahassee

I've had the same thing happen. Those small snakes can get through the netting. I doubled my netting this year and made sure it covered at least 18 inches from the pole in all directions. I also sealed off the gaps in the predator guard with great stuff. I'm hoping that does it, but I'm not sure. Electricity may be the answer, but I'm over water and afraid of that. I think you're OK too since you caught it so soon. I think the reports of them abandoning the house are when they don't catch it in time and the snake keeps coming back. Your post just inspired me to look for the 1/4 inch netting again to add to the 1/2 inch netting. I found this and ordered some:

http://www.amazon.com/Dewitt-14-Foot-Ba ... 766&sr=8-2
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CNO~La
Posts: 145
Joined: Wed Nov 19, 2003 2:12 am
Location: Baton Rouge/Louisiana

Thanks for all the help and suggestions!

Flyin lowe - My net ball WAS pretty spread out, but I had some fence repair done this week and just noticed that my flexiable extenders were bent in. Workers must have done it as they worker in area.

Wyatt - I'm ordering some more of that on Amazon right now. Thanks
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lucky3
Posts: 38
Joined: Mon Feb 28, 2011 4:04 pm
Location: Tennessee, Crossville

The key to the snake question may be that yours was an established colony, therefore you should be o.k. If you had only one or two pairs, it could be startingalloversville. Goodluck and thanks for the heads up. Sign me, been there in TN.[/b]
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RC Moser
Posts: 1546
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2003 3:25 am

IMO the snake will move from one cavity to another Till he's gone through the entire nesting pairs on that pole. Luckily you caught him in the first cavity. In couple of days he would of moved onto another and so on. IMO that's why they will abandon that housing on that pole, either they all got ate, or there mate got ate, or their eggs, babies, and PMs got eaten.

IMO that's why most of us catch them curled up inside cavity, if we do nest checks every few days. Usually you can count the lumps, large lumps birds, small lumps eggs or babies, he's digesting his meal getting ready to move on for the next feast. I also think most snakes creap in at night thus plugging the entry hole and getting everything inside that cavity.
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geezer
Posts: 311
Joined: Tue Jun 22, 2004 2:21 pm
Location: Texas/Anna (north of dallas)

After having several bad experiences with snakes...my conclusion is

YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MUCH NETTING!

And it doesn't matter how it looks. I add more netting every year..just to be sure. Sometimes the really small snakes get thru anyway..but they are not a big problem. The PM's will let you know if something is wrong.

Geezer
#PMCA #birding #birders
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M.Stephens
Posts: 1130
Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2009 3:14 pm
Location: Texas/Texarkana

Here's a picture of a small one I caught this morning. He wasn't near the bird houses but by my patio walkway. I'm sure he was after mice.


Image



I too have been thinking that I can wait till they are nesting and egg laying. I've been in the process of making new predator guards for some of my new poles and haven't got my snake netting all fixed the way I want it just yet, but now after this snake he's making me speed things up a bit. Oh by the way, he's gone to that little snake heaven too!!
Malcolm
2015 (110 nesting pair)
2014 (92 nesting pair)
2013 (75 nesting pair)
2012 (35 nesting pair)
2011 (20 pair)
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Steven Spencer
Posts: 118
Joined: Mon Apr 24, 2006 10:53 am
Location: Jasper. Texas

Three years ago I had a rat snake get past my netting and stovepipe guard. I changed to 6 inch pvc, about 4 foot high and ran a wire to the top of each piece attached to a fence charger and have not had a problem since. I got the idea from Emil. Thanks Emil!
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The Olsons
Posts: 3200
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 12:57 pm
Location: North Padre Island, TX

I am so sorry to hear about your snake attack; most people are in denial that these rat snakes are around but they are...I always think better safe than sorry and I have snake guards up..... Wishing you a great 2011 martin season 8)
Love it or leave it~~~Astrid :-)
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